La Perle noire

This film is an adaptation of a novel. I have not read it, but it seems like a story of big action and big themes. It can be difficult to put such a story on film, but the filmmakers did a decent job of it.

It all begins when whaling captain Joel Shore returns home to New Bedford, after a lengthy expedition. He finds that Priscilla Holt (Ann Blyth) has grown into young womanhood, and he asks her to marry him before he takes to the sea again. She agrees, despite the fact that Joel might be gone for two or three years. He surprises her by refitting the captain's quarters of the Nathan Ross so that she can go with him. And they set to sea, where she learns about whaling and the dangers of sea life. Everything changes when they discover that Joel's older brother, Mark (Stewart Granger), who used to captain the Nathan Ross, is alive.

Much of the film consists of flashbacks of Mark's story. And then it picks up with Joel, Mark, and Priscilla back on the water, where complicated passions and differing purposes are dealt with. The ninety-five minutes of running time are filled to the brim with conflict and adventure, including a fight scene that is very worthy of the genre.

The acting, across the board, is good. Granger has the meatiest part, and he takes advantage of it. Watch for Lewis Stone in his last film appearance. And Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore, who tackle musical comedy in "Kiss Me Kate", soon after their appearance here.

This swashbuckling yarn pits Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger against each other as brothers who have very different ideas about how to captain a ship. There's mutiny, island lasses, palm trees, and lots of that flat, too-bright lighting common to Technicolor films from the 1950s. George Folsey received his billionth Oscar nomination for the film's color cinematography, but I'm guessing it was more for capturing some pretty ocean scenery than it was any artistic decisions.

Ann Blyth gives a sub-par performance as Taylor's wife who comes along for the sea voyage. She's a boring character and her presence teeters the film too often into romantic melodrama, when what we really want is more macho battle of wills.

Grade: B-

In Richard Brooks' film, Stew Granger was the good guy and Bob Taylor the heavy; here, this is the contrary. I admit that Granger is here a smooth bad guy, a character to whom you may feel some empathy. I particularely appreciate his role, a very ambivalent character. Nearly one third of the film is devoted, thru a falshback, to tell his story. This movie has the particularity to focus on both Taylor and Granger. A good adventure yarn for me, among the best of Thorpe's features.

Really did like the idea of the story and who doesn't like a good old adventure yarn once in a while? The cast is an agreeable one, although Robert Taylor was a bit hit and miss for me as an actor depending on the role on paper this sounded like a role that would suit him well. Stewart Granger and Ann Blyth were always watchable, as was Lewis Stone (here sadly in his last film). Richard Thorpe to me was a competent director but at times an undistinguished one.

'All the Brothers Were Valiant' was somewhat disappointing unfortunately, and am taking no pleasure in saying this being somebody that really wanted to like it very much. It is definitely worth a one-time watch and has a lot of fine things. 'All the Brothers Were Valiant' also, considering such a stirring title and that the idea was great, could have been a lot better, with the drawbacks being a fair few and sadly quite big.

Will start with the good things. 'All the Brothers Were Valiant' is a great looking film with the expense showing. Would actually go as far to say that the Technicolor photography in particular is stunning, very lavish and sweeping. Nearly forgot to mention Miklos Rosza as being another interest point, a great film composer with an immediately recognisable compositional style. Which one can definitely hear here in 'All the Brothers Were Valiant', it's arresting from the very first note and is typically lush with some nice grandeur and atmosphere.

It as a film starts off very well and the action oriented scenes are colourfully staged. The bag of pearls flashback is agreed the story highlight. Most of the cast do really well. Taylor's role suits him really well and plays to his strengths, he's on good form here. As is Granger, a nice rivalry contrast to Taylor. The supporting cast are very good, especially Peter Whitney.

However, Blyth fares a lot less well. She has next to nothing to work with, or anything that stands out, and she looks as if she knew that in a performance that doesn't show that much effort. The romantic chemistry came over as bland and watery. Stone does decently and is typically reserved in his cameo but he deserved a better final film and a bigger role. The script is pedestrian and overwrought.

Likewise with the romantic element of the story, which generally after a promising start gets very silly to suspending disbelief level and predictable. Do agree that the ending does undo the film quite badly, it's ridiculous and not remotely plausible. It was like the writers didn't know how to end the story so came up with what was forced upon them. Thorpe's direction gets the job done but too often, especially dramatically, it's undistinguished and like his heart wasn't completely in it.

Bottom line, watchable but doesn't have enough to it to rise above average. If only the rest of the film lived up to its promising start and good potential. 5/10

Another commenter mentioned the un-likelihood of a whaler captain taking his bride on a projected three-year voyage.

In fact, sailors, a generally superstitious lot, often found women on a ship to be a jinx.

Then, too, today the very act of whaling is so P non-C that a lot of people will object to that aspect, rather than concentrating on the fact the story is set at a time no one saw a particular problem with killing the sea-going mammals for their oil.

Robert Taylor gives one of his best performances; Stewart Granger comes across very well.

Ann Blyth has some good scenes, and some bad ones, but she does them all well.

One really attractive aspect of "All the Brothers" is a superb supporting cast. Peter Whitney, for example, has one of his best roles in a very long career. He too often plays a dumb or bumbling character, but here he is a strong person in a pivotal position.

Leo Gordon has a smaller role, but he stands out, as does John Lupton, in a larger part.

Frank DeKova (whom I met on the set of "Johnny Firecloud") was a superb character actor but who was too often relegated to small roles. He could have been a bigger star, with his talent, but he was recognized by his peers, anyway.

The great Glenn Strange and the great John Doucette were aboard, adding their enormous talents and, as so often true in Hollywood, not getting screen credit.

Come to think of it, this movie is worth watching just for the great cast. But be prepared to suspend your disbelief, and don't look at the blue eyes of the "native girl."