Of Mice and Men

Impressive adaptation of Steinbeck's novel, made at the same time as The Grapes of Wrath (though released earlier) and matching Ford's harsh lyricism in its evocation of the Depression, the desperation of the migrant farmworkers, their pipedreams of a little place of their own some day. Terrific performances mask much of the novel's naive social philosophy: Chaney as Lenny, the half-witted gentle giant with a fondness for soft, furry things and a tendency to pet too hard when panicked; Field as the bored young farmer's wife who provokes tragedy by playing the sex kitten; Meredith as Lenny's friend and minder, who is forced to turn executioner rather than let society's notions of justice loose on his charge.