Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

TheLittleSongbird Yet another film recommended in the "recommended for you" section, and interest was immediately high. Being someone who likes Spencer Tracy in many things and that 'Man's Castle' was a relatively early role for him and a largely forgotten film. Was also interested in seeing a young Loretta Young in a period where her acting for most people here seemed to appeal more than her later roles.'Man's Castle' is a very intriguing and to me pretty impressive film. Not perfect (one can see why it won't work for some) or an all-time classic and all have done better work, but it has a lot of great things and charms and deserves to be seen more. 'Man's Castle' has a theme of love amidst and against poverty, very much relevant then in 1933 and still something that can be related to today in having to overcome love in face of adversity and dire circumstances, so it was a film that wasn't hard to relate to.It is a shame that despite lovely photography, 'Man's Castle' is visually quite primitive. With a shantytown setting that doesn't look authentic at all and instead looking studio-bound on a modest at best budget and the miniature use looks pretty phoney.At times too, the character of Bill can be hard to take with it being overdone.However, the two leads are wonderful, with Tracy at his aggressively passionate and Young giving one of her most charming and winsome performances. Their chemistry is unlikely at first but is suitably complex and has passion. There is fine support from Glenda Farrell, Marjorie Rambeau and Walter Connolly.Frank Borzage, a sensitive and deserving-of-more-credit director, directs sensitively as ever, the film is scripted thoughtfully and with emotional impact and the story always engage and is both charming and moving. Sentimentality doesn't get too much generally or get too hard to stomach to me, though the ending goes a little overboard.On the whole, very well done and well worth seeing. 8/10 Bethany Cox

bkoganbing Man's Castle is set in one of those jerry built settlements on vacant land and parks that during these times were called 'Hoovervilles' named after our unfortunate 31st president who got stuck with The Great Depression occurring in his administration. The proposition of this film is that a man's home is still his castle even when it's just a shack in a Hooverville.Spencer Tracy has such a shack and truth be told this guy even in good times would not be working all that much. But in a part very typical for Tracy before he was cast as a priest in San Francisco, the start of a slew of classic roles, he's playing a tough good natured mug who takes in Loretta Young.One of the things about Man's Castle is that it shows the effects of the Depression on women as well as men. Women had some additional strains put on them, if men had trouble finding work, women had it twice as hard. And they were sexually harassed and some resorted to prostitution just for a square meal. Spence takes Loretta Young in who's facing those kind of problems and makes no demands on her in his castle. Pretty soon though they're in love, though Tracy is not the kind to settle down.The love scenes had some extra zing to them because Tracy and Young were having a torrid affair during the shooting of Man's Castle. And both were Catholic and married and in those days that was an insuperable barrier to marriage. Both Tracy and Young took the Catholic faith quite seriously.Also in the cast are Walter Connolly as a kind of father figure for the whole camp, Marjorie Rambeau who's been through all the pitfalls Young might encounter and tries to steer her clear and Arthur Hohl, a really loathsome creep who has his eye on Young as well. Hohl brings the plot of Man's Castle to its climax through his scheming. Man's Castle is grim look at the Great Depression, not the usual movie escapist fare for those trying to avoid that kind of reality in their entertainment.

Greta-Garbo It's a shame this movie is so hard to get your hands on in the US. I found it through a rare video dealer, and it was certainly worth it. This is, without a doubt, the best film made during the pre-code era, and the finest film of the 1930s. Masterful director Frank Borzage made wonderful films about the Depression, and with MAN'S CASTLE he created a fairy tale amidst the hardships of the era.Loretta Young and Spencer Tracy have a wonderful chemistry between them, and they help make this movie a wonderful romance. Young's Trina is sweet and hopeful, while Tracy's Bill is gruff and closed-off. The dynamic between the character creates one of the most difficult, but in the end rewarding relationships on film.MAN'S CASTLE is the most soft-focus pre-code film I've seen. Borzage uses the hazy and dreamy technique to turn the squatter's village where Bill and Trina live into a palace. The hardships of the Depression are never ignored, in fact they're integral to the film. But as Borzage crafts the film as a soft focus fairy tale, the love between the characters makes the situation seem less harsh. It makes the film warm and affectionate.MAN'S CASTLE is the crowning achievement of the pre-code era. If only more people could see it.

Sleepy-17 I haven't seen this for years, but I remember both Spencer and Loretta being as hot as a pistol, brimming with talent and longing. Interesting pre-code depiction of tramp-town down by the river. There's a sparkling scene of Spencer working as a sandwich-board man. Great photography which shows the influence of Murnau's Sunrise.