Sons of Liberty

However minor this sort subject is, one cannot fail to notice that, given the date of conception and release, the subject matter(Reminding the general American public of the Jewish contribution to the Independence of the Nation through the portrayal of Haym Solomon)and the direction entrusted to the care of Michael Curtiz rather than, say B. Reeves Eason or Don Siegel, this is not just another short. Warners, at the time, peppered their films(the Sea Hawk is a good example) with allusions to the imminent conflict and this might have been a naive, but very dignified attempt at preparing the American moviegoer of 1939 to the inevitable moment when a decision would have to be taken. Anyway, it is also very much a Michael Curtiz film, even clocking at twenty minutes; Claude Rains is rather good, a bit solemn at times, but the subject demands it; the use of color is quite impressive, but not surprising for a director who experimented with it as early as 1932(Doctor X) and 1933(Mystery of the Wax Museum)and his trademark use of shadows is also present. A theme present in many Curtiz features finds its way in this tiny two-reeler, with Solomon having to make a choice, take sides and leave his mark in history, like Rick and Captain Renault in Casablanca, or Captain Blood... So, although minor, this is pretty much a typical Curtiz Warner film... to be found on DVD alongside a brilliant(But much funnier)film, the 1939 Curtiz/Flynn western Dodge City... not bad indeed.

CLAUDE RAINS gives an earnest performance as a rabbi Haym Salomon who finances Washington's troops during this historical short subject that appears on the Errol Flynn Signature Collection in collaboration with DODGE CITY.

GALE SONDERGAARD is his faithful wife who stands by while he courageously leads the rebels against The Crown in the fight for freedom. All the usual slogans denouncing tyranny and oppression are here, but the short is directed in firm style by the capable Michael Curtiz, who keeps things moving briskly throughout the twenty minutes of running time.

Seen briefly are JAMES STEPHENSON, DONALD CRISP, HENRY O'NEILL and, if you look closely, that's JOHN SUTTON as the horseback rider with a message for Rains. Photographed in Technicolor by Sol Polito, it's a fine example of the sort of shorts Warner Bros. made during the '30s and '40s to accompany feature films.

A refreshing little short about a little known element of our Revolutionary History. Someone who almost single handedly financed the Revolution should have gained a larger place in our history books, but sadly, he was relegated to the footnotes section. This short began by showing the Jewish Congregation in Philadelphia - the oldest synagogue in America. I was perplexed by the previous user from England who felt it was made as a slap in the face of the British as they were about to go to war. Ironically, the British were not heavily represented in this short at all, unless the subject of the Revolution, merely by its existence, is an insult to the British. If that's the way they felt at the outset of war I'm surprised they didn't deny our help feeling the insult would be too great to allow yanks to come to their assistance...or should I say win the war.

As Haym was represented gathering his funding and moving it around the country, it was ironically shown that his greatest antagonist was pursuit by the Hessian Soldiers...sure they were employed by the British...but if someone wanted to point out some pre-WWII propaganda elements in this film, you couldn't look any further than the brave little group of Jews being chased after by the Germans! I'm not a student of Haym Solomon history, but this element might even have been solely added for political effect and perhaps to cushion any anti-British sentiment in this subject. America has always been proud of its beginnings, and has made many movies/shorts in celebration. You also forget that even at this early point, it was a serious possibility that we could soon be entering a war. Patriotic symbolism in Hollywood was not aimed at the British, regardless of the British actors who obviously didn't think this was a slap.

The production was fine, nice color, acting was fine...nothing out of the ordinary, but still very enjoyable and very valuable for pre-WWII American cultural studies.

Another Oscar-winning Technicolor short, a product this time of Warner Bros. rather than MGM; featuring the involvement of possibly their top director and such first-rate actors as Claude Rains and Gale Sondergaard, it is handled in the studio's recognizable style. The plot is a recreation of a historical incident from America's infancy, with various immigrants (led by a Jew, Haym Salomon) uniting into the titular 'resistance' group – that was also mentioned in D. W. Griffith's America (1924) – against the occupying British forces. With WWII looming, this clearly made for a stirring patriotic call to the masses: however, even when taken on its own merits, the film proves interesting (especially for the unenlightened) and entertaining.

Claude Raines plays Haym Solomon, the man who spent his fortune helping to pay for the American Revolution.

Claude Rains seems an odd casting choice for what was essentially the role of an Eastern European Jew, and Michael Curtiz an odd choice to direct a short subject. You may argue that Warner Brothers took their Technicolor shorts very seriously, and spent freely on them all, let alone the serious historical ones You'd be correct, a far as that went, but I think these issues need to be viewed in the context of 1939, a moment we, with war in Europe on the horizon, were undergoing on of its bouts of isolationism, and anti-semitism -- and the Warners were Jewish. The message, that some Jews also spent their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor in the cause of American liberty is just as important as any, from Crispus Attucks onward.