A movie should be not judged on how well it adapts the material from which it derives, unless it is some sort of documentary. Taken as is, this is a good movie. But once you have read the novel, you see that its story is more somber, and it is hard not to regret that some of that was lost in the conversion.

Small town drama. Surprisingly positive portrayal of working in a coal mine, until it's not. Can appreciate the artistry. 1941 (14th) Academy Award nominations: Outstanding Motion Picture (Winner), Best Director (John Ford - Winner), Best Supporting Actor (Donald Crisp - Winner), Best Supporting Actress (Sara Allgood), Best Screenplay (Philip Dunne), Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration – Black-and-White (Richard Day, Nathan H. Juran and Thomas Little - Winner), Best Cinematography – Black-and-White (Arthur Miller - Winner), Best Film Editing (James B. Clark), Best Scoring of a Dramatic Picture (Alfred Newman), Best Sound Recording (Edmund H. Hansen)

A wonderful story on people living through day-by-day hardships in a developing community.

A little slow but good story. Not sure if it should of beaten Citizen Kane but it is a good movie.