Four Sons | 1928 | Drama, War

Title: Four Sons | 1928 | Drama, War Director: John Ford Studio: Fox Film Corporation Starring: Margaret Mann, James Hall, Charles Morton, George Meeker, Francis X. Bushman Jr., June Collyer, Earle Foxe Based on: “Grandmother Bernle Learns Her Letters” by I. A. R. Wylie Release Date: February 13, 1928 Runtime: 100 Format: Fox Movietone sound-on-film ; 35mm; black-and-white; 1.20:1 / 1.33:1 Country: United States Language: Silent with English intertitles Genres: Drama, War --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Bavarian village and Mother Bernle 00:16:00 Joseph departs for America 00:34:00 War disrupts the family 00:56:00 Loss and letters from the front 01:14:00 Mother’s journey to Ellis Island 01:32:00 Reunion in New York --- Summary: In a Bavarian village before World War I, the widowed Mother Bernle raises four sons whose paths diverge as conflict approaches. Joseph emigrates to the United States and builds a new life, while his brothers remain in Germany and are drawn into the war. The family’s bonds are tested by separation, military service, and mounting losses. As the war ends, Joseph invites his mother to America, where she faces the challenges of immigration and a vastly different urban world. The film balances intimate domestic scenes with wartime sequences to explore themes of maternal devotion, displacement, and the human cost of conflict. --- Background: Released during the transition from silent to sound cinema, the film was issued with a synchronized Movietone music-and-effects track but no spoken dialogue. John Ford’s staging reflects contemporary European influences, and several village sets were repurposed from F. W. Murnau’s Sunrise. Adapted from I. A. R. Wylie’s short story, the production became a significant box-office success for Fox Film and remains one of the best-known survivals of Ford’s late silent-era work. --- Trivia: A young John Wayne appears uncredited and reportedly worked behind the scenes as a property assistant. The film premiered at the Gaiety Theatre in New York on February 13, 1928. Several European village sets used in the picture were originally built for F. W. Murnau’s Sunrise . The theme song “Little Mother ” by Ernö Rapée and Lew Pollack was popularized in 1928 recordings by Franklyn Baur and Vaughn De Leath. A 1940 sound remake, also titled Four Sons, updated the story to the World War II era. The Academy Film Archive preserved Four Sons in 1999. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: February 13, 1928 Original Studio / Distributor: Fox Film Corporation Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: FourSons JohnFord SilentFilm 1928 PublicDomain FoxFilm WorldWarI ClassicCinema FilmHistory Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Four_Sons_(1928).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Four_Sons_%281928%29.webm