A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

This coming of age movie by Elia Kazan is a beautiful, poignant story of a bright, sensitive young girl growing up in a Brooklyn tenement in the early 1900s. A young Peggy Ann Garner is wonderful as Francie, a young dreamer who wants more in life for her family and for herself, but at the same time is fearful of the future. Her performance was so compelling he received a special Oscar for her role.

Dorothy McGuire as Francie’s mother, who finds herself becoming more detached from her family and the world around her, is excellent, as is James Dunn in his Oscar winning role as the well-meaning alcoholic father. Blondell as an eccentric aunt and Nolan and Gleason as family friends give fine support.