Honrarás a tu padre

In the early 1930's the Great Depression coming after the introduction of sound effected all studios severely even mighty MGM. The cost of conversion to sound had been largely absorbed and the early technical difficulties overcome. Films once more started to be made with the competence that was shown in the late silent period. This increased sophistication would culminate in the Class of 1939. Still in this early sound period economic difficulties had to be overcome and one (1) way to do this was keep running time short. All studios participated in this move. Most features ran between sixty (60) and ninety (90) minutes.

SWEEPINGS (1933) is a typical example from RKO. Clocking in at brisk eighty (80) minutes it takes a sixty (60) year family story and cuts it to the essentials. This was well accomplished by Director John Cromwell with a team of acting professionals. The Family, Lionel Barrymore (on loan from MGM), William Gargan, Gloria Stuart, George Meeker, Eric Linden. Gregory Ratoff is Barrymores right hand man and in a brief but effective role Helen Mack. The story in a nutshell; Father builds business for unappreciative Children who just see him as a cash cow. Loses faith in them and at the end regains same through act of youngest son. Entertaining, you bet and the story is in no way obsolete and could be easily updated to 21st Century audiences.

RKO remade this picture as THREE SONS (1939) with one (1) cast hold over William Gargan though this time playing Uncle Thane Pardway. The film ran shorter seventy-two (72) minutes and one (1) major plot change. Rather then die of a heart attack delivering Christmas presents Uncle Thane stops a bullet for his nephew. Remake rating Six (6)******.

Quite good film about a shop-owner who lives to see his little business flourish into a major department store; unfortunately, his angry, ungrateful children want no part of the business once dad passes over. Melodrama loses focus in the last half, but until then is excellently acted, surprisingly interesting. Best scene: the mental breakdown of the harried store clerk. **1/2 from ****

I guess if you're not going to offer Depression audiences pure escapism (i.e. Andy Hardy/James Cagney/Ruby Keeler) then the next best thing is to make a movie about rich people being miserable. Certainly this somber, bleak offering from director John Cromwell, with somber, bleak cinematography from Ernest Cronjager., more than fits the bill. Not only is it a film wherein all the main characters are, to a greater or lesser degree, wealthy, selfish and/or weak buttholes but they are unhappy, suffering, wealthy, selfish and/or weak buttholes into the bargain. In other words, this is rather one note, repetitive stuff and were it not for Cromwell's pacing skills, Cronjager's aforesaid moody camera, and a veritable cornucopia of fine performances from messers Barrymore, Gargan, Mack, Linden and especially, as a previous reviewer has noted, Ratoff it would be hard to sit through. As it is I found it quite interesting and think that you will too. Give it a B minus.

PS...The way Barrymore said "window trimmer" when his middle son Bert announces what he wants to do leads me to suspect that Bert might be in the closet. Maybe I'll get Lester Cohen's novel, upon which his screenplay is based, to find out. Maybe not.

This is another one of Lionel Barrymore's excellent early films somehow overlooked. But I highly recommend it! His acting is just SO darn good here! Through out but especially in the beginning of film are stellar. Just watch him when he realizes his wife just died and there he is with a new baby and three small children to raise. His eyes, his expressions and his nuances. No words needed there! Just excellent! THIS is the mark of a highly talented actor.

The second half of film somewhat grating as you realize what a flawed Father he is and four flawed spoiled children ( the affluenza effect) turn out to be a huge disappointment to him who have no interest in taking over his huge successesful business.

Barrymore is not really a likeable character in this film though. He's somewhat ruthless and not appreciative of his employees who made him what he is. It's not an easy watch but still for me Barrymore's splendid acting makes it worth it for me showing his great versatility. It always amazed me how he could come off somewhat vulnerable but still difficult in the same movie. Much as I have read he was like in real life. Very conflicted man.

Gregory Ratoff, Alan Dinehart, Eric Linden and Helen Mack are all impressive as well. Highly recommend!

... or at least that seems to be the case for Daniel Pardway (Lionel Barrymore) as he comes to Chicago with his new bride shortly after the great fire of 1871. Daniel sees in this fire opportunity, and he builds a great department store "The Bazaar" in its aftermath. In the meantime, on the personal front, he and his wife have four children. Daniel's wife dies due to complications of the birth of the fourth, Freddie. With his wife dead, Daniel pours all of his energy into both his store and his children, with the hope, rather the expectation, that the children will have as much enthusiasm for the store as he does.

In the meantime, Daniel overlooks loyal employee Abe Ullman (Gregory Ratoff), who has been with him since his first sale, first as a customer arguing that the price is too high, and five seconds later as an employee telling the throngs of customers that this is a great deal. Ultimately he becomes the general manager of the store for decades.

I'll stop describing the plot right here, because it would be too easy to give it away by saying anymore. Let me just say this is a great tribute to the acting of everyone involved. Lionel Barrymore was 55 years old when he made this film, and at the beginning he seems every inch an energetic 25 year old for which the sky is the limit. During the film he realistically ages from 25 to a decade past his actual age. Gregory Ratoff was really a revelation here. I'm accustomed to seeing him play hypertensive bosses with few brains, but here he shows a great deal of range and mystery. Is he just a hired man for an unappreciative boss who often makes him a verbal punching bag for life's frustrations, or is he perhaps actually looking out for himself? Watch and find out whether and how.

Of the four Pardway children, I thought Eric Linden was the standout. Over at Warner Brothers he was usually given "Gee Whiz" Jimmy Olsen like parts. Here he gets to play a real rotten apple with no gratitude and seemingly no conscience.

Good acting, good camera-work, good direction, and for a plot that seems to be going by the numbers, a couple of surprises at the end - I'd recommend it.