Filhos

I went in with mixed feelings, because it was a soaper, yet it starred three treasured actresses; Genevieve Tobin, Lois Wilson and Bette Davis; yet it was directed by John M. Stahl, who did a lot of women's pictures, most of which bore me to tears.

So did this one, given the glue-like pacing of the direction. It's an intelligent script about how Tobin and Wilson fight over John Boles, Miss Wilson's husband and father of her five children, one of whom grows up to be Miss Davis. Lois is a hapless creature, described as "clinging" by Miss Tobin early on, who tries to do things, fails, and then punishes others. When Boles says "I wouldn't sell the children for a million dollars -- but I wouldn't give a nickel for them", she cuts him off. When her efforts to make his home office quiet enough so he can work there fail, she takes the children and leaves for California -- and winds up three blocks away.

Stuff like that. If there was someone to actually root for, I would, but the children are annoying, Miss Tobin has her own agenda and Mr. Boles is clueless.

At 96 minutes for this, I lose patience. Can't people suffer just as much in 76 minutes?

Having been a star pupil at John Murray Anderson's Dramatic School, Bette Davis made her screen debut in this year and continued solidly acting in films throughout her life. What did they see in her at this stage? She had such a bland face which could be manufactured as being beautiful, but she wasn't exactly attractive was she?

Bart Carter loves his wife and five children and it's mutual. An old flame visits him at work and manages to steal him away from his family and marry him, making it what must have been the most mean-spirited film of the 30's, or any other era.

Lois Wilson is excellent as the long-suffering wife and is the recipient of all audience sympathy. John Boles and Genevieve Tobin are the cold-hearted couple in what is a nasty story masquerading as sophisticated adult entertainment. I gave it a rating of 6, meaning see it and make up your own mind. Production values are good as well as the acting, but frankly I was appalled by the dichotomy between the message here and traditional American values.

****** 6/10 - Website no longer prints my star rating.

Shown at Capitolfest, Rome NY, 8/22.