Although The Corn is Green is somewhat dated -- mostly due to its carefully-delineated three-act stage structure and its sometimes-arch speeches -- it still packs an emotional wallop. Yes, it's manipulative and the strings tend to show a bit, but it's presented with such conviction and talent that most viewers will be glad to be taken along for an enjoyable ride. The basic set-up -- strong-willed woman comes to backward Welsh town with determination and an agenda -- is practically irresistible, and it provides the cast with a number of dramatic set-pieces that they take full advantage of. Leading the charge is Bette Davis, whose towering performance takes advantage of her range of skills. If her acting is occasionally showy, it fits the part, and for the most part, she manages admirable restraint and taste. Her scenes with John Dall are especially memorable, full of sparks of lightning and an understated sexual tension. Dall more than holds his own, giving back as good as he gets and creating a memorable portrait of unrefined genius buried beneath both ignorance and a fear of discovery. Joan Lorring is also memorable as the slatternly Bessie, making something very much out of a line like "Oh, I've hurt my knee!" Irving Rapper does well at the helm, keeping things moving and pointing up the drama without overemphasizing it, and effectively creating an expansive outdoor atmosphere that contrasts with the rather claustrophobic setting of the classroom. Corn would be remade for TV in the 1970s, with Katharine Hepburn assaying the lead role.