RUGGLES OF RED GAP (1935, Dir. Leo McCarey; Prod. Adolf Zukor; Paramount Studios)

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B01EFD8133DE53ABC4F53DFB566838E629EDE
Above is the link to a 1935 review in the NYT.
Note that this is the third time the film has been made. This is an adaptation of a popular novel, published in 1916. You get a sense from this review of the fact that this is a classic American immigrant fantasy/story. But also note the new additions for this version (the Gettysburg address scene).

I'm thinking there are five inter-related categories through which one might usefully approach analysis of this film.
1) class
2) ethnicity
3) "race"
4) gender roles
5) region (U.S. rural West)

The blog from which I lifted the above still ( http://moviesovermatter.com/2010/09/15/best-pictures-of-1935-2-ruggles-of-red-gap/ ) makes a start on an apt critique of the movie.  I'm thinking that we can expand on this assessment, reflecting on issues we've discussed in previous weeks.