HotToastyRag Edward, My Son has become an overlooked, unheard of classic over the years, but it really should reclaim its place on must-see lists. Based off of Robert Morley and Noel Langley's play, it's a very emotional script about a father's relationship to his son, and the sacrifices and ruinations he made all in his son's name. Spencer Tracy plays Edward's father, and while I don't usually think he's a very good actor, he's very menacing in this film. I give credit to Deborah Kerr, who plays Edward's mother and Spence's wife. They start the film young, happy, and in love, and as the years pass, they age. They argue and scream at each other, and with fantastic lines to say, and a great actress to say them to, it's no wonder Spencer Tracy had such fire and ammunition behind his words.But it's really Deborah Kerr who steals the show. She was very young in 1949, but when she ages, it's remarkably lifelike. While Spence turns to another woman to ease his pain, Deborah turns to alcohol, and in old movies, playing an alcoholic was tricky. Most actors played an over-the-top drunk, but young Deborah was very realistic. Rent this emotional drama to see just how fantastic her performance was.

atlasmb Adapted from the stage, "Edward, My Son" is a striking film about the monomaniacal obsession of one man for his son. The son, meanwhile, never appears on screen. But like a planet unseen but known to exist by the effects of its gravitational force, Edward is an influence on his father and others.Spencer Tracy plays the father, Lord Boult, whose flashbacks constitute the core of the story. The viewer sees Boult's ruthless pursuit of business success as a means to providing for his son. Over more than twenty years, Boult never changes much, but his wife (Deborah Kerr) is like a tragic reflection of his dealings (and lack of feelings). Her transformation over the years is one of the great acting performances."Edward, My Son" is well worth seeing, especially for Ms. Kerr's tour de force, which is accomplished mostly in "snapshots" over the years, as opposed to lengthy expositions.

jarrodmcdonald-1 The production code mars the end of Edward, My Son. In the final moments, Spencer Tracy's character is punished for a crime that occurred at the very beginning of the film. He committed much worse acts throughout the rest of the story. Is he punished for any of those?I suppose if you read into this film deeply enough, you will walk away with the realization that Mr. Tracy's character is his own judge, jury and executioner. That he gets away with many of his crimes but creates his own misery could be some sort of strange consolation. An otherwise excellent film, it contains solid performances by Tracy and his costar Deborah Kerr (in the first of her many Oscar nominated roles).Refilmed in 1955 for an episode of 'The United States Steel Hour,' which starred Robert Morley and Ann Todd. Mr. Morley was a co-author of the play and appeared in the original stage production.

Albert Sanchez Moreno This unusual offering from M-G-M recalls the days of the short-lived M-G-M British Studios, which produced "A Yank at Oxford", "The Citadel", and the original "Goodbye, Mr. Chips", all in the 1930's. "Edward, My Son", based on a successful British play, was filmed entirely in England, using an entirely British cast,except for Spencer Tracy, and an almost entirely British production staff (the sole exceptions are the producer, the director, and the composer of the music). The familiar M-G-M production gloss is much more subdued here, perhaps in an effort to lend atmosphere.Spencer Tracy gives an outstanding performance in what is very likely the most unsympathetic role of his career, save for perhaps a few very early gangster roles which I have not seen. Here he is Arnold Boult, a ruthless, driven man who seemingly just wants to make sure that his only child Edward always has the best in life. At first, Boult wins our sympathy by secretly trying to give his son medical care he desperately needs, but we quickly learn what he is really like as he resorts to every dirty trick in the book, short of actual murder, to insure his son's happiness, and showing an amazing insensitivity and callousness to those around him in the process. As the film proceeds, his behavior shocks us more and more, until he finally alienates and disgusts us completely.Matching Tracy's performance every step of the way, though she has far less time on screen, is Deborah Kerr in the role of Boult's victimized and emotionally scarred wife. Kerr was nominated for an Oscar for this performance, and her portrayal of a woman who goes from adoring wife to a totally embittered woman with a severe problem, is wrenching. Mervyn Johns, whom many will immediately recognize as Bob Cratchit to Alastair Sim's Scrooge in the 1951 film, also gives a touching, heartbreaking performance as Tracy's exploited and totally broken business partner.The supporting cast here has quite a different flavor from those in the usual M-G-M film. Although Ian Hunter plays his usual sympathetic role, the other actors are all culled from the British theater, and give their roles an unusual depth missing from the typical Metro supporting cast. Tracy, though, occasionally seems miscast--one wonders what an actor with more bite, such as Orson Welles, might have brought to the role.In spite of this, the film is quite good, and Tracy's final monologue (he talks straight to the audience at times, a technique taken from the play) packs quite a punch.