The Sea of Grass

1947

2h 3m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

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Drama

Western

Romance

On America's frontier, a St. Louis woman marries a New Mexico cattleman who is seen as a tyrant by the locals.

Directors

Elia Kazan

Writers

Conrad Richter(novel by)

Vincent Lawrence(screenplay by)

Marguerite Roberts(screenplay by)

Stars

Spencer Tracy

Katharine Hepburn

Robert Walker

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Top cast

Spencer Tracy

Col. James B. Brewton

Katharine Hepburn

Lutie Cameron Brewton

Brock Brewton

Brice Chamberlain

Sara Beth Brewton

Jeff

Doc J. Reid

Selina Hall

Banty

Floyd McCurtin

Sam Hall

Judge Seth White

George Cameron

Andy Boggs

A.J. Crane

Maj. Dell Harney

Cattleman (uncredited)

Henry Adams

Gambler (uncredited)

Directors

Elia Kazan

Writers

Conrad Richter(novel by)

Vincent Lawrence(screenplay by)

Marguerite Roberts(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Why do women insist on loving men for what they want them to be instead of what they are? The Sea of Grass is directed by Elia Kazan and written by Conrad Richter, Marguerite Roberts and Vincent Lawrence. It stars Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Walker, Melvyn Douglas, Phyllis Thaxter, Edgar Buchanan and Harry Carey. Music is by Herbert Stothart and cinematography by Harry Stradling. We are on the America's frontier and St. Louis woman Lutie Cameron (Hepburn) marries New Mexico cattleman Col. James B. 'Jim' Brewton (Tracy). Brewton is seen as a tyrant by the locals and Lutie quickly comes to realise that nothing will stop her husband from driving his plans forward. For serious Western fans it straight off looks odd seeing the pairing of Tracy and Hepburn in this setting of farmer/rancher feuding, and the pic never quite breaks away from the initial reaction of things being off kilter. In spite of the undoubted quality of the lead actors, this just becomes a raging soap opera. It's never once convincing, the studio bound theatrics becoming an eyesore, and as the run time inexplicably crawls drearily to two hours in length, there's not even any action to perk up proceedings. This was a rare blip in the filmic career of Kazan, who gives us all a warning when we find that he disowned the film, even saying he was ashamed of it. That's pretty damning evidence that serves notice on why this should be avoided by anyone other than Kazan, Hepburn and Tracy completists. One tends to think that the plot trajectory of Lutie embarrassed him, for without doubt it's offensive to womanhood, the finale only confirming this in a whirl of smugness not becoming the stars and director. It's a nicely enough produced production, with Stradling's smooth photography sparkling due to HD screenings via TCM, but as the script struggles to enact vibrancy, so shall you struggle to stay awake. 4/10

John Chard16 Jun, 2019