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'Sorrell and Son' with H.B. Warner and Alice Joyce. 'Sorrell and Son' 1927 movie: Long thought lost, surprisingly effective father-love melodrama stars a superlative H.B. Warner Partially shot on location in England and produced independently by director Herbert Brenon at Joseph M. Schenck's United Artists, the 1927 Sorrell and Son is a skillful melodrama about paternal devotion in the face of both personal and social adversity. This long-thought-lost version of Warwick Deeping's 1925 bestseller benefits greatly from the veteran Brenon's assured direction, deservedly shortlisted in the first year of the Academy Awards.* Crucial to the film's effectiveness, however, is the portrayal of its central character, a war-scarred Englishman who sacrifices it all for the happiness of his son. Luckily, the London-born H.B. Warner, best remembered for playing Jesus Christ in another 1927 release, Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings, is the embodiment of honesty, selflessness, and devotion. Less is...

Concluding our short series celebrating the films of the Pathé-Natan company, 1926-1934.

Above: Maurice Tourneur invents the film noir style while nobody's looking in Justin de Marseille. 

Bernard Natan, CEO of Pathé, was as conservative in his tastes as any studio boss, but he can be considered a brilliant talent scout on the basis of a few risks he took: casting Jean Gabin in his first feature (Chacun sa chance, 1931, an operetta-film), giving Jacques Tourneur his first directing job (Tout ça ne vaut pas l'amour, 1932, a comedy), and allowing Pierre and Jacques Prevert to make their first film (L'affaire est dans le Sac, 1932) on leftover sets, although admittedly he was so baffled by the resulting film he refused to release it.

But Natan often preferred to work with tried and true filmmakers with the added insurance of long track records. Leonce Perret, who made his directing debut in 1909, was...

The Alamo Guide

for February 26th, 2010

I’ve got to stop bitching about the weather. Last week I praised February, and then yesterday it snowed. Snowed. Whatevs. I’m over it.We were surprised earlier this week when we found out we’d be getting Roman Polanski’s newest thriller early than expected! The Ghost Writer opens Friday at S. Lamar and has Ewan McGregor’s dreamy face all over it, with Pierce Brosnan trying to kill that dreamy face. I think. I haven’t seen it yet! Cop Out also opens this weekend, and if you love 30 Rock as much as I do, you’ll probably go see it just for Tracy Morgan! Also, the red band trailer makes me giggle A Lot. Speaking of giggling inappropriately, it’s time for the return of Spike And Mike’S Sick And Twisted Festival Of Animation! Longest title ever! Grossest cartoons ever!