Bright Leaf (1950)

Brant Royle (Gary Cooper) returns to what was once his father's tobacco farm before Major James Singleton (Donald Crisp) bought the father out in a foreclosure in his bid at concentrating all the prime tobacco land under his ownership. The film boils down to a contest between Crisp's Old South and Cooper's New South over the invention of the machine by Jeff Corey as John Barton that enables the mass manufacture of cigarettes, a direct challenge to the cigar industry, which occurs as the nineteenth century recedes into the twentieth. In on the initial investment in what would become the cigarette craze are Lauren Bacall as what appeared to be a higher class prostitute and Jack Carson as a traveling con-man. Patricia Neal as Singleton's only daughter is the most memorable part in the film which seems to want to come down on Cooper's side but turns him into a raving capitalist monopolist who always had a desire for Neal and another desire to get even with her father, which leads to pretty high dose of melodrama.

Surprised I am that some reviewers here really liked this overwrought melodrama about the tobacco industry and one man's rise to power because he has the vision to see how cigarettes could come from machines.Gary Cooper has the most unsympathetic role of his career as a stormy man caught between conflicted love with two women--Patricia Neal, headstrong and rich, and Lauren Bacall, the madam of a brothel. There's a suggestion of GWTW in these characters, but too much of the dialog resorts to confrontational moments that are never resolved.Most of the hatred comes from Patricia Neal's dad, Donald Crisp, who from the very start of the film wishes Gary Cooper would drop dead. It takes up too much of the film with the love/hate relationships between Cooper, Neal and Bacall getting the most footage.But in the end, with these unsympathetic characters chewing up the scenery with all their vitriol, the overall feeling is a waste of time. None of the relationships evolve smoothly, not even at the conclusion.Summing up: No wonder the film is so little known today. The saving grace is an interesting score by Victor Young.

Powerful tobacco king Donald Crisp is angered when Gary Cooper, the son of a man whose property Crisp took away from him, returns to his home town after a seven year absence, more prosperous, but like "Wuthering Height's" Heathcliff, determined to even the score. It happens that Crisp's beautiful daughter, Patricia Neal, once had her eye on Cooper, but the ruthless father made his displeasure clear by destroying any chance they had of being together by running Cooper out of town. Now back to settle his late uncle's estate, Cooper becomes involved in a plan to mass-market cigarettes with the help of the man who invented the cigarette rolling machine. Town madame Lauren Bacall loans Cooper the money to patent the machine, and before you can say, "Do you have a light?", Cooper has totally taken over the tobacco market, virtually wiping Crisp out, and driving the man to a desperate act of revenge.When first seen, Cooper is a determined man, not totally consumed with revenge, but as he gets more power, he becomes just as bad (possibly even worse) than Crisp ever was. He uses the two women in his life, particularly Bacall, whose obvious whorehouse is disguised as a boarding house occupied by her large amount of cousins. Neal and Bacall sadly do not share any scenes, but after being in the background for a quarter of the earlier part of the film, suddenly emerge in strong character studies. Neal, in particular, has a particularly triumphant juicy moment that reveals everything we know has been building up inside this spoiled beauty. Like "The Furies", Neal defies her powerful father, but the father/daughter relationship is obviously stronger than any love match could be. Fortunately, unlike "The Furies'" Wendell Corey, "Bright Leaf" (which is actually the name of the plantation that Cooper ends up in control of), Cooper is a stronger and more magnetic actor. With the real-life love affair between Cooper and Neal going on during this and the magnificent "The Fountainhead", they show more on-screen sparks than Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor had in most of their films.The one sour note in this film is the presence of Jack Carson as the medicine man who ends up being Cooper's partner. He really seems to have no reason for being here other than to give box-office name to a film, that with Cooper, Neal, and Bacall really didn't need it. Donald Crisp, who played a wealthy steel mill owner of a sympathetic nature in "The Valley of Decision" just five years before this, gets to add some delicious ruthlessness. In comparing Crisp and Neal's relationship to "The Furies'" Walter Huston and Barbara Stanwyck, you will notice some similarities as I mentioned. Then, in smaller roles, are Elizabeth Patterson and Gladys George as Neal and Bacall's confidantes. They do respectable work as usual. This is modern Greek tragedy at its finest, and a rare chance to see Cooper playing a very unsympathetic character. The ending is very satisfactory, both a typical Hollywood finale and a moral lesson as well.

This 1950 film starred Gary Cooper, Lauren Bacall and Patricia Neal in the leading roles and brought drama within the tobacco industry, although in the 50s it was okay to smoke. Doubt this film could make it this day and age.Interesting to see real-life lovers Cooper and Neal tear up the scenery with their love scenes. Cooper seemed a bit on the reserved side even though he was out for revenge. But, that's Coop. He's a master of do nothing on the screen and manages to hold his own. Spencer Tracy is another one of those dynamic actors. Here he plots to take over the tobacco industry from a man (splendidly played by that veteran character actor of distinction, Donald Crisp) who in the past had run him out of town for kissing his daughter (yes, just kissing) played by the lovely Patricia Neal.In the meantime Coop courts long time girl friend, Lauren Bacall, somewhat miscast in this, for money to start up a cigarette making factory invented by Jeff Corey, another great actor. Lauren doesn't look her best in this. How can we forget all those marvelous Bogart/Bacall films with her slinky hair and sultry body. In this her hair is up and curled and her gowns of the period don't look good on her. Bring Baby back. She doesn't have the chemistry with Cooper as she did with Bogart. And obviously the chemistry was flying with Neal and Cooper instead.Also in the cast are Jack Carson, in a small and not so well written role that wasted this fine actor. Gladys George (remember her in MADAME X) was also wasted in a thankless role.However, it's fine drama of the time and good to see the stars playing out their roles.I prefer to remember Coop in such films as SERGEANT YORK, FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, SARATOGA TRUNK, FOUNTAINHEAD, HIGH NOON and ALONG CAME JONES.