Our Daily Bread [Blu-ray]

Look for the 2005 re-release
If you're interested in getting this excellent compilation of films about the Great Depression, then please note that Image Entertainment re-released this DVD in late 2005. The cover is slightly different, featuring a still photo of two children from "The River." For some reason, Image hasn't been on the ball lately, and many e-tailers (including Amazon) continue to list this title -- as well as the silent documentaries "Grass" and "Chang" -- as out of print. It isn't. You can still find it here occasionally and with e-tailers who specialize in rare and hard-to-find DVDs (like Facets). There's no reason to pay more than $30 for this title unless you want the OOP 1st issue.

The movies themselves: As John Marr points out in his review below, "Our Daily Bread" is a little dated and corny in its story and acting, but it's still a fine movie made by a superb American director, King Vidor. Vidor made this movie independently -- hence some of the non-professional actors...

Outstanding documnetary overview of the Depression
There are very few movies I chose to see again and again, and fewer still when it comes to documentaries. However this film is filled with wonderful period pieces -- mostly carefully chosen newsreel and movie clips -- that weave a woeful tale of the Depression. Strangely enough,the film is almost exhilarating, showing the courage and perseverance of individual Americans as well as the country as they faced the 1929 Crash and struggled through the grim thirties. There are dozens of carefully chosen movie clips using characters portrayed by Cagney,Bogart,etc., as well as many other lesser known actors and films dealing with very real issues of survival. I bought this DVD three years ago. When I went to purchase it for a friend I was surprised to see that no one had reviewed it! It deserves five stars and a much wider audience. (There is a short film, "The River", about the 1937 Mississippi flood, which by itself is worth the price of the DVD.)

A historically significant American film. Attention: Criterion, please...
After reading the reviews of the Alpha print, I purchased the Synergy one. It is a little washed out, though not nearly as bad as the Alpha one sounds. The vhs copy I made from TCM is somewhat better. Also, there are no menus. The movie starts with the FBI warning, and proceeds right into the film. At the end, it cycles right back to the warning and starts over again. Furthermore, although you can navigate forward and backward between chapters, they are not well placed. Sometimes, the chapter puts you into the film in the middle of a word! Nevertheless I am very happy to have this film on dvd. I would rate the Synergy version as approximately acceptible if you love this film. Also, having a dvd makes it easier to use in a history class.
I just did some research on this film for a grad project. King Vidor was unable to obtain funding for "Our Daily Bread." Banks did not want to fund a film that portrayed them in a bad light. Vidor mortgaged everything he had to make...

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