Based on Edison Marshall's 1941 novel entitled "Benjamin Blake," 1942's "Son of Fury" is a rip-roaring swashbuckler that features nary a single sword fight, despite taking place during the reign of George III (that would be between 1760 and 1820); there ARE several instances of most impressive fisticuffs, however. In the film, we meet young Benjamin, played with wide-eyed appeal by the 13-year-old Roddy McDowall. Suspected of being illegitimate in birth, Benjamin lives with his kindly gunsmith grandfather (Harry Davenport) until the fateful day when his cruel uncle, Sir Arthur (the typically excellent George Sanders), fetches him to Breetholm Manor and, fearing that Benjamin will one day be able to prove his ancestry and claim his inheritance, makes him a stable boy. Benjamin grows up to be a handsome young man, and now, as played by Tyrone Power (riding high on the success of 1940's "The Mark of Zorro"), after several violent turns with his uncle, flees to Polynesia to make his fortune. Entering into a pearl-diving endeavor with fellow sailor Caleb Green (an untypically likable John Carradine), he makes his pile, falls in love with a beautiful native girl who he dubs Eve (Gene Tierney, in her seventh film), and returns to Bristol to claim what is his. But many surprises await him on his return....
"Son of Fury" is a marvelous adventure film, given the A-list treatment by 20th Century Fox. It features handsome production values, rugged direction by John Cromwell (father of modern-day actor James), and a beautiful score by Alfred Newman. Acting by one and all is first rate, including Frances Farmer (as Benjamin's bitchy cousin) and Elsa Lanchester (as a barmaid who helps Ben escape from the law). Tyrone and Gene make a wonderfully romantic pair in this, their first teaming; they would go on to appear together in 1946's "The Razor's Edge" and 1948's "That Wonderful Urge." Gene's many fans should enjoy the awesome sight of her doing a convincing, hip-shaking, hulalike dance in this film; she does manage to convince as a Polynesian, with only a few dozen lines of broken English (still, more than the six lines of dialogue she had in her third film, "Tobacco Road"). She is simply gorgeous here, and when Tyrone takes her to wife at one point and declares "No bride was ever more beautiful," the viewer is not inclined to argue. In her 1979 autobiography "Self-Portrait," Gene tells us that the film shoot on "Son of Fury" exposed her to mental illness for the first time; not her own (that would come over a decade later), but rather in her costar Farmer, who was just starting to evince symptoms and would be institutionalized two years later (and stay in mental hospitals for a good eight years). One would never know it, though, based on Farmer's fine work in this film. Actually, though, every single aspect of this film is just perfect; I just loved it from beginning to end. And at that end, in which every character gets precisely what he or she deserves, the viewer will likely feel inclined to stand up and cheer. Without giving away too much, let me just say that those who have seen such marvelous entertainments as "Dodsworth" and "Dark Passage" might know the type of crowd-pleasing final scene that is in store for them. "Here is rousing, robust, romantic entertainment," the trailer for "Son of Fury" proclaimed, and I could not agree more. Watch it alone or with the entire family; it is a perfect film for adventure-loving guys, romance-seeking ladies, and kiddies of all ages. More than highly recommended.
"Son of Fury" is a marvelous adventure film, given the A-list treatment by 20th Century Fox. It features handsome production values, rugged direction by John Cromwell (father of modern-day actor James), and a beautiful score by Alfred Newman. Acting by one and all is first rate, including Frances Farmer (as Benjamin's bitchy cousin) and Elsa Lanchester (as a barmaid who helps Ben escape from the law). Tyrone and Gene make a wonderfully romantic pair in this, their first teaming; they would go on to appear together in 1946's "The Razor's Edge" and 1948's "That Wonderful Urge." Gene's many fans should enjoy the awesome sight of her doing a convincing, hip-shaking, hulalike dance in this film; she does manage to convince as a Polynesian, with only a few dozen lines of broken English (still, more than the six lines of dialogue she had in her third film, "Tobacco Road"). She is simply gorgeous here, and when Tyrone takes her to wife at one point and declares "No bride was ever more beautiful," the viewer is not inclined to argue. In her 1979 autobiography "Self-Portrait," Gene tells us that the film shoot on "Son of Fury" exposed her to mental illness for the first time; not her own (that would come over a decade later), but rather in her costar Farmer, who was just starting to evince symptoms and would be institutionalized two years later (and stay in mental hospitals for a good eight years). One would never know it, though, based on Farmer's fine work in this film. Actually, though, every single aspect of this film is just perfect; I just loved it from beginning to end. And at that end, in which every character gets precisely what he or she deserves, the viewer will likely feel inclined to stand up and cheer. Without giving away too much, let me just say that those who have seen such marvelous entertainments as "Dodsworth" and "Dark Passage" might know the type of crowd-pleasing final scene that is in store for them. "Here is rousing, robust, romantic entertainment," the trailer for "Son of Fury" proclaimed, and I could not agree more. Watch it alone or with the entire family; it is a perfect film for adventure-loving guys, romance-seeking ladies, and kiddies of all ages. More than highly recommended.