4/5 A real gem thanks to Jennifer Jones and King Vidor
  by Grant Watson (NC)
RUBY GENTRY (1952) with Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston, Karl Malden and directed by King Vidor. This is another entertaining Jones film, beautifully shot by Vidor.

Ruby is a sexy tomboy from the wrong side of the tracks. Heston is the cocky town stud who actually has dreams of doing some good for his home town. Karl Malden is Jim Gentry. Malden and his wife took Ruby and helped to raise her during some difficult teen years and looks to Malden and his sickly wife as surrogate parents. Jones and Heston have a long history together and after returning from a trip abroad, Heston tries to pick up where he left off. However, the town is full of old money snobs. They enjoy Jones sassyness, but are not willing to abide her being part of their society. However, Jones has faith that Heston will marry her. Heston meanwhile is undertaking a huge project to drain flooded land for the purpose of restoring dead crops and helping the town economy. When he realizes that the only way to accomplish this dream is to marry into money, he tells Jones that it won't work and breaks it off.
Not long after that, Karl Malden, a banker and financial wiz who has his fingers in many pies, loses his wife and becomes a widower. He loves Jones and convinces her to marry him. Jones, stinging from losing Heston and desperate for a taste of high society, accepts his offer even though she doesn't really love Malden. But while the town accepts Malden, they reject Jones and she becomes even more bitter and angry. However, a tragic accident causes a reversal of fortune, and soon Ruby finds that she holds the fate of those who rejected and scorned her, as well as that of the entire town in her hands and she sees a chance to exact some vengeance as a result.

This is a fine performance by Jones. While this isn't one of Hestons best roles, he's still a powerful screen presence and that is needed considering the kind of part that Jones plays in this. And that's not to say that Heston doesn't have some great moments. There is a great scene between Jones and a devastated and broken Heston that is powerful and very memorable. They do have chemistry, no doubt.

Jones again, as in CARRIE and BOVARY gets the chance to play a more complex character. There are a lot of similarities between CARRIE, RUBY GENTRY and MADAME BOVARY. They are all stories of women from poor or humble beginnings who strive to climb the social ladder either for position, or to simply be independent and successful. It's not surprising then that Jones would be picked to play these kinds of roles as she does them so well. Like Bette Davis, I enjoy Jennifer Jones playing characters that are kind of nice, but have bits of the selfish, vain schemer in them more than when she's simply "the good girl". Again, there are some wonderfully shot scenes by Vidor and lovely cinematography.
James Anderson plays Jones hillbilly, guitar strumming, religious fanatic of a brother. Anderson as some might remember was the racist "Bob Ewell" from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. While not as good as CARRIE or BOVARY, this is still a fine, engrossing and very entertaining film that I highly recommend.

5/5 Ruby Gentry DVD
  by Rhonda Brown (Schenectady, NY)
My mom has loved Charlton Heston since she was a young woman.(She's now 70) Her favorite movie of all time is RUBY GENTRY. Being that mom has NEVER touched a computer, she doesn't realize the possibilities that are available to you and I. When I surprised her with the DVD, she responded like I was Criss Angel and had just performed magic. I live in NY and mom lives in Ohio. I'm flying down to see her and dad at the end of October. Mom is very excited for the 3 of us to sit down together, with popcorn and a soda, and watch this classic movie together. Thank YOU for providing us with this DVD to make my visit extra special.

4/5 Hot Blooded but Flawed Tale of Backwoods Romance
  by Nix Pix (Windsor, Ontario, Canada)
"Ruby Gentry" is one of a string of intense and fiery melodramas that remind me so well of the proliferation of night time soap operas that blossomed during the 1980s. This film stars Jennifer Jones at her sultry best as Ruby, a no-account white trash raised in the rugged swamplands. The flame of her dishonorable intentions is turned up at the first sight of rich and bo-hunky, Boake Tackman (Chalton Heston). Boake allows Ruby to get close to him but he never once considers their youthful dalliances anything more than slumming. When Boake enters into a marriage proposal with Tracy McAuliffe (Phyllis Avery), done more for community property than grand amour, Ruby dives head first into a love-less marriage of her own to Jim Gentry (Carl Malden). Jim's financial success allows Ruby to gussy herself into respectability which is short lived after a boating accident claims Jim's life. Ruby's lack of mourning arouses suspicion from the local town folk. More than a few eyebrows get raised when Ruby makes another passionate pitch for Boake's affections not long thereafter. Rejected by Boake once more - this time for her reputation rather than lack of money - Ruby's passion ignites into bitter sadism. She purposefully destroys Boake's farm. There is more to this sordid tale, but I'll stop short of giving away all the trade secrets.

MGM's DVD is rather impressive. The B&W picture exhibits a very nicely balanced gray scale with smooth, solid blacks and very clean whites. Age related artifacts are present throughout but do not distract. Some minor edge enhancement crops up but pixelization is kept to a minimum. Overall the picture will surely not disappoint. The audio is mono but more than adequate for a film of this vintage. There are no extras.

5/5 Terrific tale of love, passion and revenge!
  by Alberto S. V (Lima, Peru)
The melodrama formula is perfect in this film. King Vidor, one of the most talented directors of the Hollywood great times, give us a stunning fable of desire. Jennifer Jones is amazing as Ruby... as young Charlton Heston. Some people of today can't understand why a movie like this could be a masterpiece. They want reality on the screen and "Ruby Gentry" is a surrealistic story of love. Like "Peter Ibbetson" or "Portrait of Jeannie" or, most recently, "Birth".

4/5 Passion and revenge in a small town
  by W. Oliver (Alabama)
Charlton Heston may be featured prominently on the dvd cover but the real star of this passionate melodrama is Jennifer Jones. In one of her best roles, she plays the title role, a sultry North Carolina backwoods girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She's in love with Boake Tackman (Heston), a blueblood land developer who betrays her by marrying a wealthy girl that his family approves. Ruby vows revenge on him and the townspeople by marrying a wealthy doctor (Karl Malden) and gaining entry into the high society that shunned her.

This taut and stark little drama, directed by the great King Vidor, was a box office hit in 1952 and helped revive Jennifer Jones' career, who had suffered a previous string of flops. The title tune, a mournful ballad played on a harmonica, was also a big hit. The film features fine performances all around - in addition to the leads, there is good support from Karl Malden and Josephine Hutchinson. The rich black and white photography (by Russell Harlan) is excellently rendered on this dvd. Unfortunatley, there are no extra features.