''So Red the Rose'' is a 1935 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

and starring

Margaret Sullavan Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960) was an American stage and film actress. Sullavan began her career onstage in 1929 with the University Players. In 1933, she caught the attention of film director John M. Stahl and had ...

Walter Connolly Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 50 films between 1914 and 1939. His best known film is ''It Happened One Night'' (1934). Early years Connolly attended St. Xavier Coll ...

, and

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...

. The

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

-era romance is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by

Stark Young Stark Young (October 11, 1881 – January 6, 1963) was an American teacher, playwright, novelist, painter, literary critic, translator, and essayist. Early life Stark Young was born on October 11, 1881 in Como, Mississippi. His father, Alfre ...

. The film did not enjoy great popularity at the box office. After this film, Civil War films were considered box office poison in Hollywood until

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

and Henry Fonda's performance in 1938's ''

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

,'' which was a success. This was followed by the overwhelming popularity of '' Gone with the Wind'' in 1939, an adaptation of

Margaret Mitchell Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was an American novelist and journalist. Mitchell wrote only one novel, published during her lifetime, the American Civil War-era novel '' Gone with the Wind'', for which she wo ...

's bestseller of the same name. In February 2020, the film was shown at the

70th Berlin International Film Festival The 70th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 20 February to 1 March 2020. It was the first under the leadership of new Berlin Film Festival heads, business administration director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director C ...

, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.

Plot

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, Valette Bedford (

) waits patiently for her husband Duncan Bedford (

), to return home, praying that she will not become a widow.

Cast

as Valette Bedford *

as Malcolm Bedford *

as Duncan Bedford *

Janet Beecher Janet Beecher (born Janet Meysenberg; October 21, 1884 – August 6, 1955) was an American stage and screen actress. Early years The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Von Meysenburg, Beecher was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. Her sister was ...

as Sally Bedford * Elizabeth Patterson as Mary *

Robert Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as '' The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in ...

as Archie Pendleton *Harry Ellerbe as Edward Bedford * Dickie Moore as Middleton Bedford *

Charles Starrett Charles Robert Starrett (March 28, 1903 – March 22, 1986) was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the ''Durango Kid'' westerns. Starrett still holds the record for starring in the longest series of theatrical features: ...

as George McGehee *

Johnny Downs John Morey Downs (October 10, 1913 – June 6, 1994) was an American child actor, singer, and dancer. He began his career as a child actor, most notably playing Johnny in the ''Our Gang'' short series from 1923 to 1926. He remained active ...

as Wounded Yankee Corporal *

Daniel L. Haynes Daniel L. Haynes (June 6, 1889 – July 28, 1954) was an American stage and film actor and clergyman. He is best known for starring as Zeke in the early all-black King Vidor directed film Halleljuah. On November 28, 1910, he married Rosa Belle ...

as William Veal *

Clarence Muse Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, singer, and composer. He was the first African American to appear in a starring role in a film, 1929's ''Hearts in Dixie''. He acted for ...

as Cato * James Burke as Major Rushton *

Warner Richmond Warner Richmond (born Werner Paul Otto Raetzmann; January 11, 1886 – June 19, 1948) was an American stage and film actor. He began his career as a stock theatre actor and appeared in films in both the silent film and sound eras. His career spa ...

as Confederate Sergeant *Alfred Delcambre as Charles Tolliver *

Stanley Andrews Stanley Andrews (born Stanley Martin Andrzejewski; August 28, 1891 – June 23, 1969) was an American actor perhaps best known as the voice of Daddy Warbucks on the radio program ''Little Orphan Annie'' and later as "The Old Ranger", the first ...

as Cavalry Captain (uncredited) *

Suzette Harbin Suzette Harbin (July 4, 1915 – September 5, 1994) was an American actress and dancer. Early life Harbin was from Ledbetter, Texas. Harbin was raised in California, first in Pacific Grove, California, and then in Los Angeles. Harbin graduated ...

as Belle (uncredited) * John Larkin as Cato's Companion (uncredited) *

Lloyd Ingraham Lloyd Chauncey Ingraham (November 30, 1874 – April 4, 1956) was an American film actor and director. Biography Born in Rochelle, Illinois, Ingraham appeared in more than 280 films between 1912 and 1950, as well as directing more than 100 f ...

as Officer (uncredited) *

Madame Sul-Te-Wan Madame Sul-Te-Wan (born Nellie Crawford; March 7, 1873 – February 1, 1959) was the first black actress to sign a film contract and be a featured performer.Lowe, Denise. ''An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films'', Hawo ...

as Slave (uncredited)

References

Sources

* Andre Sennwald,
King Vidor's Screen Version of the Stark Young Novel 'So Red the Rose' at the Paramount
" ''The New York Times'', November 28, 1935. * Rodriguez, Junius P. ''Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion''. Greenwood milestones in African American history. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2007.

External links

* * *
''So Red the Rose'' at Turner Classic Movies

a discussion with Charles Woods - Slave Rebellion in the Movies
1935 films American historical drama films 1930s English-language films Films directed by King Vidor American Civil War films Paramount Pictures films Films based on American novels 1935 war films 1930s historical drama films American black-and-white films American war drama films 1935 drama films 1930s American films {{historic-film-stub