Adam Had Four Sons

1941

1h 21m

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

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Romance

Drama

Emilie has been hired to care for the four sons of wealthy Adam Stoddard and his wife, Molly. After Molly dies, Adam and the boys grow to depend on Emilie even more. At the same time, Emilie falls in love with Adam. The boys grow up, but Adam insists that Emilie stay on as part of the family. Her relationships with both the boys and Adam become strained after one son marries a gold-digging viper named Hester. Written by Daniel Bubbeo

Directors

Gregory Ratoff

Writers

William Hurlbut(screenplay by)

Michael Blankfort(screenplay by)

Charles Bonner(novel by)

Stars

Ingrid Bergman

Warner Baxter

Susan Hayward

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Top cast

Emilie Gallatin

Adam Stoddard

Hester Stoddard

Molly Stoddard

Jack Stoddard

David Stoddard

Chris Stoddard

Phillip Stoddard (older)

Billy Ray

Jack Stoddard (younger)

Steven Muller

David Stoddard (younger)

Wallace Chadwell

Chris Stoddard (younger)

Bobby Walberg

Phillip Stoddard (younger)

Cousin Philippa

Vance

Otto

Sam (uncredited)

Miss Bunson, the Photographer

Directors

Gregory Ratoff

Writers

William Hurlbut(screenplay by)

Michael Blankfort(screenplay by)

Charles Bonner(novel by)

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Review

Featured review

8/10

This was a good early melodrama--the first of Ratoff's films I have seen (at least to my knowledge) and American films starring Ingrid Bergman, one of my favourite actresses (three earlier Swedish films she's in, that I found in an inexpensive boxed set by Kino Lorber, is delightful). This boasted a strong supporting cast too, as Bergman's Emilie does everything she can to provide support for the family she loves working for so dearly. It was short and sweet, and is good value for the cinephile if you like the 30's-and-40's style of filmmaking, and enjoy melodramas. Other fine directors who are great at this style are John Stahl, Douglas Sirk, and, more recently, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Todd Haynes. At this stage of her career, Bergman isn't as fun to watch, at least for me, as similar actresses of her era, such as Bette Davis, Greta Garbo or Joan Crawford. I prefer Bergman's work after she risked everything to marry Roberto Rossellini. I believe the great difficulties she had to endure gave her a much deeper palette of possible behaviours for her to choose from. I significantly feel that if a thespian can survive trauma, it's the best thing in the world for their craft. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger--and I would definitely posit it makes one a much better actor as well.

talisencrw05 May, 2016