Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul

Of the two bio/docs made in 2006-7 by Warner grand kids about the two principal brothers this is clearly the superior work. Whereas Cass Warner's love letter to her grandfather, Harry Warner, is fun to watch, especially when it is dealing with the extremely vitriolic relationship between Harry and Jack, it is an exercise in angel versus devil. In Gregory Orr's more balanced, nuanced and ultimately more convincing portrait of his grandfather, Jack Warner, good guy and bad guy are combined, as they are with most of us, into one highly imperfect human package. The result is a fascinating study in venality, deceit and cruelty, to be sure, but also indomitability, brashness and, most vividly of all, joi de vivre. My only quibbles with it are that Efrem Zimbalest is not the most compelling of narrators and I would have liked more detail about key WB films under Jack's tutelage like "Treasure", "The Letter", and "My Fair Lady", to mention nothing of "Baby Jane", which is barely mentioned. A minus.

PS...For the record I disagree with the film's title. Last mogul was Wasserman, down the road at Universal.

While there has been a lot of press around Jack Warner, there has never been such an insider's look at the Warner family. Warner grandson and filmmaker Gregory Orr takes us on an enchanted and marvelous journey of the Warner empire. The film includes never-before-seen home movie footage and exclusive details of the Warners. The result is a fresh and delightful look at the rise and fall of one of the most powerful movie industry families. Orr is an accomplished storyteller and the editing is particularly good. Highly recommended.

The old Technicolor home movies are nice to watch, but this shallow biography of Warner Brothers chief Jack Warner offers scant insight into what made him tick, and disappointingly little history of the Warner Brothers studio. Written, directed, and produced by Warner's grandson, the overall message of the documentary seems to be that Warner (who was widely hated in Hollywood) may have had a few faults, but was mostly a great old guy.

After reading a previous glowing comment, I was hoping for something "unique...enchanted...marvelous...fresh...delightful...". But only my strong interest in film history kept me watching. Others may want to pass on this one.

As Old Hollywood vanishes and the market-driven economy dictates more of what we see, this is an interesting film to see even if only to reflect on how different things were "back then;" but it's also quite watchable in its own right. For the student of film history, or the newcomer to the world of early Hollywood, this engrossing portrait provides plenty of memorable material, and archival footage that film buffs will eat up. When you know going in that the filmmaker is the grandson of the movie's subject, there is concern that this will be a fawning document of a superficially great man. But, Mr. Orr does a good job of balancing the profile of someone he knew with a sharp editorial eye. The narration is well-written. This is well worth seeing.

It's biopic of Jack L. Warner, one of four brothers who created Warner Bros. The filmmaker is his grandson Gregory Orr. After watching The Brothers Warner (2007) made by Harry's granddaughter, it's interesting to see the story from another side. This one is mostly about Jack. The difference between the two films provides an interesting view of some of the story. From the other documentary, Jack's takeover of the studio was the ultimate betrayal of his brothers. In this documentary, it starts with Harry and Albert's age. Then it's the sibling bad blood. It's not excusing Jack, but it is explaining him. All in all, this is a sympathetic portrayal of the man, but it doesn't avoid the ugly side either.