Edoardo, mio figlio

Good grief, Robert Morley and Noel Langley must have been in a bad mood indeed when they wrote the nihilistic play upon which this film was based.

"Edward, My Son" is a bitter pill of a movie about an absolutely detestable jackass played by Spencer Tracy and the mess he makes of his life and the lives of those he loves in his campaign to spoil his son rotten. Tracy deserves kudos for playing this character at all, one who finds not a hint of redemption by the movie's end. The real reason to watch the film, though, is for Deborah Kerr's tragic performance as Tracy's wife, who begins the film as a vivacious if overly-dependent young mother and ends it as a shattered alcoholic. Her part is fairly small in relation to Tracy's, but she makes the most of every moment on screen and earned her first Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her efforts.

In a conceit that clearly comes from the stage, we never see Edward, the son who serves as the catalyst for this married couple's disastrous end. Director George Cukor never succeeds in opening this film up and making it feel like anything more than a filmed version of the play. There's a monotony to its rhythms and it feels longer than it is.

Grade: B-

"Edward, My Son" is a 1949 film based on the play that starred Robert Morley. Here the stars are Spencer Tracy, Deborah Kerr, and Ian Hunter.

The title role, Edward, is never seen. The movie is really about his father, Arnold Boult, who spoils the boy and ruins everything and everybody he touches.

There was a mention that Spencer Tracy was miscast, that the character shouldn't be so amiable but more acid. I think in a way, Tracy's amiability was more sinister - he threatened people and seemed so cheerful about it. It's quite effective.

The revelation, the stunning, knockout performance comes from Deborah Kerr as Arnold's unhappy wife Evelyn. Young, pretty, and cheerful in the beginning, her character development, in looks and personality, is remarkable - right down to her osteoporotic walk with the slightly stooped shoulders.

How often do we see really wonderful actors play older people with just a little gray in their hair, with nothing else changed? The only other "aging" performance I have seen to equal this was Emma Thompson at the end of "Remains of the Day."

I always knew Deborah Kerr was a fine actress, but obviously, she mostly did roles that were beneath her capability.

Ian Hunter is very good as the doctor s a man who see through Arnold's behavior, and who has always been in love with Evelyn.

Don't miss Kerr's performance in this film.

For years I resisted this movie because of the sobbing title. I expected a maudlin, embarrassing tale.

I should have known better. And while I've never been a particular fan of Spencer Tracy (his emotional range never interested me), this time he worked okay, in that he wasn't a god-damned hero, and there wasn't a bevy of minor actors sucking up to him. I liked him being a bad guy; I liked his covert, vaguely whimsical smile. For the first time, I found him believable, more than stock characterization.

Also, the movie was so well crafted that Tracy's ambitions were always credible. And when you understand the motivation, usually, you are sympathetic.

It was Deborah Kerr who stole my interest. Her character, toward the end of the film, is so broken, that she approached Greek classicism. She was ugly, tear-stained, stooped - and her lamentation carried throughout that great barn of a mansion of a home. She couldn't have been more than 35 (ca.), but she had become 80, in spirit. One knew, when she went upstairs that final time, that she would not be seen again, and would only be spoken of in past tense.

Although Kerr is a favorite, there's only one other film of hers that knocked me out: for her beauty, her rawness and her intact feminity - and that of course is "The Sundowners". These two films place her at the pinnacle of Britain's actors.

Some have commented that they felt that Spencer Tracy was miscast in this film, playing a character very different to the altruists that he typically plays, and being the only American among the principle cast. However, I believe that this perhaps is Tracy's strongest performance, partly because it is so different to his usual roles. Tracy plays a determined and unrelenting man with real strength, although as his wife, Deborah Kerr also has a number of strong scenes, particularly in the final half hour. The two lead performances are however the bulk of what makes this a good film. It is reasonably engaging, with gimmicks of the title character never on screen, and Tracy speaking to the viewer, to keep it interesting, but the plot is not too great in itself, and the story tires before the end. It is also a bit too stagy, which limits how involving it is to an extent. Nevertheless, despite any possible shortcomings, the powerhouse of acting, not only from Tracy and Kerr, but some of the supporting cast too, make this a film worth checking out.

My parents were movie buffs and I grew up watching films. I am a devoted Deborah Kerr fan since childhood, and I thought I had seen all her important films; but I had missed "Edward, My Son", which I watched recently on TV. An admirer of Miss Kerr's poise, beauty, and professionalism, of her subtly conveyed emotional intensity and compassionate lucidity (undoubtedly buttressed by her choice of roles, especially in the fifties and sixties), I was blown away by the sheer brilliance of her performance in this film. I give part of the credit for her success to George Cukor's directorial efforts; Mr. Cukor was indeed a "women's director", largely responsible for Katharine Hepburn's early success, and for guiding (among others) Vivien Leigh, Judy Holliday, and Miss Kerr through Oscar-winning or nominated screen performances.

The film's plot, in my opinion, is clever. Edward is a strong a presence as Sebastian in "Suddenly Last Summer", although his face is never shown. The moral disintegration of a marriage and of a loving wife is effectively narrated, particularly thanks to Deborah Kerr's stunning performance. It is sad to think this is only the first of many Oscars stolen from her throughout her movie career.

It has always appeared as a mystery to me why Hollywood moguls believed Spencer Tracy was a versatile actor. Although he is always believable as a nice, warm "everyman" in most of his films, I think his range was (to say the least) limited. One can't help but wonder what a more expressive actor of his generation, such as Fredric March, would have done with the character of Sir Arnold Boult. Among English actors, my personal choices would have been Michael Redgrave or Ralph Richardson; but it was, after all, an MGM movie. At least Tracy is not as miscast as, for example, Gregory Peck (another actor of limited range)playing an English barrister in "The Paradine Case".

The supporting cast was excellent,in my opinion; especially the actress who played Sir Arnold's secretary and mistress, and the dependable Felix Aylmer.

"Edward, My Son" does not betray its theatrical origins and is an unusually somber film, considering MGM's usual emphasis on visual charm and gloss.