The Sea of Grass
With Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Walker.
US, 1947, 16mm, black & white, 123 min.
Print source: George Eastman House
The most difficult to see of Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn's nine films together, Kazan's second feature, The Sea of Grass, is a sweeping proto-Giant (1956) epic centered around the difficult relationship between a hubristic New Mexican cattle baron and his strong-willed St. Louis socialite bride. Kazan specifically sought out the project, even negotiating the move from Fox to MGM because of his strong desire to recreate the frontier story's setting. When MGM refused to allow location shooting, Kazan compensated by focusing intently on the psychological and familial clash at the heart of the film, interweaving Tracy and Hepburn's tempestuous marriage with the pitched battle between the determined homesteaders and the cattleman's dynasty.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Splendor in the Grass
Johnny Mercer: "The Dream's on Me" / Blues in the Night
A Face in the Crowd
Gentleman's Agreement
