Inadvands Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

kidboots Expressionist cinema hit Hollywood in a big way in the mid twenties. With the release of such European masterpieces as Fritz Langs' "Metropolis", Mauritz Stiller's "The Saga of Gosta Berling", Murnau's "The Last Laugh" and "Variety" and of course "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari", Hollywood became very self conscious and, for a time turned to Europe for inspiration. No studio embraced this exciting new cinema more than Fox studios - William Fox signed F.W. Murnau and gave him a free reign to direct the film "Sunrise". Even John Ford, who was heavily influenced by D.W. Griffith, changed and slowed down his style in "Four Sons" to match Murnau. Sets of the small village in "Sunrise" were re-used for the New York sequences in "Four Sons". The script was also taken from a "stream of consciousness" screen treatment by an uncredited Herman Bing.This movie is slow and sentimental (but in a nice way), telling the story of Mother Bernle and her four sons - Frans (Ralph Bushman), a soldier, fun loving Joseph (James Hall), Johann (Charles Morton), a blacksmith and Andreas (George Meeker), a goat herd. The mood is instantly darkened when Major Von Stromm gets off the train - uniforms not buttoned correctly and stray animals are a source of irritation to him. Joseph, who is yearning to go to America, also falls foul of him for dropping hay from a wagon. That night there is a big birthday celebration for Mother Bernle - the last piece of happiness before the war comes.Joseph, with money his mother has given him goes to America but even though his letters are full of his new family and the store he now manages, he can never forget the indignity he suffered at the hands of Von Stromm and as soon as America enters the war he enlists. For once adding dialogue to a silent film gives "Four Sons" one of it's most powerful moments, when in the trenches, Joseph hears a soldier calling "Mutterchen" - "little Mother" and when he goes to his aid, finds it is his brother, Andreas, dying. After this the film slips into triteness - instead of finishing with the mother's reunion with Joseph, there is about 20 minutes of the mother's efforts to pass an English exam to migrate to America, her problems at Ellis Island (she is made to look like a naughty schoolgirl as she attempts and fails to recite the alphabet) and the "lost in the big city" scene, where a kindly policeman directs her to Joseph's home. I think the film would have been more heartfelt without the last part.Frans - Ralph Bushman - Francis X. Bushman's son, this was probably his most prestigious film and his name was usually found down the cast list. Johann - Charles Morton was a leading man of the late silents/ early talkies but by the mid 30s his career had fizzled out.Andreas - George Meeker - "Four Sons" was the first in a long career that stretched to the early days of TV. For me his most memorable role was as Sidney Fox's straitlaced fiancé in "Strictly Dishonorable" (1931).Joseph - James Hall, in 1928, had the film world at his feet (he was yet to star in "Hell's Angels"). He was a great bet for film stardom but booze got in the way. By the time he made "Millie" he looked bloated and old (he was only 31) and he made his last film in 1932.Highly Recommended.

Joel Archer John Ford is truly great filmmaker this is the pinnacle (well in my opinion) of silent film. Margaret Mann is a revelation her performance is so enthralling especially in some of the final scenes at the end of the picture.The story is a strong one but the direction and the way it is put together is truly sensational Ford himself is Irish and this film i feel may be close to his roots.I was amazed the film didn't have many title cards however it was so simple to follow and by the end of it you're moved by mann's performance. you feel and care for the characters the whole way through that's the mark of a great film.And for the film buffs watch the early scenes in the film you got to love the tracking shot the mark of master John Ford

dglink Sentimental, but not mawkish, the early John Ford silent, "Four Sons," is a well made film that exemplifies early 20th century values. The four sons of a Bavarian widow are swept up in the events of World War I. Three of the boys fight for the Kaiser, while the fourth, who had emigrated to the United States, is on the opposite side. The screenplay does not dwell on politics, although the German officers have villainous characters, and the American son chastises an employee for advocating war, because "America is neutral." Most of the action takes place in a small village in Bavaria, and the unspoken message is that ordinary Germans are as kind and feeling as people everywhere.Despite a predictable storyline, the performances avoid the "grand style" that gave silent acting a bad name. Made in 1928 at the apogee of the American silent era, John Ford's direction is solid, and the film foreshadows his adaptation of "How Green Was My Valley" more than a decade later. Certainly the two strong mothers who suffer the absence of their sons have much in common. If John Ford had not directed "Four Sons," the film could have been largely forgotten. Plot holes abound, and coincidences occur that "only happen in the movies." However, the film is a good example of popular entertainment in the late silent era, and modern audiences will likely be engaged, especially students of Ford and those with an affection for silent movies.

finki This classic John Ford masterpiece has been spoiled by bureaucratic incompentece.Somebody in 20th Century-Fox has decided to remove the original Movietone soundtrack and replace it with an inappropriate score. it seems that for certain people, the original intentions of director John Ford were no good enough for today. Hence, the film was stripped of its sound... which means that we do not have the film as it was originally intended to be seen.Even though in most parts of the world, as well here in the United States, most people saw the film in a silent version, the original soundtrack is a crucial element of the film and without it, the experience is incomplete.A great film, but avoid the DVD until an authentic restored version with the original soundtrack becomes available.