O Preguiçoso

Uncommonly fine little rural romance, where the familiar plot contrivances (mother love, war heroics, the "Daddy Long Legs" motif of the benefactor falling in love with his ward) are transcended by sensitive treatment. Borzage was working near the height of his powers, and his restrained handling of the actors and staging of the scenes make this comedy-drama far less dated than most of its contemporaries. He seems to really believe in the material, and so will you. Buck Jones, for most of his career a B-Western star, shows what he can do under a fine director: He has expressive eyes and a tender rapport with the rest of the cast. Also, as with so many Borzage projects, it's beautifully shot. One complaint: It ends rather abruptly and inconclusively (unless I saw an incomplete print). You expect things to come full circle, and they don't.