The Silver Cord

Ugh....this movie gave me the creeps. Like another reviewer, I have only seen it once and have never seen it repeated on AMC,TCM or late night film fests. But, oh do I remember it. A very unpleasant but enthralling film about mother love gone bad. Laura Hope Crewes is the epitome of evil and it is hard to believe that she went on to be Aunt PittyPat in GWTW. She tears up the screen with her portrayal of the mother obsessed by her "love" for her sons. Eric Linden, a rather weak actor, is perfect as the one son.....Joel McCrae is ok as the other, but, since he is usually a man of action, you hope he will pull out a pistol and blow Crewes' brains out. When one remembers a film several years after seeing it but one time, it must be recommended. You will either be attracted or repelled by this little gem

"Now what I say about children is this: Have 'em, Love 'em. And then leave 'em be."

The pre-Code era is full of villains and gangsters, but none are more evil than this woman so wonderfully played by Laura Hope Crews, though she is a monster of a very different sort - a smothering, manipulative mother who deliberately sabotages the romantic relationships of her two sons.

We see that we're not just dealing with a mother struggling to accept a new phase in life when she talks to her younger son (Eric Linden) with his head in her lap. She tells him that he and his fiancée (Frances Dee) don't love each other and that he should leave her, a suggestion the milquetoast young man passively accepts , and then she says "I won't have to be lonely now" before leaning down to kiss him fully on the lips. It's an extraordinary moment, even considering the custom of the period, when it wasn't uncommon for a parent to kiss their child on the mouth (and note earlier we see the two prospective sisters-in-law doing it in a way that would raise eyebrows today, but which was clearly innocent then). Later she lays a smooch on the older son (Joel McCrea) as he's about to go to bed, and it's telling that the peck he gives his wife (Irene Dunne) afterwards is shorter in duration. There's a real mental illness here, one that has the sons under her sway, and ultimately we find that she's displaced the romance missing from her marriage onto her sons.

The women in this film truly shine, starting with Laura Hope Crews of course, but also Irene Dunne and Frances Dee, each of whom have some fantastic moments confronting her. In addition to the main theme of a possessive parent, the film also points out that women can be brilliant and have a career in addition to being a wife and mother (and a research biologist no less). Meanwhile, as the mother clings to her sons, she pathetically voices the fear of the older generation, that women having careers is putting motherhood "in some danger of vanishing from the face of the earth."

The film is a little infuriating because of how weak the two sons are, but this is a script which has no wasted scenes, great dialogue, and great pace - and with the psychological manipulation taking place on top of it, it all feels very modern. It's an example of a film I love finding out about from the pre-Code era, as it seems to be lesser known and feels so alive, despite its age.

Who won the best actress Oscar for 1933? It should have been Laura Hope Crewes for her magnificent portrayal of the most monstrous mother ever. She truly is one of the great character actresses of all time. She played the frivolous Prudence Duvernoy in "Camille" (1936) and her best remembered role is Aunt Pittypat in "Gone With the Wind".

Irene Dunne was the "official" star of the film but her scenes with Laura Hope Crewes were dynamite.

David (Joel McCrea) is in Heidelberg when he is offered a job in New York. His wife, Christine (Irene Dunne) can continue her studies at the Rockafellar Centre. Their first stop in America is a visit to David's mother, Mrs. Phelps. To say that Laura Hope Crewes dominates every scene is an under-statement. From her first entrance - in a frantic burst of effort to greet her "big boy" - all attention is on her. Even sitting around the tea table, when she forgets Hester's existence, even forgetting how she takes her tea, you know something is not quite right.(Hester has been living there for a while.)

Frances Dee is completely sweet and so right in her role as the adorable Hester. Her performance in this film, especially the scene where she has hysterics and the aftermath proves how under-rated as an actress she was.

All the young cast are excellent. Eric Linden is superb as Robert, the younger son who comes to the realization that his mother is horrible but can do nothing about escaping from his mother's spell. Joel McCrea, at one point says "painting roses on bathtubs - that's more your style". There is a very subtle suggestion in the film of Robert's sexuality.

Irene Dunne is excellent in whatever film or genre she tried.

Devastating portrayal of just how far a mothers love for her children will go. Unfortunately, her love is more possessive than normal and this type of love is ruinous in a relationship with ones children.

Laura Hope Crews gives the greatest performance of her career, unfortunately, it is overshadowed by her appearance in "Gone With the Wind".

Joel McCrea and Eric Linden are outstanding as her sons while Irene Dunne and Frances Dee are equally well as the women in their respective lives.

If you ever get the chance to see this film, then you will never forget it. It may have been made quite awhile ago, but the movie still packs a wallop.

Irene Dunne has married Joel McCrea and is going to meet his mother, played by Laura Hope Crews. But what Irene doesn't know is that Laura had her own plans for her son – to live close by her side and visit often. Based on a stage play, this can come across as rather talky and stagy, but I find the subject matter fascinating and most absorbing as we see the mother trying subtly and sometimes not so subtly to manipulate her sons so that they may never leave her. Eric Linden is another son, who is engaged to Frances Dee, unless "poor, pitiful" mother has anything to do with it. I don't know much about the movies and career of Laura Hope Crews, who played "Aunt Pittypat" in "Gone with the Wind," but I would surmise that this is one of her best and meatiest roles. The film belongs to her, as she has tantrums and wraps her sons around her little finger. By the way, costars Joel and Frances would marry in real life. If you happen to discover "The Silver Cord," which I doubt, don't pass this up. You may be looking for the best films of the great Irene Dunne, but instead you will discover the under-appreciated Ms. Laura Hope Crews at the zenith of her career.