Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul

It's biopic of Jack L. Warner, one of four brothers who created Warner Bros. The filmmaker is his grandson Gregory Orr. After watching The Brothers Warner (2007) made by Harry's granddaughter, it's interesting to see the story from another side. This one is mostly about Jack. The difference between the two films provides an interesting view of some of the story. From the other documentary, Jack's takeover of the studio was the ultimate betrayal of his brothers. In this documentary, it starts with Harry and Albert's age. Then it's the sibling bad blood. It's not excusing Jack, but it is explaining him. All in all, this is a sympathetic portrayal of the man, but it doesn't avoid the ugly side either.

This is one of my favourite Hollywood documentaries, and the family connection with filmmaker Gregory Orr (Jack L Warner's grandson), gives the account immediacy and a real human touch.

Gregory approaches his subject with a degree of sympathy, understandably, but allows sufficient time to address Jack Warner's shortcomings and often appalling behaviour. As a result, Jack L Warner - The Last Mogul, is a balanced and thorough account of a remarkable, but not always admirable, life.

It's too easy to like Jack Warner, and chuckle indulgently when you hear accounts of his buffoonery and the way he would disrupt dignified occasions; as one contributor said, "He would rather tell a bad joke than make a good movie." His complete lack of self-awareness should be refreshing in someone so powerful, but there is a cruel and sinister side. You listen to moving accounts by Jack Warner Junior, hurt and bewildered by the terrible treatment inflicted on him by his father, feelings still evidently raw years after Jack Warner's death. And the final betrayal of the brothers in 1956, as Jack connived with corporate raiders to move Abe and Harry out and then head up the new company. Harry Warner, a thoroughly admirable man by all accounts, suffered a stroke soon afterwards and was dead within a couple of years. Jack did not attend the funeral.

Gregory Orr's film manages to confront these complexities very skillfully, and the recollections of his very high quality list of contributors bring a huge amount of first-had knowledge. It can't have been an easy journey for Gregory Orr, and he deserves all the more credit for achieving the result that he did.

Wow....it's interesting to have watched this after I'd already seen "The Brothers Warner" (2008). "The Brothers Warner" was a very long, thorough and no holds barred biography on all four of the Warners--with a strong emphasis on Jack. And, because it was made with the help and cooperation of the families of the other three brothers, it was VERY uncomplimentary and described him as practically an incarnation of the Devil! But, with "Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul", the film was made with significant help of his grandson, son-in-law and son--and you hear fewer of the accounts of what a jerk Jack was--and history has well established that he was an awful person. Still, the film is interesting...but also VERY, VERY short. The biggest problem is that the history of the studio itself seemed an afterthought at best and the context for the things he did seemed to be missing. As a result, it just felt sketchy and superficial.

My advice is to skip this film unless you have already watched "The Brothers Warner" and just want more....otherwise, just see "The Brothers Warner"--it's better in every possible way.

As Old Hollywood vanishes and the market-driven economy dictates more of what we see, this is an interesting film to see even if only to reflect on how different things were "back then;" but it's also quite watchable in its own right. For the student of film history, or the newcomer to the world of early Hollywood, this engrossing portrait provides plenty of memorable material, and archival footage that film buffs will eat up. When you know going in that the filmmaker is the grandson of the movie's subject, there is concern that this will be a fawning document of a superficially great man. But, Mr. Orr does a good job of balancing the profile of someone he knew with a sharp editorial eye. The narration is well-written. This is well worth seeing.

While there has been a lot of press around Jack Warner, there has never been such an insider's look at the Warner family. Warner grandson and filmmaker Gregory Orr takes us on an enchanted and marvelous journey of the Warner empire. The film includes never-before-seen home movie footage and exclusive details of the Warners. The result is a fresh and delightful look at the rise and fall of one of the most powerful movie industry families. Orr is an accomplished storyteller and the editing is particularly good. Highly recommended.