The Silver Cord

Ugh....this movie gave me the creeps. Like another reviewer, I have only seen it once and have never seen it repeated on AMC,TCM or late night film fests. But, oh do I remember it. A very unpleasant but enthralling film about mother love gone bad. Laura Hope Crewes is the epitome of evil and it is hard to believe that she went on to be Aunt PittyPat in GWTW. She tears up the screen with her portrayal of the mother obsessed by her "love" for her sons. Eric Linden, a rather weak actor, is perfect as the one son.....Joel McCrae is ok as the other, but, since he is usually a man of action, you hope he will pull out a pistol and blow Crewes' brains out. When one remembers a film several years after seeing it but one time, it must be recommended. You will either be attracted or repelled by this little gem

Who won the best actress Oscar for 1933? It should have been Laura Hope Crewes for her magnificent portrayal of the most monstrous mother ever. She truly is one of the great character actresses of all time. She played the frivolous Prudence Duvernoy in "Camille" (1936) and her best remembered role is Aunt Pittypat in "Gone With the Wind".

Irene Dunne was the "official" star of the film but her scenes with Laura Hope Crewes were dynamite.

David (Joel McCrea) is in Heidelberg when he is offered a job in New York. His wife, Christine (Irene Dunne) can continue her studies at the Rockafellar Centre. Their first stop in America is a visit to David's mother, Mrs. Phelps. To say that Laura Hope Crewes dominates every scene is an under-statement. From her first entrance - in a frantic burst of effort to greet her "big boy" - all attention is on her. Even sitting around the tea table, when she forgets Hester's existence, even forgetting how she takes her tea, you know something is not quite right.(Hester has been living there for a while.)

Frances Dee is completely sweet and so right in her role as the adorable Hester. Her performance in this film, especially the scene where she has hysterics and the aftermath proves how under-rated as an actress she was.

All the young cast are excellent. Eric Linden is superb as Robert, the younger son who comes to the realization that his mother is horrible but can do nothing about escaping from his mother's spell. Joel McCrea, at one point says "painting roses on bathtubs - that's more your style". There is a very subtle suggestion in the film of Robert's sexuality.

Irene Dunne is excellent in whatever film or genre she tried.

"Now what I say about children is this: Have 'em, Love 'em. And then leave 'em be."

The pre-Code era is full of villains and gangsters, but none are more evil than this woman so wonderfully played by Laura Hope Crews, though she is a monster of a very different sort - a smothering, manipulative mother who deliberately sabotages the romantic relationships of her two sons.

We see that we're not just dealing with a mother struggling to accept a new phase in life when she talks to her younger son (Eric Linden) with his head in her lap. She tells him that he and his fiancée (Frances Dee) don't love each other and that he should leave her, a suggestion the milquetoast young man passively accepts , and then she says "I won't have to be lonely now" before leaning down to kiss him fully on the lips. It's an extraordinary moment, even considering the custom of the period, when it wasn't uncommon for a parent to kiss their child on the mouth (and note earlier we see the two prospective sisters-in-law doing it in a way that would raise eyebrows today, but which was clearly innocent then). Later she lays a smooch on the older son (Joel McCrea) as he's about to go to bed, and it's telling that the peck he gives his wife (Irene Dunne) afterwards is shorter in duration. There's a real mental illness here, one that has the sons under her sway, and ultimately we find that she's displaced the romance missing from her marriage onto her sons.

The women in this film truly shine, starting with Laura Hope Crews of course, but also Irene Dunne and Frances Dee, each of whom have some fantastic moments confronting her. In addition to the main theme of a possessive parent, the film also points out that women can be brilliant and have a career in addition to being a wife and mother (and a research biologist no less). Meanwhile, as the mother clings to her sons, she pathetically voices the fear of the older generation, that women having careers is putting motherhood "in some danger of vanishing from the face of the earth."

The film is a little infuriating because of how weak the two sons are, but this is a script which has no wasted scenes, great dialogue, and great pace - and with the psychological manipulation taking place on top of it, it all feels very modern. It's an example of a film I love finding out about from the pre-Code era, as it seems to be lesser known and feels so alive, despite its age.

I really felt the movie was ahead of its time. The one potential daughter-in-law was such a strong, career oriented woman. She knew what she wanted and was diplomatic but firm with the over-bearing mother-in-law to be. The mother's role was played extremely well (you just loved to hate her). Her need to control her son's lives was neurotically evil. If you've ever been in a relationship where you've been judged and found lacking (and everybody involved knew it) this may hit too close to home. It's been years since I saw this movie and I remember thinking that this plot and dialog would work in a 50's or 60's movie. It is difficult to watch because of the mother and sons' dynamic but I would love to watch it again. I keep hoping to find it on one of the old movie channels but so far no luck. Attempts to buy it were also futile (I don't believe it's on tape or DVD).

I had heard this film highly recommended on the Classic Movies website, so, after checking out the IMDB notes as well, I was able to obtain it for viewing. The warped scenario deals with the fates of two women when their respective visits to meet the "in-law" (Laura Hope Crews in a tour de force surprising from the woman best known as Aunt Pittypat) turns into the horrifying recognition of the ultimate "out-law". There's little time to spare before we get a good idea of why there is no father figure in the picture. At times, the obsessive nature of Mom's voracious emotions toward her sons suggests an incestuous factor that only a precode film could feature. An absorbing, and sometimes frankly disturbing, film which is hard to obtain but worth a look.