God's Great Wilderness on AllMovie

A sturdy, reliable cast distinguishes the so-so outdoor drama God's Great Wilderness. The main character is a nasty backwoods general-store owner, who browbeats his wife and son into cowering submission and regularly cheats his customers. In contrast, a rival store owner has the milk of human kindness flowing through his veins. Tragedy strikes both storekeepers, leaving both men alone and destitute. But while the nastier of the two is left with nothing to show for his life, the kindly owner is showered with sympathy and charity. The best performance was rendered by John Ford "regular" Russell Simpson as the nominal villain. God's Great Wilderness was a rare screenwriting effort from former D. W. Griffith stock-company player Spottiswood Aiken.