For 1936 I was really impressed by the colour photography. Supposedly this was the first movie to use Technicolor for the outdoor sequences and they look great. The story on the other hand...ehh, it was just alright. The tension between the hillbilly Fonda and the city slicker MacMurray is pretty predictable and outside of just a few minor skirmishes, we never get to see the Falins and the Tollivers feudin' for really. I wanted to see some straight up badass gunfights, but it never happened. Also Fonda, even this early in his career, deserved better than playing some backwoods hick who hates sophisticated outsiders and their highfalutin book learning so much that he throws his young cousin's colouring book in the fireplace. Even with such a one-dimensional character he still turns in a good performance.
One aspect that wasn't captured, would have been instead of Fonda wanting to marry his own cousin, is to have Fonda (before MacMurray shows up) having a secret courtship going with a Falin girl, but then when Fred shows up, he throws a monkey wrench in the works and stirring up the feud even more. Just a thought. Over an hundred years too late (the novel was written in 1908), but I think it would have liven things up a bit. As it is though it's an alright classic Hollywood timewaster that's interesting thanks to early performances by MacMurray and Fonda.
