The Good Earth [1937] Paul Muni, Luise Rainer

Wang is a poor farmer who bears the brunt of living a hand to mouth existence. Into his life comes a new bride, O-Lan and his luck begins to change. Not only does she bear him a son, he soon makes enough money from his harvest to buy a bit more land. Forced to relocate to the city when famine sets in, it is again O-Lan that unexpectedly finds their fortune giving them the opportunity to return to the land that Wang holds so dear. With his new-found wealth however, Wang also decides to take a much younger and prettier second wife and again, his fortunes seem to change. It is only at the end that he realizes how important O-Lan was to the good life he has led.