Whom the Gods Destroy

"Whom the Gods Destroy" is a wonderful movie. It was tragic, intelligent, and moving with a stellar performance from Walter Connolly. This was a story of sacrifice that wasn't your typical sacrifice tale.

John Forrester (Walter Connolly) was a brilliant stage play producer. He gave everything to his craft. The only thing more valuable to him than his productions was his wife Margaret (Doris Kenyon) and his young son Jack.

When John sailed to Europe the ship collided with something that damaged it catastrophically. The whole ship had to be abandoned. In the melee John gave his life belt (not called a life vest) to a female passenger. As all the women and children were being evacuated John stood and reflected on his wife and son. The next time we saw John he was being carried from a lifeboat in a women's overcoat on the shores of Ireland or Scotland (I'm guessing based upon the accents). For that he was heavily ridiculed by the locals. He was so ashamed he didn't even give his real name, he gave the name Eric Jann (pronounced yan).

John wanted to get back to his home and his family, but he was too ashamed. It didn't help matters that back home he was being heralded as a hero. He was believed dead in New York; how was he going to show his face in New York without being labeled a coward?

It was a doozy of a predicament that had me completely hooked. He was overwhelmed by his thoughts of ridicule, jeers, and public criticism. He would bring shame to himself and his family. I certainly wanted to know what he'd do.

Walter Connolly turned in a pleasant performance as the torn producer. He struck me as a professional actor in an industry plagued by amateurs. It wasn't just his age, it was his entire presence.

I don't want to insult the writers by giving so much praise to Connolly. I loved this story. In an era where more than half the movies were about high-society and their trivialities, this movie seemed so much heavier.

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