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Give Us the Earth!

  • 1947
  • Approved
  • 21m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
157
YOUR RATING
Give Us the Earth! (1947)
DocumentaryShort

This "Theatre of Life" documentary, produced in cooperation with the International Committee, YMCA, focuses on the work of Dr. Spencer Hatch, as he shows residents of small Mexican villages ... Read allThis "Theatre of Life" documentary, produced in cooperation with the International Committee, YMCA, focuses on the work of Dr. Spencer Hatch, as he shows residents of small Mexican villages how to make their land better able to grow food and make them more independent, along with... Read allThis "Theatre of Life" documentary, produced in cooperation with the International Committee, YMCA, focuses on the work of Dr. Spencer Hatch, as he shows residents of small Mexican villages how to make their land better able to grow food and make them more independent, along with a variety of advice on improving their standard of living.

  • Director
    • Gunther von Fritsch
  • Writer
    • Herbert Morgan
  • Stars
    • Emily Hatch
    • Spencer Hatch
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    157
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gunther von Fritsch
    • Writer
      • Herbert Morgan
    • Stars
      • Emily Hatch
      • Spencer Hatch
    • 9User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos1

    View Poster

    Top cast2

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    Emily Hatch
    • Self
    Spencer Hatch
    • Self - Narrator
    • Director
      • Gunther von Fritsch
    • Writer
      • Herbert Morgan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews9

    5.7157
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    Featured reviews

    5boblipton

    You've Got It

    Spencer Hatch narrates and plays himself as a YMCA advisor helping some Mexican peons get better crops off their land by rotating crops and using contour plowing.

    It's one of the THEATER OF LIFE shorts directed by Gunther von Fritsch, and like most of the, it's shot wild with a narration that tells you what's going on. Carlos Carbajal is in charge of the camera, although von Fritsch seems to have shot a few scenes; it's a handsome effort and well deserves its Oscar nomination.
    7stryder-10148

    A bit woody, but generally positive message

    The producers probably meant well, and the American couple involved gave a lot of their resources and time to help the community improve their lot. As someone pointed out, the Mexicans gave North America a lot of our ground fruits as well as Cacao.
    Michael_Elliott

    Really Dumb

    Give Us the Earth! (1947)

    ** (out of 4)

    Academy Award winning documentary short deals with how the land can help save us all in the future. A mighty nice white man teaching Mexicans how to make their soil rich so that this will feed their families. He also teaches them to share, how to be nice and how to pee in a straight line. I was joking about the peeing part but I'm shocked that didn't happen in this documentary trying to teach people how to be nice to their neighbors. I don't mind sentimental stuff, hell I love Chaplin but this here was just way too much. I'm sure this thing meant well back in the day but it just doesn't work today and I'm sure some might be upset over the notion of how "dumb" the Mexicans are.
    maleheha

    Educational

    This old documentary was made to help poor farmers with no formal education make a better life for themselves.
    1mario-368

    Racism at its worst!

    This is a very racist documentary. The original cowboy who was called the vaquero was Mexican. The Mexican is also part Native American who taught the white people how to plant the corn, beans and squash together, also known as the three sisters. Corn, chili peppers, beans, chocolate, vanilla, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, pumpkins, all sorts of nuts, and avocados were all from the Native Americans' culinary, along with so much more. There was no mention heard of any of that in this terrible doc; and instead made it appear as if the white man taught everything to the Mexican. Absolutely absurd! Not only did the Mexicans give up half their land, they also taught the White man many other things that were not addressed on this horrible doc. Too bad.

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    Related interests

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    Documentary
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    Short

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Using a blackboard, Hatch shows a world population of 2.2 billion people. That was a good estimate of the 1947 population (though the UN estimates are 2.3 billion in 1940 and 2.5 billion in 1950). As of 2024, the world population is over 8.1 billion.
    • Quotes

      Spencer Hatch: It's hard to believe in miracles. But a man can have confidence in what he can see with his own eyes - what he can do with his own hands. Now, new abundance in the land - new confidence in the future. Less money in his pocket than his city cousins - but when his fields are full, more security, and no worries about the plant shutting down, or getting too old for the job.

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 21, 1947 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Theatre of Life: Fact-Films from Real Life - Give Us the Earth!
    • Filming locations
      • Mexico
    • Production companies
      • Loew's
      • Associated Press
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 21m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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