Bright Leaf

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Bright Leaf

Directed by	Michael Curtiz
Produced by	Henry Blanke
Written by	Ranald MacDougall
Starring	Gary Cooper Lauren Bacall
Music by	Victor Young
Cinematography	Karl Freund
Editing by	Owen Marks
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	July 2, 1950
Running time	110 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Bright Leaf is a 1949 novel written by Foster Fitzsimmons, which was adapted into a 1950 film by Henry Koster and starring Gary Cooper and Lauren Bacall. The works derive their name from the type of tobacco grown in North Carolina after the American Civil War.

[edit] Plot

Loosely based on the rivalry of tobacco tycoons Washington Duke and George McElwee, Bright Leaf follows tenant farmer Brant Royle (Gary Cooper) who returns home after his family is driven from their farm by fellow farmer Major Singleton (Donald Crisp). Royle and Singleton battle each other for their respective empires.

[edit] Legacy

The film, one of many epic melodramas produced by Hollywood at the time, was widely forgotten after its first theatrical release in 1950. Bright Leaf found new life in 2003, when it played prominently in the documentary Bright Leaves, by filmmaker Ross McElwee, a descendant of the man whose life was reflected in both the novel and film.