Directed by Lewis Milestone • 1939 • United States
Starring Burgess Meredith, Lon Chaney Jr., Betty Field
George and Lennie are California migrant workers on the run from the law because of something the simple-minded giant Lennie did. They find work at a local ranch, where they dream of making enough money to buy their own farm with Candy, a long-time ranch hand with savings. Their dreams are threatened by the rancher’s bullying son and his alluring wife, who may very well force George to make the hardest decision of his life in order to spare Lennie.
Up Next in By the Book
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Great Expectations
Directed by David Lean • 1946 • United Kingdom
Starring John Mills, Finlay Currie, Martita HuntOne of the great translations of literature into film, David Lean’s GREAT EXPECTATIONS brings Charles Dickens’s masterpiece to robust on-screen life. Pip, Magwitch, Miss Havisham, and Estella populate...
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The Killers
Directed by Robert Siodmak • 1946 • United States
Starring Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’BrienErnest Hemingway’s gripping short story “The Killers” has fascinated readers and filmmakers for generations. Its first screen incarnation came in 1946, when director Robert Siodmak unleashed TH...
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Oliver Twist
Directed by David Lean • 1948 • United Kingdom
Starring Robert Newton, Alec Guinness, Kay WalshFollowing the success of GREAT EXPECTATIONS, David Lean applied his sterling craftsmanship to another beloved Charles Dickens classic and once again set the standard for all future screen adaptations....