One of the things that struck audiences about the fresh faced Henry Fonda in the first years of his acting career was the fact that his persona, rather than his acting, represented the spirit of America. In films like this one, you don't go away thinking what a great actor Henry Fonda was, but you do feel that he embodied how Americans saw themselves at that time. It's almost as though nature had imposed itself upon him and made Henry Fonda the victim of hero worship. I personally don't think that he brought anything to this film except a fresh face. He was noticed by John Ford who also saw in him the face of America, and exploited it in subsequent productions.
Review of Way Down East
