In the typical German provincial town of Burgendorf lives a charming old woman, Dame Bernle, and her handsome and beloved four sons; they live a tranquil life among their classic Teutonic neighbours until one day war starts and Dame Bernle's beloved sons must join the army.
This German count must confess that the films of Herr John Ford, the director of "Four Sons", have never been much to the liking of this aristocrat. His characters are stereotypes and he repeats the same themes again and again throughout his career. For these reasons it is not strange that this German count is not usually in the mood for Ford.
This time "Four Sons" also includes stereotyped characters, Germans this time, not Irish ( fortunately there is one true-life character in the whole film, a wicked, evil Maj. von Stomm with monocle included ) . People walk around in the bucolic provincial German town where everyone dresses like Germans, drink like Teutons and you have small girls with pigtails, martial geese splash in a pond nearby and everyone is happy. Absolute nonsense, natürlich! Germans are serious not merry people!.
Such German incongruities are at least visually perfect thanks to superb sets and great cinematography, all elegantly filmed by Herr Ford whose use of the camera is especially astonishing during the war trenches scene.
But the most interesting aspect, indeed the great revelation made while revisiting "Four Sons" for this German count was that this aristocrat noticed a strange and perverse undercurrent in the story. Each time that charming Mutterchen Bernle gives thanks to God, something terrible happens almost immediately afterwards. The first time that she does so, war starts; the second time she intones the mysterious incantation, three of her beloved sons die in the war. The third time that Mutterchen Bernle give thanks to God she is in New York, in order to be together with her only surviving son, and -remembering that "Four Sons" was produced during the silent year of 1928- well logically Mutterchen Bernle was the cause of the Wall Street crash of 1929!!.
And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must avoid old German ladies who bring bad luck.
Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/
This German count must confess that the films of Herr John Ford, the director of "Four Sons", have never been much to the liking of this aristocrat. His characters are stereotypes and he repeats the same themes again and again throughout his career. For these reasons it is not strange that this German count is not usually in the mood for Ford.
This time "Four Sons" also includes stereotyped characters, Germans this time, not Irish ( fortunately there is one true-life character in the whole film, a wicked, evil Maj. von Stomm with monocle included ) . People walk around in the bucolic provincial German town where everyone dresses like Germans, drink like Teutons and you have small girls with pigtails, martial geese splash in a pond nearby and everyone is happy. Absolute nonsense, natürlich! Germans are serious not merry people!.
Such German incongruities are at least visually perfect thanks to superb sets and great cinematography, all elegantly filmed by Herr Ford whose use of the camera is especially astonishing during the war trenches scene.
But the most interesting aspect, indeed the great revelation made while revisiting "Four Sons" for this German count was that this aristocrat noticed a strange and perverse undercurrent in the story. Each time that charming Mutterchen Bernle gives thanks to God, something terrible happens almost immediately afterwards. The first time that she does so, war starts; the second time she intones the mysterious incantation, three of her beloved sons die in the war. The third time that Mutterchen Bernle give thanks to God she is in New York, in order to be together with her only surviving son, and -remembering that "Four Sons" was produced during the silent year of 1928- well logically Mutterchen Bernle was the cause of the Wall Street crash of 1929!!.
And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must avoid old German ladies who bring bad luck.
Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/