The World Changes

Until the story dredged itself into dreary cliches, this film reminded me of Citizen Kane. Many of the scenes are extremely well-put together; Mervyn LeRoy and Tony Gaudio are as good a team as Welles and Toland (an incredible fact when you view LeRoy's tepid output from the 50's). Paul Muni portrays a blonde cowboy (!), Aline McMahon is beautiful and strong, Mary Astor is scary, and many of the characters age (unbelievably) sixty years over the course of the film. Don't skip this one, it's a fascinating watch!

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.

Mervyn LeRoy was a more than capable director and was responsible for some great films, especially 'Gold Diggers of 1933', 'Random Harvest' (my personal favourite of his) and 'Waterloo Bridge'. Also like 'Little Women' a good deal. Another reason to see 'The World Changes' for me was the cast, Paul Muni and Mary Astor could always be counted on to give very good and more performances. And there has been no bias against melodramas, some great ones out there.

'The World Changes' is not one of the best examples of melodrama and doesn't entirely escape potential traps. It is far from being one of the worst at the same time and is actually a lot more interesting than it sounds. On the whole it was a very well done if quite sprawling film, especially in the production values and the acting, that represents all involved well if not seeing them at their very best. 'The World Changes' is not a perfect film but is deserving of more credit.

Could it have been better? Yes. With many characters and events, 'The World Changes' at times did feel over-stuffed and a bit sprawling. A longer length by about half an hour more would have made this less problematic and would have given more room for more depth.

While most of the dialogue is fine, not always the case with melodrama, there are times where it does get on the overwrought side and where it rambles (Muni's dialogue for instance could have done with a trim).

In no way is this meant to sound that 'The World Changes' is a bad film. There is a huge amount to like about it. It looks great for one thing, with the photography especially being spectacular at its best. LeRoy directs with assurance and things don't plod too much under him. When it's used, the music is sumptuous enough and doesn't come over as too syrupy or melodramatic. The ageing is remarkably convincing, in look and acting.

Although the dialogue is not perfect, much of the script's construction is solid and neatly done without being too much so. The story sprawls about but is mostly quite absorbing and moving, and the characters are far from sketchy, intrigue from the get go and carry the story beautifully. The historical characters fascinate. Not to mention that they are excellently acted, especially from Muni in a complex role that he pulls off with vigorous but never overdone aplomb (especially shining in the character's more troubled side). Though one shouldn't overlook scarily formidable Astor and against type and quite powerful Aline McMahon.

Overall, didn't wow my mind but very interesting and well done. 7/10

I didn't think there was a vintage Warner Bros. or First National movie I hadn't heard of -- but then "The World Changes" turned up on Turner. Had to be a clunker, right? Wrong. It's a saga that surges through some fifty years of American history, following a farm boy to the stockyards of Chicago and prosperity thanks to the invention of refrigerated cattle cars. His challenges? A wife who is going mad, a pair of wastrel sons and ultimately the 1929 Wall Street crash. Paul Muni in the starring role is superb, subtly changing from eager innocent to troubled tycoon. It's Muni's show but he's ably supported by Mary Astor, Guy Kibbee and even a moppet Mickey Rooney in a small role. There's a touch of "Citizen Kane" about "The World Changes." It's a terrific "lost" movie, well worth your time.

THE WORLD CHANGES (First National Pictures, 1933), directed by Mervyn LeRoy, would be the studios' answer to the Academy Award winning "through the ages" saga of Edna Ferber's epic tale, CIMARRON (RKO, 1931) starring Richard Dix and Irene Dunne, along with its similar theme to Richard Dix and Ann Harding in THE CONQUERORS (RKO, 1932) and Edward G. Robinson and Bebe Daniels for SILVER DOLLAR (Warners, 1932). THE WORLD CHANGES turned up to be an exceptional tale that, regardless of an impressive cast headed by Paul Muni, ranks one of those forgotten sagas (with some new passage elements introduced by title year superimposed over the rotating Earth), that deserves to be recognized.

The story begins in 1856 where Orin Nordholm (Henry O'Neill) and his pregnant wife, Anna (Aline MacMahon) are seen traveling with their wagon pulled by horses through unclaimed open spaces of Dakota Territory where Anna wants to stop and make this untouched area their home. Giving birth to a son they name Orin, the Nordholms build their home and develop the farmland with livestock. Living a isolated lifestyle, they soon welcome the Petersen family, Fred (Willard Robertson), his wife (Anna Q. Nilsson), son, Otto (Mickey Rooney) and their infant daughter, Selma, on their way to California. The Petersen's instead settle down and become their new neighbors in the area that's to be called Orinville. Following events that take place in 1867 and 1877, the Nordholms have high hopes for their now grown son, Orin (Paul Muni), to marry his childhood sweetheart, Selma (Jean Muir), but Orin has plans of his own. After encountering Buffalo Bill Cody (Douglass Dumbrille), Orin decides to leave Selma and his farm living existence for adventure in the outside world. After meeting with James Claffin (Guy Kibbee), a cattle buyer, Orin organizes cattle drives and forms "ice boxes on wheels." He eventually becoming partners with Claffin and president of Nordholm and Company in Chicago. By 1879, he marries Claffin's daughter, Virginia (Mary Astor), which produces sons, Richard (Tad Alexander) and John (Jackie Searle). By 1893, Orin becomes known as "the meat king of the world," but in spite of his successful business, the social-climbing Virginia looks down on her husband's profession. By 1904, the world begins to change for Orin as Virginia slowly goes insane and his adult sons, John (Gordon Westcott) and Richard (Donald Cook) preferring not to follow in family tradition. Richard marries Jennifer Clinton (Margaret Lindsay), who's just as snobbish as his mother was, settling in New York City while John prefers to get money the easy way by not working for it. Anna, a widow in her 90s, leaves her Orinville farm with Selma's granddaughter, Selma II (Jean Muir), to attend the wedding of a great-grandchild, only to find the three generations of Orins family to be nothing but disappointments to her. The world changes even further for the Nordholm's following a 1929 Stock Market Crash. Others in the cast include Patricia Ellis (Natalie Clinton); Theodore Newton (Paul Nordstrom); Alan Dinehart (Ogden Jarrett); Arthur Hohl (Patterson); William Janney (Orin Nordholm III); Alan Mowbray (Sir Philip Ivor), Marjorie Gateson (Mrs. Clinton), Samuel S. Hinds, Sidney Toler and countless others.

While Paul Muni might have followed up his prior success of I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (1932) with another social melodrama, THE WORLD CHANGES provided Muni not a repeat of previous movie roles but a move forward to something best suited for his talent. It allowed Muni's character to age considerably from blondish youth to very old man with white mustache, glasses and bushy eyebrows. Under heavy make-up, Muni is almost unrecognizable (looking almost like silent movie actor, Lon Chaney). Mary Astor stands out in her one terrifying scene, sporting shoulder-length hair and no make-up, and going insane. In spite of this being a showcase for Paul Muni, it's Aline MacMahon, who is also allowed to age from young to aging great-grandmother, giving a standout performance that's most remembered long after the movie is over.

Fortunately not a two-hour plus epic scale as CIMARRON, THE WORLD CHANGES, at 91 minutes, is satisfactory entertainment. Over the years, it had limited television revivals, including Philadelphia's WKBS, Channel 48 in 1974, along with cable television's Turner Network Television (1989) and Turner Classic Movies (since 1994) often as part of Paul Muni tributes. A worthy look of old-style "through the ages" film-making sagas indicating as how the world changes. (***)