"The Prodigal" is a movie that suffers from two major problems. The first is technical, as the movie has rather poor sound...which a problem since it features the opera singer, Lawrence Tibbet, and it doesn't show off his skills well at all. The problem is common in films made up to about 1932, as sonud technology wasn't great and the resulting sound was weak and tinny. The second is a product of the times in which it was made...and that's the antics of Steppin Fetchit and a very problematic musical number called 'chitlins'. When seen with modern sensibilities, they both make you cringe and I am not in any way apologizing for the racist depictions in the film. It's the way it was...though I am loathe to say the problematic scenes should be excised or the film censored. Instead....just watch it and hold on tight!
The story is about Jeffrey Farraday, a man who comes from a very wealthy Southern family...but has chosen, instead, to be a hobo! After five years of hobodom, Jeff is returning home for a brief visit....and it immediately becomes apparent why he left. His family are mostly a lot of stuck-up and stuffy jerks. The only saving graces among them are Jeff's mom and sister-in-law, Antonia. As for Antonia, however, she's miserable...as her marriage is loveless...and having Jeff visit is a breath of fresh air. So what's next for this dysfuctional family?
The saving grace in the film is Lawrence Tibbet. Although he only made a half dozen movies (at least one of which has been lost over time), he's excellent here in a singing and comedic role. His voice really is lovely...not so much operatic but powerful and pretty amazing...and I wish the recording was better.
So is it worth seeing? Well, it all depends on you. If you are a very politically correct sort who would rather die than see Steppin Fetchit and racist depictions in films, skip it by all means. But if you can look at the film in its historical context, you may find it's still pretty watchable.
By the way, the ending is about as indicative of the morality of the Pre-Code films than just about any I've seen. Watch the picture...you'll see what I mean.
