SORRELL AND SON d: Herbert Brenon

Sorrell and Son (1927)

Director: Herbert Brenon. Screenplay: Elizabeth Meehan, from Warwick Deeping’s novel Sorrell and Son. Cast: H.B. Warner, Nils Asther, Anna Q. Nilsson, Alice Joyce, Carmel Myers, Mary Nolan, Mickey McBan, Louis Wolheim

A FATHER’S FATE

A well-made melodrama about paternal devotion in the face of personal and social adversity, Sorrell and Son benefits greatly from Herbert Brenon’s assured direction (nominated for an Academy Award in the period 1927-28) and especially from the performances of its mostly first-rate cast. Veteran stage and screen actor H.B. Warner (Jesus, in Cecil B. DeMille’s The King of Kings), in particular, creates a deeply moving portrayal of the war-scarred father who sacrifices it all for the happiness of his son.

Despite its sappy premise, Sorrell and Son is no mere Stella Dallas in men’s clothes. In addition to presenting England’s post-World War I social environment, the film also delves into complex human issues involving jealousy, envy, lust, class distinctions, incest, and even euthanasia.

Sorrell and Son was thought lost until recently. This Academy screening in Los Angeles was the film’s first public presentation in the United States in more than 60 years.

Notes:

A 1934 British-made talkie version of Sorrell and Son starred H.B. Warner once again as Captain Stephen Sorrell. Others in the cast were Margot Grahame as Dora Sorrell, Hugh Williams as the adult Kit Sorrell, and Peter Penrose as the young Kit. Jack Raymond directed from an adaptation by Lydia Hayward.

A 1984 British mini-series based on Sorrell and Son was directed by Derek Bennett and starred Richard Pasco as Stephen Sorrell, Gwen Watford as Dora Sorrell, Peter Chelsom (the future director of Serendipity [2001] and Shall We Dance [2004]) as the adult Kit Sorrell, and Paul Critchley as the young Kit. Jeremy Paul was credited for the adaptation.

Audio interview with SORRELL AND SON preservationist James Hahn

SORRELL AND SON - Rare Los Angeles Screening

EL AURA / THE AURA

by Andre Soares | June 21, 2005 | Filed Under American Cinema / Hollywood, Classics, Film Reviews, Pre-Code Hollywood, Silent Films

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