Our daily bread

‘Our Daily Bread’ forms part of Vidor’s ‘Back to the Land’ trilogy, which also includes ‘The Stranger Returns’ (1933) and ‘The Wedding Night’ (1935). In his book on filmmaking, Vidor claims that he was developing a style that would integrate a ‘dramatic entertaining storyline’ with the ‘realism and credibility of a Flaherty-type documentary’. This film represents the height of the process. It tells the story of a young couple, Mary and John Sims, who are forced by the Depression to accept ownership of a bankrupt farm. With the help of a local Swedish farmer, they turn the dusty tract of land into a blooming spread and gradually a co-operative community establishes itself, in which support is mutual and money is not needed. The irrigation set piece which provides the film’s climax is justly famous. In 1935, the film was distributed under the title ‘The Miracle of life’ according to AMPAS records. The film opens with an interview with King Vidor recorded by David Shepard in the 1980s. ‘Our Daily Bread’ is followed by 2 short films, anonymously produced by Irving Thalberg at MGM in support of the re-election of the conservative party at the Californian gubernatorial elections. Cast includes Karen Morley, Tom Keene, Barbara Pepper, Addison Richards and John Qualen.