The World Changes (1933): Cast & Plot
The World Changes is a 1933 drama directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Mary Astor as Virginia Claffin Nordholm, Margaret Lindsay and Paul Muni. It runs 1 hour 31 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 31m (91 min)
- Director
- Mervyn LeRoy
- Genre
- Drama
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- First National Pictures
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The World Changes About?
The premise of The World Changes without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A human, touching, dynamic generational saga that follows the pioneering Nordholm family of the Midwest. The story is filtered through the perspective of Orin Nordholm Jr., a businessman whose life is chronicled from his restless youth to his later years as an elderly grandfather, capturing the family’s triumphs, hardships, and the changing world around them.
The World Changes Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- younger version of character
- refrigerated railroad freight car
- invention
- epic
- multiple generations
- dakota territory
- texas
- kansas
- cattle rancher
- fort worth stockyard
- chisholm trail
- grief
+38 more Show fewer
- gunfire
- deception
- meat packing pioneer
- song
- western frontier
- violence
- steamship clerk
- ocean voyage
- cigarette smoking
- swedish accent
- chicago stockyard
- slaughterhouse
- cow
- dysfunctional marriage
- farmer
- buffalo bill cody character
- george armstrong custer character
- wild bill hickok character
- episodic structure
- leroy and muni
- success
- ingratitude
- passage of time
- rich snob
- meatpacker
- stock market crash 1929
- chicago illinois
- embezzlement
- suicide
- stockyard
- saga
- banker
- nobility
- socialite
- butcher
- omaha nebraska
- infidelity
- insanity
The World Changes Cast & Characters
Mary Astor leads the cast as Virginia Claffin Nordholm, with Margaret Lindsay as Jennifer Nordholm and Paul Muni as Orin Nordholm Jr.. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy; 18 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Mervyn LeRoy
- Mary Astor as Virginia Claffin Nordholm
- Margaret Lindsay as Jennifer Nordholm
-
Paul Muni as Orin Nordholm Jr. -
Henry O'Neill as Orin Nordholm Sr.
Also Starring in The World Changes
· 14 more- Aline MacMahon Anna Nordholm
- Jean Muir Selma Peterson / Granddaughter Selma
- Guy Kibbee James Claffin
- Donald Cook Richard Nordholm
- Gordon Westcott John Nordholm
- Alan Mowbray Sir Philip Ivor
- William Janney Orin Nordholm III
- Patricia Ellis Natalie Clifton Nordholm
- Theodore Newton Paul Nordholm
- Mickey Rooney Otto Peterson as a Child
- Douglass Dumbrille Buffalo Bill Cody
- Arthur Hohl Mr. Patten
- Sidney Toler Mr. Hodgens
- Anna Q. Nilsson Mrs. Peterson
More from Mervyn LeRoy
More films directed by Mervyn LeRoy, best-rated first: The Wizard of Oz, Waterloo Bridge, Mister Roberts and Quo Vadis.
The World Changes Plot Summary
What happens in The World Changes from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In the Dakota Territory in 1856, a pregnant Anna Nordholm and her husband Orin Nordholm Sr. settle into a tiny cabin, choosing a quiet, self-sufficient life. He tills the fields and she chops wood, starting a family that includes their infant son, Orin Nordholm Jr.. The couple watches another family head west to California to scratch out a living, and they welcome them as neighbors, imagining a future where their own land will stretch on forever. A shared dream grows: a town, a thriving community, a place called Orinville, built on grit and perseverance. As the years pass, the bond between generations tightens, and the idea of a permanent, self-reliant life becomes the bedrock of the Nordholm clan.
Full summary
The whole story of The World Changes, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know The World Changes?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
In what year do Anna Nordholm and Orin Nordholm Sr. first settle in the Dakota Territory?
The World Changes Also Known As
6 alternative titles, including “Świat się zmienia” and “O Mundo Não Pára”.
- Also known as
-
- Świat się zmienia
- O Mundo Não Pára
- El mundo cambia
- A Humanidade Marcha
- Il mondo cambia
- Och världen förändrar sig
Seen The World Changes?
Movies Like The World Changes
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The New Land, Dakota and 1883.
The World Changes FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The World Changes, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The World Changes?
The World Changes runs 1 hour 31 minutes (91 minutes).
When was The World Changes released?
The World Changes was released on November 25, 1933.
Who directed The World Changes?
The World Changes was directed by Mervyn LeRoy.
More films by Mervyn LeRoy Who is in the cast of The World Changes?
The World Changes stars Mary Astor as Virginia Claffin Nordholm, Margaret Lindsay as Jennifer Nordholm and Paul Muni as Orin Nordholm Jr., among 18 credited actors.
Does The World Changes have a post-credit scene?
No. The World Changes has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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