Film Review: A Study on "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (1945) - [Essay #7 - August 2022]

 

Adapting to Life's Hand - A Study on "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"

*Super Spoilers*

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"Mama! Mama, they're cutting the tree!" - Francie Nolan 

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Written by Bolivar T. Caceres

Reading time approx: 20 minutes    Watch Film (free)

Published January 15, 2022            Listen to Essay (free)

Featured on IMDB                          Listen to Soundtrack (free)

Read our Scene Study                     Listen to our First Take

Top 5 Film Like “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"

"However, unlike a stage, in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," this stiff and static cinematography only ushers us into these Shakespearian characters filled with tragedy and humor. "

"I guess you won't get home until the sun comes up."

Adaptation is all about survival. It's the innate ability to overcome hardship to live long and prosper – as Captain Spock is wont to say. In these moments of perseverance, one builds strength when one's back feels the cold brick wall, creating a shell of resilience to life's uncertain hand. 

In Elia Kazan's first film, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," between all the subjects to which the film alludes, adaptation is its crux. Chiefly, the film is an adaptation of Betty Smith's 1943 best-selling novel of the same name. Smith's novel is a coming-of-age novel that explores Francie Nolan's life (an implication to the author's), exploring themes of poverty, alcoholism, miscarriages, and a slew of other grim topics. 

As with film adaptations, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" adapts the novel's theme to its epoch, that of the 1940s. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," within the Production Codes' restraints, explores the impoverished's travails and ordeals, with only sly references to the novel's grim suggests of America in the early 1900s. A snapshot of a poor medium-class American family after the throes of war and recession - a tall order for a first film, no?

Kazan takes the challenge, adapting from his career as a well-known theater director to one of Hollywood's prodigal sons. And in Kazanian fashion, he decides from the opening montage that "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" will be about poverty-stricken America and its people's plights. 

He thrusts every Nolan family member into a situation where their dreams and ideals are in a bout with reality, where despair and positivity are in a relentless match for emotional dominance. Kazan forces his characters to adapt before considering their predicament to their already present adversities.   

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" follows the Nolan family who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in a small apartment within an overpopulated neighborhood. Kids play in the street, beg for money, and fight for Christmas trees. Vices and self-pity from being jobless and counting pennies just enough for life insurance turn adults despondent. 

The Nolans aren't a notable family in any way. At a minimum, no one is in good standing in the neighborhood, and as intelligent as Francie seems, no Nolan child is valedictorian. And at best, they survive day to day. This is the life of the impoverished middle-class American family. It's not the house on the hills with the well-fed family and the loaded bank account. 

When the audience meets the Nolans, the father, Johnny Nolan (John Dunne,) is not at home, although it's afternoon. He's at work as a waiter, trying to keep his singing ambition alive, but he seldom sings. How can he when the bottle and his liver are best friends? But upon his arrival home, his children are happy, for he brings positivity and optimism, singing to them and encouraging them to be whoever they want to be. Johnny's detriment is that he fails to face reality, unlike his wife, Katie. 

Katie Nolan, Dorothy McGuire, is a phlegmatic and resourceful housewife, keeping change in a closet, manipulating the meat man for a better cut, and saving money by moving to a smaller apartment. She makes all her own decisions as if she was not married. However, despite all her strength and authority, despair has weakened her. She figures it will not let up. To her, the pain has won and will only continue with a pregnancy, Johnny's death, Sissy Nolan's marriage (Joan Blondell,) and so on. 

Katie and Johnny's duality (optimism vs. despair) play a vital role in the character's emotional state and growth, as well as the story's progress. The parents force life's terrible hand onto their children: in one scene, bickering about which child will have to drop out of school and work to help the family. 

Also, in many ways, the parents force their beliefs on their children: Francie goes along with her father's half-baked scheme to lie to a private about their address so she can attend its upper-class education. But too, she follows along because Francie believes in her father's look that life can be favorable if she wants – even if she has to break the rules. 

Her father believes the tree outside their window is vital to her, even when moving to a smaller apartment. "At least we can still see the tree." The tree represents the positivity and beauty that can burgeon in a concrete jungle riddled with despair and loss. 

When the neighbor cut's the tree, Francie Nolan (Peggy Ann Garner) is distraught, unlike her indifferent mother and impassive brother, Nelly Nolan (Ted Donaldson), whose only attribute is love and support he gives his family. He will have to stay in school since he's not the brightest of the two Nolan children. 

Nelly is Katie, rolling with life's punches but never being knocked down, a skill Francie masters through her writing and self-expression by the end of the film and that Johnny never does. 

Rolling with the punches, dealing with life's hand, survival, adaptation – it's all the same, and Kazan, with his unique production team, gives a film that says life isn't merely about showing up; it's about adapting to the moment. This is how human existence thrives! 

Hear our First Take on "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

 "You look like you could whip a bunch of women into line."

Betty Smith released her novel "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" in 1943, while Elia Kazan was only a theater director, albeit renowned, already directing Shakespeare, Tennesse Williams, and other greats with success, and was working on his passion project, The Artist's Studio, a collective of artists and primarily actors. An unlikely candidate for the adaptation of a best seller, suitable? 

In retrospect, maybe the studios did not expect the film to succeed. Also, in 1943, the Hays Code was in full swing. The Hays Code was a set of rules around catholic-centric moral ideologies governing and censoring films' creative content. The Hays Code says what a film could and could not show. It could not show ninety percent of what Betty Smith alludes to through her novel. It was too dark for the civilized United States. Oh! Too dark! 

Why would Twenty-Century Fox want to release "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?" Simply, money. The studios were suffering from the recession and early renditions of state-made censorships. At one point, studies were turning out hundreds of films a month. To the Twenty-Century Fox executives, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" was destined to be on a dusty shelf. So they thought!

         In late 1943, screenwriting couple Tess Slesinger and Frank Davis worked on the script. They wrote the screenplays for three other memorable films: "The Bride Wore Red (1937)," "Remember the Day (1941)," and "Girls' School (1938.) After a back and forth with the Production Code Administration over Aunt Sissy's dalliances, the screenplay was finally approved in 1944. During this time, Kazan and producer Louis D. Lighton gathered their crew.

Kazan called on Nicholas Ray ("Rebel Without a Cause" (1955)) as dialogue director to assist in the everyday and forthcoming dialogue. Cinematographer Leon Shamroy joined the team, later known for his cinematographer on "The Planets of the Apes" (1968). And the film would not be complete without a four-time oscar nominated editor, Dorothy Spencer, the "dean of Hollywood art directors," Lyle R. Wheeler, and a crew with curriculum vitae longer than Santa's naught-or-nice list. 

With his team, Kazan used artistry, his theater background, film magic, and storytelling techniques to upend the studios. Kazan and his team gave an obscene gesture to the Production Codes by creating a raw and honest film about their unfavorable times. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" screams of the adaptation to come in film studios' codes. No rules or problems can keep the human spirit down for the count. 

"Anybody seen Johnny Nolan's wife?"

Casting advances through a lot of remodeling; that's to say, it too experiences adaptation. Money or scheduling conflicts may hobble the studios from hiring who they want. And as viewers understand, who acts out the narrative determines much of its allure and compathy. 

For "The Tree Grows in Brooklyn," Twentieth Century Fox wants Alice Faye ("On the Avenue" (1937)), but she is unavailable. Gene Tierney auditions but decides she doesn't want the role. So, Twentieth Century Fox settles with Dorothy McGuire, who is too young for the role. The same affair plays out in the search for Johnny Nolan, Francie, and Nelly. Can the studios ever be pleased with their codes and endless talent searches? 

Platitudes are right sometimes: "Things happen for a reason." Dorothy is as passionate in her taciturn performance as Nancy Kelly in "The Bad Seed" (1956.) "Show your father the piano," she says these simple words with bitterness in a scene where positivity struggles for dominance. Her eyes constantly waver with sadness and hopelessness, although, in every scene, she portrays resilience.

James Dunne's endearing and tragic performance, evocative of Shakespearian acting, won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Male Role. Dunne delivers a relatable performance. Dunne's portrayal of Johnny Nolan imbues charisma, love, and despair, but with his soft-spoken voice and bright smile, he inspires hope in his family and audience. 

However, the talented Peggy Anne Carter, playing the main character, steals the show. It's through her that the audience understands how deep poverty affects those facing it. Not only are they hungry, tired, and wanting, but so are the children. Francie desired the American Dream: a good school, a happy family, food, and money. 

But she soon realizes this isn't going to be easy to achieve and finds solace in her writing and her father's love. Peggy is subtle throughout the entire film, never over or underacting. However, her performance seems lacking in life experience. How can one act what they never knew? 

The actors, from Ted Donaldson to Joan Blondell, Lloyd Nolan, and so forth, act their best, obviously inspired by a new director. And for a new director, only familiar with theater with its need for large gestures, finds his zone in the sublet, which would be the backbone of Kazan's later masterpieces. 

"This reading will not stop! I say this thing."

Adaptation is the name of the game for the art team. In every film, and especially with period pieces like "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, art teams have to transform reality into a believable visual language. 

No one takes this task more seriously than Lyle R. Wheeler ("Gone with the Wind" (1939.)). With assistance from the team – Set Director Thomas Little and costume designer Bonnie Cashin – he worked on Otto Preminger's 1944 film "Laura," Wheeler transformed Twenty Century Fox's studio lot in 1945 into a dismal, rundown, and penurious 1900s. A set so dark and dreary, one is sure to say, "I don't want to live there."

But Wheeler has the practice of transforming sets into period pieces that step forward from the background and become part of the film language. 

Setting much of the film in the tight confines of the kitchen-dining room, the team transforms the Nolan apartment into an arena of conflict. People close together are accustomed to passionate bouts equivalent to those a distance apart. 

For example, in one scene where the children read the Bible and Shakespeare, the audience sees this conflict arise in the mumbling of Neely's disapproval of Shakespeare and the sharp reprimands from an overly concerned mother. The conflict aroused by confined space is prevalent throughout the film, particularly with Johnny and Kate.

The lack of props is another important visual phrase in "The Tree Grows in Brooklyn." The Nolan's are in constant shortage; what can they afford? And what they can afford is second-hand or necessary, as in the case of purchasing life insurance. There is no unnecessary spending – no extra pennies for candy or knick-knacks. What they need are family and books. Family, books, and maybe Shakespeare inspire Francie to find herself within her reality.

However, the art team's most significant visual phrases come in the choice of clothing, clothing which illuminates status, age, and perspective. The family's clothes look as if they are worn every day and washed every week. 

One can imagine Katie sewing and patching every rip or fray. Katie's clothes are no better; no number of patting off the dust or unfurling the sleeves and buttons up can make her clothes any less appealing. Grandma, in her stiff, all-black (as if still in the morning) dress, has not worn anything else since her husband's death. 

Furthermore, although the Nolans are in the privacy of their home, the three ladies have their dresses buttoned to the top like disciplinarians, as if to keep up with civility even when no one is watching. Do they believe that doing so will lead them to better-paying jobs, respect, supermarkets, malls, etc.? Neely doesn't care what he wears or how he looks; he seldom wears a tie or buttons his shirt. 

"The Tree Grows in Brooklyn" has honest dialogue and theatrical cinematography; however, the art team's subtle and intelligent use of the set, clothing, props, and more presents the clearest answer on how to adapt to one's environment: generations of hard work. 

"My kids are going to be something."

One path to adapting to new challenges is to utilize skills already honed. For a novice director like Kazan, this is the route to first-rate artwork and auteurism. Educated at Yale and Julliard in theater studies, Kazan's honed skills are in theater production and acting. Kazan and cinematographer Leon Shamroy teamed up to shoot black and white scenes with static shots and scarce camera moments that turn "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" into a theater stage. 

However, unlike a stage, in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," this stiff and static cinematography only ushers us into these Shakespearian characters filled with tragedy and humor. 

Around the film's middle, Katie holds the baby basket she purchased from the tenant whose piano she must tend. Katie is in her new apartment, a downgrade even if on the top floor. The camera is still, unmoving and robust at the moment, like Katie. Katie needs to be strong; she has only pennies in a closet, a baby is on the way, and her husband is a quixotic drunk singer with an inconsistent job. 

Coming home to his new apartment, Johnny is astonished without a word, and again, the camera is static. There's no dolly, tilt, pan, merely Johnny in the frame. And again, the camera is only illustrating the character's portrait at the time. As Jonny battles to stay optimistic and not let his worries pummel him, he leans against the window sill. 

In a scene centered around the emotional quandaries within the character as they try to fight beside optimism to win against despair, the camera does not move from its static capturing. One can imagine that in 2022, a movie would take this opportunity to use camera movements, a shaky camera to represent despair, a dolly to add tension, and crane shots welcoming us to the Brooklyn slums. Fortunately, Aronofsky and Lee did not direct "Tree Grows in Brooklyn." 

Why? The static shots, the scarce movement of the camera, even when Johnny plays the piano, tell the whole story. "The Tree Grows in Brooklyn" hides nothing from the audience. The characters are stuck with all their issues, ambitions, and ideals of a better tomorrow. They cannot move away from their situation; reading the Bible and Shakespeare isn't the answer.

To learn if optimism or despair wins over the Nolans in the above scene, read our Scene Study with Bolivar T. Caceres. 

 

"I'm sure glad you come along, handsome."

Music and sound effects are meager in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Given Johnny's ambitions to be a musician, the limited use of sounds is surprising but appropriate. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is not a musical. It's a drama. One in which the father is seldom home to share his passion with his children. And when he does share, despair, regret, and bitterness shroud the moment. 

Additionally, the Nolans have no time for leisure. Reading is for learning not for fun, and money for radio might mean no dinner for a night. Neely will have to work hard and wait to take his son to a ballgame. 

More critical than music and sound effects is the dialogue. Nevertheless, the sound department, Bernard Freericks, Roger Herman Sr., and Alfred Newman, take a page from the art team. They place sound discreetly in the background to heighten the themes of family, America, poverty, adaptation, and survival in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." 

For contemporary viewers, Martin Scorsese's films will come to mind with the sound department's application of street sounds and passing conversations. In "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," Williamsburg sounds hectic and overwhelming: adults sweating at work and children screeching (their sole freedom.) Save these aural attributes and the obligatory follies; musical segments are sparse and sometimes unnoticeable. 

There's a song for a transition, Johnny sings Annie Lauriel, and there is quick passing 1900s music. However, there's not much music. And why should there be more? Would all the music and sounds work with "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?"

The opening credits play the most music. As the credits jump between names, the sound department plays American classics. One, in particular, stands out: "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." 

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a song that engenders peace and happiness. It is a song at a baseball game, usually during the seventh inning stretch. And while the audience is slowly introduced to the cast and crew, "A Tree Grow in Brooklyn" is already thrusting one think.

Baseball is an American game. It's an American staple. As an image, it's America. And America is about going out, having a good time, coming home to one's comfortable house and family, and then going to the job one loves. Repeat. Kazan proves to us with "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" that it's not. The song becomes a testament against what it's selling, the American Dream. Against an America which can face its post-war and post-depression issues and adapt to the times. 

Read our First Take on "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" to hear more about "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

"This says he's a hero. He saved some people in a fire."

There is a belief in film history that women make the best editors. Does Elia Kazan subscribe to this belief? The answer isn't something we will ever know, but the audience can note that a film that centers around dark themes may need a meticulous and caring hand.  

In Dorothy Spencer's award-winning hands, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" has unnoticeable cuts and flows between scenes without hiccups. The story is easy to follow, and the audience will surely cry, laugh, and root for each Nolan. 

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" adheres to the Hays Code, and the story's purpose is to show a snapshot of the American Working class. It does so with the practice of subtleties and adaptation. 

Although not as revered as his greats, Elia Kazan's first film is a triumph. The fans thought so!

Bolivar T. Caceres is a Bronx-based artist and writer. His poems appear on ShortEdition and Ariel Chart. He is also the author of the chapbook Outside My Garret Window, published in 2020. He currently writes for the quarterly film blog Film Studies Quarterly and the news blog New York Positivity. Connect with him on social media @BolivarTCaceres and at www.BtcArt.co.

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