A tree grows in Brooklyn 1945 - A deeply moving coming-of-age drama

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IMDB rating: 8,2

Director: Elia Kazan
Main Cast: Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, James Dunn, Lloyd Nolan, James Gleason, Ted Donaldson, Peggy Ann Garner

"Based on the best-selling novel by Betty Smith, the film relates the trials and tribulations of a turn-of-the-century Brooklyn tenement family. A tree grows in Brooklyn is a prototypical 'family values' film. Its coming-of-age motifs were perfectly suited for 1945 audiences looking for reassurance that American ideals would survive the tumult of World War II and the challenge of Communism.The performances are first-rate, particularly one-time movie song-and-dance man James Dunn who won an Academy Award for his 'comeback' performance, and Peggy Ann Garner, who won a special Oscar as 'Most Promising Juvenile Performer'. Dorothy McGuire provides a steady centerpiece, and the film is also a splendid recreation of New York circa 1900. A Tree Grows From Brooklyn was remade for TV in 1974, and also served as the basis of a Broadway musical." - www.allmovie.com

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