Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

bkoganbing Jean Renoir the director of La Bete Humaine and Grand Illusion arrived at our shores in 1941 looking for employment in his field. I don't think anything in his life ever prepared him for doing a story such as Swamp Water with characters as American as you can get. In fact watching Swamp Water I would swear it was something directed by John Ford. Renoir probably got a few pointers from him by studying Ford's work or even in conversation.These rustic folks from the Okefenokee Swamp could have come out of work like Tobacco Road or The Grapes Of Wrath. Renoir certainly had an eye for scenery and an ear for speech idiom like he'd been born here. He also assembled a group of players who were perfectly cast by 20th Century Fox. Several of them in fact were veteran members of the John Ford Stock company.Young Dana Andrews son of Walter Huston and stepson of Mary Howard defies his father to go looking for his prized hound dog in the swamp and comes across the notorious Walter Brennan who was convicted of murder but escaped and has been living in the Okefenokee for several years. It's not easy but the two of them bond and become trapping partners. Of course Brennan can't come out of the swamp lest he face the hangman.Andrews also finds out that Anne Baxter is Brennan's daughter living under an assumed name. She becomes a problem because Andrews is keeping company with the flirtatious Virginia Gilmore, a swamp vixen if there ever was one. We also learn the truth about the murder Brennan is accused of.Renoir did some actual shooting in the Okefenokee and 20th Century Fox did a fine job in blending it with studio footage. The ensemble cast is first rate, but the one who stands out for me is Virginia Gilmore. Her character is definitely one that you would find more in French cinema. I guess Renoir had to bring something from France for his American masterpiece.And it is a masterpiece. And you'll swear it's a John Ford film.

suzannji2 This is such a great movie. I was about twelve when I first saw it--I watched it with my Daddy, who had lived a tent in the Everglades in 1939, and we sat in front of the fireplace and were enthralled.We loved Ward Bond, who was a great actor. We talked about it for a long time afterward and it just resonated for us.It was years later when I realized this movie was directed by Renoir, one of the most brilliant directors of all time, and what we were seeing really was a masterpiece.The only other director I can think of who can match his artistry is Kurosawa. We've all got our own idiosyncratic tastes and feel passionate about the films we love (or hate). When we see a movie, it's not just the movie itself but when we saw it, where we saw it, who we were with, all of those things that make up the experience. For me, it was winter, a steak grilling over a wood fire, my father's laughter, the joy of us being together watching this movie we really enjoyed.I love this movie, and think it's beautiful. But memory and emotion cloud my feelings, so watch it and decide for yourself.

GManfred Went an' bought me this here DVD but 'taint as good as I hoped, ah reckon. Yep, might oughta got stuck for a wad o'money.To tell you the truth, I don't know what I was thinking but I thought that IMDb's (over)rating of this picture would foretell some lively entertainment. I don't know why I thought a movie about backwoods country folk would be either lively or entertaining and I should have gone with my first instinct. It had an impressive cast, a renown director and a screenplay by Dudley Nichols - what more could you ask for.Well, for one thing, a more compelling story. Apparently, not an awful lot happens in that neck of the woods. There was a fist fight, some arguing among the locals and a country dance. Oh, and John Carradine tried to hit on Walter Huston's wife. Most of the story is devoted to a character study between Dana Andrews, a passable actor, and Walter Brennan, a better one. Brennan is the nominal star of the picture as a fugitive from justice, but no one pursues him or even looks for him. But Huston, America's best film actor, is severely underutilized. To watch him was the main reason I bought the movie. It seems to have been filmed mostly on a soundstage with a couple of outdoor shots thrown in and has the feel of a filmed stageplay.Well, ya cain't win 'em all. And I ain't recommendin' this pitcher to ya ennaways because it ain't interestin'. And that's a natchrel fact.

dbdumonteil If you want to enjoy "Swamp water" you'd better forget all you know about Renoir's previous movies of the thirties.If it were a minor director,it would not be a problem.But Renoir is probably the greatest French director of the era ,and the French might feel disappointed because this film is completely impersonal.That does not mean it's bad,by a long shot.The real star of the movie is this swamp water,these luxuriant landscapes which the cinematography in black and white perfectly captures.Dudley Nichols' screenplay is ,as always ,absorbing ,and even if some subplots are a bit far-fetched (Miss Hannah and Jesse" I'm only passing by" Wike)the story 's interest is sustained till the end.Walter Brennan is convincing as Keefer ,the outcast.His daughter (Ann Baxter)is also some kind of Cinderella of the community.As Ben (Dana Andrews) is himself an orphan ,it's only natural that they hook up together.It also makes sense that he teams up with Keefer who becomes like a father to him.It 's only after he is knocked about that Thursday (Walter Huston)shows a true foster parent."Swamp water" is actually the story of three human beings who used to live on the fringe of society and become at last part of it.