The World Changes

Paul Muni outdoes himself in this movie. I thought I had seen most all of his work available on TCM, but one night featuring him, this one looked unfamiliar, and I watched it. Stunning, based on my previous impressions of Muni. From the Good Earth, onto Emile Zola, and others, I thought he was a guarded intelligent thinker, as an actor. In the World Changes, he plays a cowboy, turned cattle rustler, turned businessman. The first half of the film I couldn't believe it, but it eventually almost "devolved" into the typical Muni character everyone is so familiar with. A loner, a thinker, but he's saddled with some material that shows its age. He still, I highly recommend it, as Ailine MacMahon and Mary Astor also plate strong courageous parts. A pleasant surprise, a wonderful find.