Man's Castle (1933)

80% of users liked it
(216 ratings)

This Depression-era romantic drama, which offers a surprisingly potent and unsentimental view of the economic hardships of the time, stars Spencer Tracy as Bill, a rough-hewn laborer struggling to get by and sleeping in a Hooverville shack. Bill meets Trina (Loretta Young), a sad and desperate young… More This Depression-era romantic drama, which offers a surprisingly potent and unsentimental view of the economic hardships of the time, stars Spencer Tracy as Bill, a rough-hewn laborer struggling to get by and sleeping in a Hooverville shack. Bill meets Trina (Loretta Young), a sad and desperate young woman with no prospects and nowhere to go; her plight touches his heart of stone, and he allows her to stay with him. Bill picks up work where and when he can, while Trina tries to turn their hovel into a home. Bill soon makes the acquaintance of Fay LaRue (Glenda Farrell), a brassy showgirl whose career is on the way up and wouldn't mind if Bill tagged along. But Bill learns that leaving Trina behind won't be as simple as he thought. Trina is pregnant with his child, so he ends up planning a dangerous robbery in hopes of raising enough money to provide a proper home for Trina and the baby. Dealing with tough material in an adult manner, A Man's Castle was considered quite daring in its day. A year after its release, Hollywood adopted the Production Code that prohibited the depiction of unwed cohabitation and premarital pregnancy (among many other things), which would have made this a very different film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 10 min.
Directed By: Frank Borzage
Genres: Drama, Romance, Classics

In Theaters: Oct 27, 1933 Wide

Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Frank Borzage's vision of lower depths and heightened feelings
Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
Harsh-spirited, episodic, and in a rage over the ghastly injustices of economic privation.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Stella D

a really interesting depression era film in which spencer tracy plays a 'bindle-stiff' or hobo. loretta young falls for him but he finds it hard to settle down.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Man's Castle" starts with Bill(Spencer Tracy), dapper in a tuxedo, feeding pigeons in Central Park next to Trina(Loretta Young) who has not eaten in two days, so he does the sensible thing and suggests a restaurant. At the end of the meal, he… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Man's Castle" starts with Bill(Spencer Tracy), dapper in a tuxedo, feeding pigeons in Central Park next to Trina(Loretta Young) who has not eaten in two days, so he does the sensible thing and suggests a restaurant. At the end of the meal, he announces that contrary to appearances he does not have any money and somehow bluffs their way out of there without being arrested.(The tuxedo is for one of the odd jobs he is constantly working.) In reality, he lives in a shantytown by the East River, changing locations at least once a month and preferring to sleep under the open sky. Upon his return, he introduces Trina to his various neighbors before inviting her to stay.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Man's Castle" is an entertaining romance that has less to do with the economic circumstances of the Great Depression, then with the idea of domesticity which has a novel spin put on it at the end. Domesticity is the one thing Bill fears which is ironic since he is being slowly drawn into it with his relationship with Trina.(Bill may talk tough but he is actually soft at heart.) But after a while, she is only shown cleaning house, hanging curtains or cooking.[/font]