A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A luminous black-and-white family drama follows a Brooklyn girl finding imagination, education, and resilience amid poverty and her father's alcoholism.
Overview
A poignant tale of resilience and hope amidst hardship in early 20th century Brooklyn.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- tender
- melancholic
- nostalgic
- quiet evening
- classic movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a deeply affecting literary adaptation distinguished by Elia Kazan's natural direction and exceptionally strong performances, especially Peggy Ann Garner and James Dunn.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Francie interprets poverty, education, family conflict, and neighborhood life from a young person's perspective.
The Nolan family's tenement life combines hunger and insecurity with affection, wit, and communal resilience.
Johnny Nolan's tenderness toward Francie coexists with repeated drinking and inability to provide reliably.
The lone tree visible from the Nolan tenement becomes a recurring emblem of beauty and persistence amid urban poverty.
Films like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and why
The Magnificent Ambersons
Shared intimate family drama, working-class hardship, coming-of-age perspective, and emotionally nuanced performances.
The Immigrant
Shared turn-of-the-century immigrant-family setting, poverty, domestic conflict, and tender yet bittersweet humanism.
The Night of the Hunter
Shared black-and-white period drama, family resilience, childhood perspective, and lyrical treatment of hardship.
Movie Details
- Director
- Elia Kazan
- Release Date
- 1945-02-28
- Runtime
- 128 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (111)
Cast
- Dorothy McGuire
- Joan Blondell
- James Dunn
- Lloyd Nolan
- James Gleason
- Ted Donaldson
- Peggy Ann Garner
- Ruth Nelson
- John Alexander
- B.S. Pully
Common questions
- What is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn about?
- A luminous black-and-white family drama follows a Brooklyn girl finding imagination, education, and resilience amid poverty and her father's alcoholism.
- What is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
- What did critics think of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a deeply affecting literary adaptation distinguished by Elia Kazan's natural direction and exceptionally strong performances, especially Peggy Ann Garner and James Dunn.
- Which films are like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
- Films with a similar feel include The Magnificent Ambersons, The Immigrant, and The Night of the Hunter.
- How long is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn runs 128 minutes.
