Truly Dreadful Film

ridiculous rating

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

In one of his final silver screen performances before his untimely death in 1935, Will Rogers plays no-nonsense judge here whose lack of patience with pontificating lawyers and willingness to act friendly towards accused men causes a stir in his small, conservative Southern town. Rogers turns in a nice, human and down-to-earth performance and there is a lot to like about the way he stands out from the crowd by not looking down at the African American population in his town. The film is a comedy first and foremost though and with over half the gags coming from racist stereotypes (and the occasional stray goat), 'Judge Priest' is often a difficult film to sit through. The material is not particularly well paced either; the courtroom scenes are the definite highlight of the movie, but a few initial scenes aside, it is not until nearly one hour in that the film returns to court. It is odd to think that John Ford helmed this lightweight and frivolous film in the same year as one of his definitive masterworks, 'The Lost Patrol'. Comedy was never Ford's strongest suit though as 'Donovan's Reef' would later prove, and it is at least curious to see him give the genre a go. The film has some cool visual techniques too, such as one character's head superimposed over a montage of wartime memories, though these points of interest are admittedly few and far between.

While this 1934 production from Fox styles itself as a twee bit of nostalgia for the late nineteenth century, it serves us today as a twee bit of nostalgia for 1930s cinema. One thing that really stands out about these smaller movies is how they were peopled and essentially driven by stock characters, played by actors who always played the same persona. In pictures like Judge Priest, starring the great Will Rogers, this was even the case for the leads.Being directed by John Ford, the character players were likely to rise to the surface in this one. Ford was known to tear out pages of script if he thought too much plot was getting in the way, whilst getting comedy supporting players to adlib extensive material. However the love angle in Judge Priest, a cute girl-next-door romance, was deemed worthy by the director of being nicely done. The first glimpse we get of Anita Louise is a point-of-view shot of her framed delicately amid the blossoms. A really neat moment comes later as Will Rogers and Tom Brown are sat talking on the porch, and Rogers hints to Brown that his love interest might be "on that swing". At that exact moment the woman in question walks slowly into the frame, deep in the background. Without the line coming at the same time, we might not have noticed her entrance, and without her appearance, we might not have attached much importance to the line, but happening together as they do brings them both to our attention without the need to cut or move the camera. This romantic diversion is soon reduced to a MacGuffin as the older, earthier characters take over the story, but the smoothness with which it is shot makes it stay with us and pays off with emotional resonance in the later stages of the movie. You see, while Ford had few writing credits and seldom interfered directly with the screenplay, he just gave varying weight to different parts of the story in how he shot them.And the supporting players in Judge Priest are certainly a worthy enough bunch to carry a movie. We get Hattie MacDaniel in her first credited role, and one of the few to show off her singing talents. David Landau normally played sinister villains, but here appears as a mysterious stranger who turns out to be a hero, and proves himself to be a fine actor in the process. Silent screen veteran Henry B. Walthall gives an incredible reverence to his court testimonial in the finale, in what is a very apt bit of casting. One controversial figure here is black comic actor Stepin Fetchit, whose unintelligible drawl and dopey persona would later come under fire from the Civil Rights generation. It's worth bearing mind though that Fetchit was an intelligent comedian who created his own character, and his daffy exaggeration essentially sends up the stereotype. Just watch him here, with his shuffling walk like a puppet that's missing a few strings, the tired face and deliberately slurred lines – he isn't obediently doing the "Yes massa" dialogue to fit in with some crude racial image, he's stretching it to the point of silliness, and surely knew exactly what he was doing. Really, what is more objectionable is Judge Priest's more general depiction of black people as simple folk happy in servitude.And finally we come to the main man, Mr Will Rogers. Rogers is one of those figures that really characterises 1930s Hollywood. He's neither young nor dashing, and looks for all the world like a supporting player, yet audiences loved him and he had numerous starring roles. What makes Rogers stand out is a very basic and honest friendliness, under which lies some considerable acting skill. On the face of it, Rogers doesn't alter his manner or mannerisms very much. He has the same steady movements, and measured delivery whatever happens. But he conveys emotion through the tiniest changes in inflection and body language. This can make for some funny moments – such as his insult in the barber shop, made comical by the casualness of his delivery, yet with that hint of suppressed anger to it – as well as some deeply poignant ones – like his heartfelt chat by his wife's graveside. It was that mix of the everyday simplicity with the larger-than-life personality that made Rogers such a hit, and it's enough to make these movies touching to us, a whole lifetime later.

In a sleepy small town in Kentucky during the 1890s, an idiosyncratic judge (the Priest of the title, played by Will Rogers, in one of his last roles) defends the innocence of a taciturn man accused of assailing other town folk, by proving that he was a hero of the Confederacy during the Civil War. If you forget the blatant, unthinking racism of the movie (by the end, you have the dimwitted blacks of the town playing Dixie) and its saccharine sentimentality, this film is a good portrayal of the mores and traditions of the Scotch-Irish (or, if you prefer, the rednecks) that forms the backbone of America's personal character. Also, this movie also shows why Stepin Fetchit was such a controversial performer. Recommended with reservations.

'30's comedies aren't exactly known for their subtlety and they mostly consist out of physical humor. This movie forms a great and wonderful exception to this.This is one great subtle comedy that is mostly funny thanks to its very amusing and extreme stereotyped characters. It of course also really helps that they are being portrayed by some really great actors and are being directed by one great director; John Ford.Will Rogers was totally great in his role. He seemed very natural with his acting but at the same time managed to play his character in a comical way. He was a greatly talented comedy actor, who was already a popular one during the silent era. He would had continued to play many more comical roles I'm sure, had he not died one year after this movie, in a plane crash piloted by the one-eyed pioneer aviator Wiley Post. Hattie McDaniel also does in this movie what she is best known for, playing a likable maid role. She is best known for her Acedemy Award winning role in "Gone with the Wind", which also made her the first black actor winning the great award.Even though John Ford began directing movies as early as 1917, it wasn't until the '30's that his career really took off and he gained a real big celebrity status. He also isn't best known for comedies but mostly for his western's, often starring John Wayne. Till this date he is still the director with the most Academy Awards for best directing (4 of them). I think that says already enough about the qualities of this man. With this movie he also really seemed ahead of its time, by picking an all different and very humble approach of the story and comedy.The story is actually quite simple but oh so great. It actually is quite well layered, even though the movie its simplicity might make you overlook this. It features lots of different element involving the characters in this movie, on both the comical as well as the more dramatic level. I also especially really like how the judge tries to hook up his cousin with his neighbor girl.The movie also truly benefits from its typical southern atmosphere. The movie is set in a southern town, which shows in the movie its characters, their accents and just overall atmosphere of the entire movie.This movie was a great pleasant surprise!9/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/