Watch Edward, My Son For Free

Redundant and unnecessary.

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

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.

In a number of respects, this is a remarkable film. There's a mostly remarkable performance by Deborah Kerr -- mostly since she was brilliant up until playing and old drunk, and I do think she didn't do that particularly well. There's the clever plot technique -- you never actually see Edward, the son...but that emphasizes the whole point of the film -- it's not about Edward, the son, it's about the monster that his father becomes and how that father destroys so many people in order to spoil his son. And that brings to mention the superb portrayal by Spencer Tracy...one of my two favorite actors. Over the years we certainly saw Tracy play many types of roles -- he could play drama or comedy with equal ease. But it was rare to see him as the "bad guy", and in this film he is rather despicable. Yet, somehow...perhaps just because he is Spencer Tracy...the viewer doesn't hate him too much, because mixed in with our contempt is pity. But of course, the bigger they are (and in this film Tracy becomes a millionaire Lord), the harder they fall, and his lifelong plans for his son come to naught by...well, if you haven't seen the film, you should find out for yourself. Ian Hunter, the doctor/friend, is played to perfection. There's some wonderful acting in this film, particularly by Tracy, and some of the dialog is simply scintillating. But remember that this film is straight drama, not a soap opera. It is not as slick as some Hollywood fare, probably because it was a British film. If you like a serious drama, you'll find this film riveting.

When it was originally presented on the London stage, Robert Morley starred and wrote Edward My Son and I believe he had Lord Beaverbrook in mind. If that is the case Edward My Son was as daring in its way as Sweet Smell of Success was in America taking dead aim at Walter Winchell.Lord Beaverbrook for those on this side of the Atlantic was a Canadian industrialist Max Aitken who settled in the UK and purchased a string of tabloid like newspapers. He was a very powerful force in the post World War I United Kingdom and served in the War Cabinet of Winston Churchill. He was every bit as cunning and as ruthless as we Sir Arnold Boult made out to be. And to accommodate Spencer Tracy's North American speech, Sir Arnold is made Canadian. That was making it more daring. Beaverbrook was not a man to cross.We never see Edward at any time in the film, the picture we form of him is through the eyes of the other characters. A kid spoiled rotten by his ever indulgent father. Boult, ruthless in business and finance, is just as ruthless at getting whatever for his son, giving him everything but a decent set of values to live by.Tracy's portrayal rings true for me because I actually knew someone like Arnold Boult in my life. He was a political person who spoiled his son absolutely rotten, used up favor after favor for him. When the son developed a drug problem he never tried to deal with it, but actually schemed to give him jobs he couldn't handle. I look at Tracy as Sir Arnold Boult and see this man staring right back at me.Deborah Kerr is Tracy's wife and Edward's mother and Leueen McGrath is his secretary and mistress. They are the major female roles in Edward My Son and both are captured well. Others to look for in the cast are Felix Aylmer as the prep schoolmaster, Mervyn Johns as Tracy's tragic former business partner, and Ian Hunter as Tracy's friend and eventual second husband to Kerr.Look at Tracy's methods in dealing with his personal and professional life and it's small wonder Edward turned out to be the spoiled brat he was.

I'm really not sure why Leonard Maltin was so hard on this movie. The acting and writing are great and the story has a lot to say about effective parenting that could help the viewers not to make the same mistake as the lead character.The movie is very odd in that although Edward is important to the picture, you never actually see the boy in the movie. The film is a series of flashbacks that show Edward's parents. Initially, they seem like decent folks, but over time, success and making something for his son becomes so important to the dad (Tracy) that he does the most ungodly things along the way. The descent into the evil abyss becomes worse and worse--all the while, the marriage becomes more and more shallow and indecent. The only thing holding this relationship together is their love for Edward. However, Tracy's ruthlessness begins to bear fruit in Edward. Although you are not shown it, you hear about his exploits and learn that he is becoming a monster--just like good old dad. When this lack of discipline ultimately destroys Edward, Tracy (true to the character) cannot allow himself to even consider accepting ANY blame for Edward's fall--it MUST be SOMEONE else's mistakes! This is SO realistic, as parents who create monsters are usually not the introspective types who question themselves about their possible role in the child's character.As a school teacher, I guess I really appreciate this because I have dealt with a few parents who have raised little monsters and who tend to blame EVERYONE (the school, society, other kids, etc.) for the shortcomings of their "angels".UPDATE: If you enjoyed this film, I would also like to recommend "A Modern Hero". It has a lot of similarities to "Edward My Son" and would make a great double feature!