The World Changes

Dir. Mervyn LeRoy 91 Minutes

USA 1933

Starring: Paul Muni, Aline MacMahon, Mary Astor, Donald Cook, Jean Muir, Guy Kibbee, Patricia Ellis

**1/2/***** Following the terrific and very successful I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Paul Muni reunited with director Mervyn LeRoy for a considerable change of narrative pace but by no means abandoning his immersive commitment to his character. The World Changes feels akin to something like Wellman's So Big! in its multi-generational scope, though lacks that films genuine emotion and, ultimately, its effectiveness. Muni plays Orin Nordholm Jr., an ambitious farmer of immigrant parents who finds massive success in the meat packing business in Chicago. As he rises the ranks, he marries Virginia Clafflin (Mary Astor) a snooty socialite who quickly makes him unhappy as he faces a series of personal and professional disappointments through three generations of Nordholms.  The early scenes of the picture are quite striking and have an interesting, quiet rhythm in its depiction of Orin's farmer parents. This is quickly set aside for a more routine style, both narratively and visually, with Muni's make-up transformations seeming to do much of the heavy lifting as the years go by (interestingly, Muni's second film Seven Faces in 1929 was an attempt to market him as the next Lon Chaney, a thread which seems to be taken up here). And for fans of some more sordid pre-code content, aside from Orin and Virginia's introduction this is a fairly vanilla work from the era. Ultimately, the film does not come together form these stitched together parts, and the impact of the ending is somewhat lost among a rather bland work. Muni is, as always, engaging and commanding in the part, but, following Fugitive, the commitment from LeRoy feels less personal and without stake and it comes across far more minor than anyone probably would have intended.  ​October 10th, 2019