Drama
Romance
A self-made success is determined to give his son the lavish upbringing he himself was denied. Not surprisingly, the son grows up to be spoiled rotten, causing grief and pain to everyone who loves him.
Directors
Madeleine Carroll
Livia Vaynol
Brian Aherne
William Essex
Louis Hayward
Oliver Essex
Laraine Day
Maeve O’Riordan
Henry Hull
Dermot O’Riordan
Josephine Hutchinson
Nellie Moscrop Essex
Sophie Stewart
Sheila O'Riorden
Bruce Lester
Rory O'Riorden
Scotty Beckett
Young Oliver
Brenda Henderson
Young Maeve
Teddy Moorwood
Young Rory
May Beatty
Annie
Stanley Logan
The Colonel
Lionel Belmore
Mr. Moscrop
Mary Gordon
Mrs. Mulvaney
David Clyde
Drayman
Vesey O'Davoren
Butler
Pat Flaherty
Joe Baxter
Directors
More like this
User reviews1
Review
Featured review
"William" (Brian Aherne) is the working man made good and is determined to see that his young son has all of the things that he didn't have growing up. The best of clothes, housing, eduction - and it all creates the rather miscreant creature that is "Oliver" (initially played well as a rather odious child by Scotty Beckett, then by Louis Hayward). He values nothing, takes for granted everything he has and gradually, as he gets older, hurts and alienates just about everyone. The only people who seem to be able to see through his façade, and who care enough to try and help are "Livia" (Madeleine Carroll) and the flighty, love-struck, young "Maeve" (Laraine Day) but will it all be too little too late for this increasingly self-destructive fellow? The story is interesting and illustrates the dangers of spoiling a child, but somehow the character of the father is just too soft. Too trusting and forgiving. This is a man who came up the hard way and though clearly he wants better for his child, his character is so weak as to frequently come across as implausible. The one staple in all of this is the friendship between "William" and his lifelong friend "Dermot" (Henry Hull) which becomes more important as the penny drops that young "Oliver" looks like a lost cause. There's no stopping cringing every time "Day" breaks into her Irish scent - it could strip paint, and as the story lumbers on I felt it all dragged down in a wordy dialogue and a paucity of pace or development. Like it's stuck in treacle, it seems to lose it's way until we are rescued by the War. Hayward is good, the story is solid - but the film struggles.
Geronimo196714 Feb, 2023
Top picks
TV shows and movies just for you
Box office
Budget
$0Gross worldwide
$0