This Earth Is Mine (1959 film)

Last updated
This Earth Is Mine
This Earth Is Mine - Film Poster.jpg
Film poster by Reynold Brown
Directed by Henry King
Written by Alice Tisdale Hobart (novel)
Casey Robinson (screenplay)
Starring Rock Hudson
Jean Simmons
Claude Rains
Dorothy McGuire
Cinematography Winton C. Hoch
Russell Metty
Edited by Ted J. Kent
Music by Hugo Friedhofer
Production
company
Universal Pictures
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • June 26, 1959 (1959-06-26)(New York City)
  • July 8, 1959 (1959-07-08)(Los Angeles)
Running time
124 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.5 million [1]
Box office$3.4 million (est. US/ Canada rentals) [2]

This Earth Is Mine is a 1959 American drama film directed by Henry King and starring Rock Hudson and Jean Simmons. The film portrays the lives and loves of the Rambeau family, a California winemaking dynasty trying to survive during Prohibition in the United States.

Contents

Plot

Elizabeth (Jean Simmons), an English cousin of the Rambeau family, arrives in California in 1931 for a casual visit with her aunt and uncle, only to find her future pre-determined with a pre-arranged marriage to Andre Swann, a young cousin of another branch of the family. Another cousin, John Rambeau (Rock Hudson), disagrees with those plans, informs Elizabeth that she's being married off to consolidate the family's wine holdings, hints at other dark secrets of the Rambeau family, and casually romances her. Elizabeth is conflicted over the entire series of events.

The patriarch of the family, Phillipe (Claude Rains), wanting to keep the winemaking heritage of his family pure, refuses to deal with bootleggers eager for a ready-made supply of alcohol. John, however, is not so righteous, and arranges deals with Chicago gangsters for the valley's wine supply. Violence, gunplay, and wildfires ensue. Elizabeth is caught in the middle, between Andre, the gentle man she is to marry (but who wants to be a priest) and John, the passionate man ready to make a deal with the devil to survive. And John may already have started a family of his own, fathering an illegitimate child with a vineyard worker—and the woman's husband is not one to go along with the whole sordid mess. Months, and years, of lies, blackmail and conflict follow, ending with the romantic union of John and Elizabeth, and their commitment to the Rambeau winemaking heritage.

Cast

Credited roles

Uncredited roles

Production

The screenplay for the film, based on the novel The Cup and the Sword by American novelist Alice Tisdale Hobart, was written by Casey Robinson, best known for writing most of Bette Davis' best films. Director Henry King had been successfully directing Hollywood films since the 1920s — this film was one of his last. Film composer Hugo Friedhofer (who had won an Oscar for Best Music for 1946's The Best Years of Our Lives ) wrote the music; three-time Oscar-winner Winton C. Hoch was the cinematographer.

The production company was Vintage Productions, in partnership with Universal–International Pictures. The film was Universal's biggest budgeted production at the time with a budget of $3 to $3.5 million. [1] Production dates for the film were September 2, 1958 through early November, 1958. The production was filmed in Technicolor, with monoaural sound. Napa Valley locations used for filming were:

Local residents of the Napa Valley were used as extras in some scenes, [3] and the stars were taught proper vineyard procedures by locals — a difficulty for left-handed Rock Hudson, for whom a left-handed teacher had to be found to demonstrate the proper way to attach a bud from one plant to the root of another, [4] a scene important to the plot at the end of the film.

The New York opening of the film was June 26, 1959; the Los Angeles opening was July 8, 1959.

Critical reception

The film was not well-received. Variety wrote on January 1, 1959, "This film is almost completely lacking in dramatic cohesion. It is verbose and contradictory, and its complex plot relationships from Alice Tisdale Hobart's novel, "The Cup and the Sword" begin with confusion and end in tedium." [5] The New York Times wrote on June 27, 1959. "In describing the intramural trials and tribulations besetting a wealthy clan of California vineyard owners, under the title "This Earth Is Mine," Universal-International has come up with an ambitious family saga as handsome as it is hollow. ... It opened yesterday at the Roxy, where the grapes stole the show." [6] However, the winemaking community appears to have enjoyed it:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napa County, California</span> County in California, United States

Napa County is a county north of San Pablo Bay located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,019. The county seat is the City of Napa. Napa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Lake County in 1861.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winery</span> Place that makes wine

A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of tanks known as tank farms. Wineries may have existed as long as 8,000 years ago.

Miljenko "Mike" Grgić is a Croatian-American winemaker in California. He was born into a winemaking family in the town of Desne on Croatia's coastal region of Dalmatia. He is notable for being the winemaker behind the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that bested several white Burgundy wines in the wine tasting event that became known as the Judgement of Paris. In recognition of his contributions to the wine industry, Grgich was inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Vintner's Hall of Fame on March 7, 2008. The tribute came at the same time that Grgich was celebrating his 50th vintage of winemaking in the Napa Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heitz Wine Cellars</span> Winery in California

Heitz Wine Cellars is a California wine producer located within Napa Valley east of the town of St. Helena. An early modern era Napa Valley presence and pioneering exponent of French oak, the estate enjoys a historical renown with the success of its Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and has also been described as a "master of Grignolino".

Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier wine regions in the world. Records of commercial wine production in the region date back to the nineteenth century, but premium wine production dates back only to the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markham Vineyards</span>

Markham Vineyards is a US winery founded in Napa Valley, California, in 1874. Markham has operated continuously since its founding, making it the fourth oldest continuously operating winery in Napa County.

Heidi Peterson Barrett is a winemaker and entrepreneur who has been responsible for some of California's most notable cult wines. Her career has included stints at Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle Vineyards, Paradigm Winery, Grace Family Vineyards, Amuse Bouche, Lamborn Family, Showket Vineyards, Revana Family Vineyards, Vineyard 29 and Fantesca. Barrett is a consultant for Diamond Creek Vineyards and Niebaum-Coppola, Kenzo Estate, and has her own wine label, La Sirena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of American wine</span>

The history of American wine began when the first Europeans explored parts of North America, which they called Vinland because of the profusion of grape vines found there. However, settlers would later discover that the wine made from the various native grapes, had flavors which were unfamiliar and which they did not like. This led to repeated efforts to grow familiar Vitis vinifera varieties. The first vines of Vitis vinifera origin were planted in Senecu in 1629, which is near the present day town of San Antonio, New Mexico.

Windsor Vineyards is a winery located in Windsor, California, United States.

Helen Turley is a pioneering American winemaker and wine consultant. She is known for bringing several Californian cult wines to the public awareness, and as the owner of a 20-acre (8.1 ha) boutique winery, Marcassin Vineyard. She is the recipient of several prestigious American wine awards, to include Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award and Food & Wine's Achievement Winemaker of the Year.

Schramsberg Vineyards is a winery located in Calistoga, California in the Napa Valley region. The vineyard, which was founded in 1862 by the German immigrant Jacob Schram, produces a series of sparkling wines using the same method as champagne. Schramsberg is considered one of the premium brands in the production of sparkling wine in California and the first U.S. wine to "match the style and quality of the best French Champagnes".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Krug</span> American winemaker

Charles Krug (1825–1892) was among the pioneers of winemaking in the Napa Valley, California, and was the founder of the Charles Krug Winery.

Colgin Cellars is a winery in Napa Valley, California founded in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackbird Vineyards</span>

Blackbird Vineyards is a Napa Valley based winery. It is part of the Bespoke Collection. Founder Michael Polenske wanted to create a winery that focused on producing wines from Merlot grapes, which fits with the name "Blackbird", as merlot means "young blackbird", in French patois. Blackbird Vineyards creates wines inspired by the Pomerol area of France. The winery calls their wines "California Bordeaux".

Nicole Abiouness is an American female entrepreneur and winemaker. She owns and operates Abiouness Wines, in Mendocino County, Napa Valley, California where she makes Pinot Noir and Sangiovese wine.

Palmaz Vineyards is a Californian winery in the Napa Valley, primarily dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon production. The estate is located on what was once the Cedar Knoll Vineyard Company, a pre prohibition winery, founded in 1881 by Henry Hagen, one of the pioneers of wine production in the Napa Valley. After prohibition the winery fell into a dilapidated state and the winery was abandoned. The Hagen House and the vineyards have since been restored after they were bought by Amalia and Julio Palmaz in 1997. The family operated winery and vineyards cultivate some 55 acres using sustainable farming practices, devote to Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling, Muscat along with smaller plantings of Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twomey Cellars</span>

Twomey Cellars is a California winery. It was established in 1999 by the Duncan Family, who have operated the successful Silver Oak Cellars in California since 1972. The Duncan Family started Twomey Cellars to pursue varietals other than Cabernet Sauvignon. Twomey has three wineries: one in Calistoga in the Napa Valley; one in Healdsburg in the Russian River Valley; one in Philo in Anderson Valley, and produces mainly Pinot noir and Sauvignon blanc. Twomey’s Sauvignon blanc is a blend of Sauvignon blanc grapes from their estate vineyards at their wineries in Napa Valley, Anderson Valley, and Russian River Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artesa Vineyards & Winery</span>

Artesa Vineyards & Winery is a winery located in Napa, California in the United States.

Elizabeth Vianna is a female winemaker and businesswoman who has been responsible for some of California's most notable Cabernet wines. She is one of America's few Latina winemakers, known for Bordeaux-style wines at Chimney Rock, a part of Terlato Wine Group.

Louis M. Martini Winery is a winery and distributor headquartered in Napa Valley, California.

References

  1. 1 2 "'Earth,' 'Bullet' U's Multi-Million Pair". Variety. September 3, 1958. p. 3. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  2. ↑ "1959: Probable Domestic Take", Variety, January 6, 1960 p 34
  3. ↑ Online archive of Brennan, Nancy S. (May 9, 2010) "DEAD MEN & WOMEN DO TELL TALES: The keys to a rich life" article in Napa Valley Register
  4. ↑ Chip bud grafting / This Earth is mine (December 11, 2008) webpage of the Piña Napa Valley website
  5. ↑ "This Earth Is Mine" (review by Film Staff), VARIETY Magazine, (January 1, 1959) in Online VARIETY article archive
  6. ↑ "This Earth Is Mine" (Movie Review) New York Times (June 27, 1959) in the online New York Times article archive
  7. ↑ Movies of the Vine — Nine Films about Wine (July 3, 2009) webpage (with an "This Earth Is Mine" movie poster) on the East Coast Wineries website
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.