Son grand amour

Edward G. Robinson is the business mogul dad that dotes on his daughter but has a pretty strained relationship with his wife. The daughter keeps finding new fiances until she finally may settle on one. Seems like a fairly happy movie that takes a surprising twist that EGR has difficulty coping with.

This film was made during Edward GS Blacklist period. He was not to make another film for 2 years.

This was one reason that he made this rubbish in the UK. It is a very muddled affair.

Edward G. Robinson makes a great tragic role here of a father whose obsession with his daughter gradually drives him out of his mind without himself being aware of it. It's a tragedy of a father's love for his daughter, mind you, it never gets incestuous but the more serious for being so idealistic. He builds his life on her, she is outrageously spoilt and enjoys it, she doesn't mind at all, and you never suspect anything is wrong until you start wondering why he starts speaking of her as another person although she is the one he is speaking to. The drama unfolds by flashbacks, and you will be in for some upsetting surprises, just like Robinson himself. It is an underrated film, Robinson makes one of his unforgettable extremely pathetic characters, and he is totally convincing, remaining unflinchingly the great mogul of finances even at the end of his tether, without realising it's the end. Peggy Cummins as the daughter also makes a great role, although she never dares to defy her father openly, her rebellion is the more definite for being concealed in glasses of champagne. It's a memorable drama for its infinitely tragically human context - any father could happen to this, and Strindberg wrote a great drama of the same situation.

Make no mistake; this film is a lower-case Citizen Kane, with Edward G Robinson doing his best imitation of that character. However, the film also prominently displays the talents of Miss Cummins, who was also featured in another good film, Gun Crazy. Here, she plays an entirely different persona, and carries it off well. In Citizen Kane, we have the tragedy of man who owns everything, but is miserable and alone. The same can be said of Robinson's character in this film. The man is imprisoned by his wealth and need to succeed. Without giving anything away, there is a perfect scene that illustrates my point. You will know it when you see it. A well made film, that unfortunately, is difficult to find in a quality print. Enjoy.