In den Sümpfen (1941)

In den Sümpfen: Directed by Jean Renoir, Irving Pichel. With Walter Brennan, Walter Huston, Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews. Attempting to find his lost dog in a vast Georgia swamp, Ben Ragan stumbles upon wanted murderer Tom Keefer who convinces Ben he was framed for the murder by the real killer.

“If one had missed the opening credits, he would be forgiven for thinking that u0026#39;Swamp Water (1941)u0026#39; was one of John Fordu0026#39;s lesser-known efforts. If the cast of familiar Ford faces – including Walter Brennan, Ward Bond and John Carradine – didnu0026#39;t lead you up the wrong path, then itu0026#39;s the smaller touches that characterise the directoru0026#39;s Westerns: a close-knit community, an impassioned brawl, an innocent young lass, a significant father-son relationship. In this case, however, the credit doesnu0026#39;t belong to one of Americau0026#39;s greatest filmmakers, but to the French equivalent {though it comes as no surprise that writer Dudley Nichols was a frequent Ford collaborator}. u0026#39;Swamp Wateru0026#39; was Jean Renoiru0026#39;s first picture following his migration to Hollywood in the early 1940s. Interestingly, considering the distinctive brand of auterist film-making evident in u0026#39;The Rules of the Game (1939)u0026#39; just two years earlier, thereu0026#39;s little here to suggest that Renoir is seated behind the camera. Aside from a waterbound opening shot that calls to mind several scenes from u0026#39;A Day in the Country (1936),u0026#39; this film bears little resemblance to the other seven Renoirs Iu0026#39;ve seen to date.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen hunter Ben Ragan (Dana Andrews, in an early role) ventures into the feared Okefenokee swamp to retrieve his lost dog, he happens upon the hiding-place of Tom Keefer (Walter Brennan), a convicted murderer who escaped custody and has been living in isolation for several years. Despite having become a rugged and slightly eccentric recluse, Keefer firmly professes his innocence and spares Benu0026#39;s life, in exchange for keeping silent about his whereabouts. Back in town, and to his sweetheartu0026#39;s (Virginia Gilmore) chagrin, Ben befriends Keeferu0026#39;s daughter Julie (Anne Baxter), a raggedy young beauty who shies away from social interaction like a frightened kitten {fortunately for her career, Baxter would play a substantially more independent character in Wilderu0026#39;s u0026#39;Five Graves to Cairo (1943),u0026#39; and I certainly donu0026#39;t need to mention u0026#39;All About Eve (1950)u0026#39;}. Meanwhile, Benu0026#39;s father Thursday (Walter Huston) watches out for the cowardly ruffian who has been bothering his younger wife Hannah (Mary Howard) – the perpetrator is, of course, the suitably pathetic John Carradine.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEven if it doesnu0026#39;t attain the dizzying heights of Renoiru0026#39;s other offerings, u0026#39;Swamp Wateru0026#39; deserves to be seen for his marvellous and atmospheric cinematography (the stifling swamp photography was captured by Peverell Marley) and strong performances. Andrews perhaps wasnu0026#39;t the most authentic actor of the 1940s, but here he plays the young hero with a tenacity that signalled a successful future in Hollywood. Huston is, of course, terrific, and Iu0026#39;ve found it interesting that he never seems to play the same character (to such an extent that in u0026#39;And Then There Were None (1945)u0026#39; and u0026#39;Dragonwyck (1946)u0026#39; it took me a while to even recognise him!). But the heart of the film belongs to Brennan, who comes across as sympathetic and likable without even trying, though he brings an added toughness to this role that I liked – by the way, how the heck did they film the snake-bite scene without risking their top-billed star? I donu0026#39;t know if u0026#39;Swamp Wateru0026#39; could be confidently recommended to fans of its French director, but John Ford aficionados could certainly do much worse.”