"The Sun Shines Bright" is a 1953 American comedy-drama Western film directed by John Ford. This classic Hollywood production is based on material from a series of Irvin S. Cobb's "Judge Priest" short stories featured in The Saturday Evening Post in the 1910s, specifically "The Sun Shines Bright," "The Mob from Massac," and "The Lord Provides."

Ford had previously adapted some of the same material in his 1934 film "Judge Priest," a notable example of vintage movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Originally, this film included a scene depicting an attempted lynching of Poindexter and Priest's condemnation of the act, but it was cut by 20th Century Fox. The omission was one of the reasons Ford revisited and reshaped Cobb's stories two decades later into "The Sun Shines Bright" for Republic Pictures. This time, the film included Judge Priest's intervention to defuse a mob determined to lynch a young Black character named Woodford. In both films, Stepin Fetchit played the role of Judge Priest's assistant, Poindexter.

"The Sun Shines Bright" stands as a timeless classic movie in Ford's illustrious career, often cited by him as his favorite among all his films. In later years, this Hollywood throwback was championed by critics such as Jonathan Rosenbaum and Dave Kehr, who called it "a masterpiece." As part of the canon of old movies and classic American films, "The Sun Shines Bright" continues to be revered for its storytelling and cinematic significance.

Movie Info:
Judge William Pittman Priest (Charles Winninger) is a straightforward, sensible public servant well-liked by most of his Kentucky hometown. However, the town's upper class supports a presumptuous Yankee newcomer, Horace K. Maydew (Milburn Stone), in the election for judge. Priest must use all his cunning to retain his office while advocating for the town's underclass and democratic values.

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Genre: (Comedy, Drama).
Director: John Ford.
Producer: Merian C. Cooper, John Ford.
Screenwriter: Irvin S. Cobb, Laurence Stallings.
Original Language: English.
Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 1953, Original.

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Licensed from: The Classical Hollywood Cinema.

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