My Son, My Son!

A delightfully old-fashioned melodrama in the grand tradition of John M Stahl (whose films were sometimes remade in color by Douglas Sirk ),Irving Rapper or Edmund Goulding.

Even though it was given the full -bore melodrama treatment ,both characters (the father and the son) still exist today and one has certainly met some of them in one's lifetime ; the father who got a raw deal when he was young and who wants his offspring to enjoy all that life offers : the scene of the book is revealing and shows how dad can be blind (or rather pretends to be blind ).

William(Bruce Aherne) is prey to a monstruous love for a son , a not-so-magnificent obsession; Charles Vidor had filmed the opposite in his memorable "double door" :a woman who had made her nephew a waverer and whose hate for her daughter-in-law knew no bound.

William's mindless adoration for an ungrateful mischievous son is as destructive as Mary Morris ' hate for her family . The grown- up son will never take no for an answer and he won't be satisfied till he owns everything;under a handsome but sarcastic smile , Oliver (Louis Hayward is ideally cast here) hides a black soul, a man whose pleasure is to treat the others as puppets he pulls the strings of, deaf to their pain .

Great scenes: the railway station where a symbolic gate separates the father and the son busy wooing a girl on the platform ; the officers' meal when the father has finally understood and Rory's (the virtuous gent) arrival.

In fact,William discovers he's as guilty as his son ; his wife had already tried to rectify her son's behavior :but as a rather holier-than-thou woman , she had no real hold on them ;besides ,when she gets run over by a car, nobody sheds a tear and her husband hints at her only once, fleetingly ,afterward .The character ,with whom William was never really in love with ,is not developed enough,and it's the main flaw of the movie .When a new woman ;Livia,appears (Laraine Day),Oliver cannot consider her a stepmother and a ruthless competition begins, but as for the new flame, it's a one-way love (or so called love).

Like father,like son.

The plot for "My Son, My Son!" is very similar to one of Spencer Tracy's best and most underrated films, "Edward, My Son". Both are about self-made men who make the mistake of spoiling their sons...and ultimately pay the price when the boy grows into a self-destructive sociopath. I recommend both...though the Tracy one is the better of the two films.

Brian Ahern plays William Essex, a guy who comes from humble origins but who strives to work his way up out of the streets. Instead of following in his family's footsteps, he becomes a successful writer and his future appears grand. Along the way, he gets married and has a son who he adores and spoils. When his wife is unexpectedly killed, the one controlling influence on the boy is gone. What's next?

Unlike "Edward, My Son", this film emphasizes a weird Oedipal relationship that eventually develops...which is interesting though not as realistic. And, unlike the other film, you see the son (Hayward)....and, oddly, you never actually see the son in the Tracy film.

Overall, this film is exceptionally well acted and is well worth your time. Its message about spoiling a child is a tad muddled...but fascinating. Well worth your time....but the Tracy film is more of a must-see for old movie buffs.

Some sincere performances by the cast characterize My Son My Son about the doings of a young cad and how he affects the lives of all around him. The title role here is played in adulthood by Louis Hayward who while pretty much forgotten today was a fine player and equally capable of playing heroes as in The Return Of Monte Cristo, villainous cads as in this film or both sides of the coin as in The Man In The Iron Mask.

Brian Aherne plays his long suffering father who realizes he's spawned a completely selfish cad in his desire to provide the best of everything for his son. Aherne and best friend Henry Hull are a pair of poor Irishmen who are determined to better themselves. Hull becomes a rich designer of furniture and Aherne a celebrated author. Both marry and have children, Aherne his one and only son and a boy and a girl for Hull.

Early on Hayward while still a child and played by Scotty Beckett is discovered to be charming but bad. His mother Josephine Hutchinson wants to discipline him severely, but she dies early and Aherne spoils him rotten.

Hayward ruins the lives of all around him, but in the end redeems himself somewhat so that Aherne can be proud of him. For how Hayward ruins and redeems you see the film for.

Madeline Carroll is also in the film as Aherne's second wife who Hayward makes a play for. Hull's grownup children are played by Bruce Lester and Laraine Day and both are touched negatively by Hayward.

Aherne maybe next to David Niven was the actor who was cast in roles that required charm and little else to carry a film. He never became as big a star as Niven among other of his contemporaries, but was on occasion called on to do more than be charming as in the case of My Son My Son. In this as in Smiling Through Aherne has to age many years and with the help of good makeup does so gracefully.

My Son My Son got an Oscar nomination for Art Direction for and black and white motion picture. Dated severely it still is a credit to the cast and crew who made it.

I gave this a "7" mainly on the strength of Louis Hayward's performance. I did not catch the beginning credits and so spent the whole picture wondering who young Essex was. I thought it was a young Dirk Bogarde! As noted before, Laraine Day (again a surprise) was miscast, although very pretty indeed. here she was an English girl, daughter of Irish parents, yet with an American accent. Day had a busy year in '40, having a leading lady role in "foreign correspondent". henry hull, as her father, was quite recognizable. Surprisingly, I thought the normally beauteous Madeline Carroll was a bit heavy, and older looking. well, her role did call for her to be a more mature woman, both as a counter-point to young Essex and mature for the older Essex. I don't know anyone who could be more fitting as the young rotter Essex, with Hayward's patented smirk and sarcastic voice. Brent was a study in naivete and at times seemed a bit bewildered how he should act in certain scenes. the movie must have been hard for the Brits to be really interested, what with WW11 already started and this movie's time period being up to and during WW1. Perhaps its production started before sept. '39.

As Brian Aherne so eloquently states, there are tons of poems and stories dedicated to the virtues of motherhood, but hardly anyone talks about the transition from husband to father. This entertaining drama shows how fatherhood changes a man. Brian starts the film as a young man with dreams, plans, and ambition. His good friend, Henry Hull, doesn't make as many plans, figuring that life will take him along for the ride and it's enough of a struggle to keep up. The two pals become family men; Brian gets a son and Henry gets a daughter. As the years pass, we get to see how both fathers (but Brian in particular) treat their children.

Henry tries to raise Laraine Day up into a respectable lady, but Brian is far too indulgent with Louis Hayward. He caters to his every whim, lies to cover up his messes, and fails to teach him discipline. When will enough ever be enough? You'll have to watch this heavy drama to find out. I recommend it, even though parts are upsetting, because the story is timeless and the acting is very good. Just be prepared to hate Louis Hayward; he plays a very convincing villain.