Tonight I watched 20th Century Fox's epic production of "The Son Also Rises" (1957), based on the famous book by Ernest Hemingway. I've never read any Hemingway, and I don't think he'd be my cup of tea, but I discovered the movie through a database search of Tyrone Power, one of my favorite actors. He's accompanied here by Ava Gardner, Errol Flynn, Mel Ferrer and Eddie Albert, an all-star cast if there ever was one, so I had to check it out.
We've been discussing existentialist themes lately. I don't know if Hemingway's writing falls into that category, but the movie has a flavor of ennui. Most of the characters are jaded, wandering through life without purpose. According to the narrator who opens and closes the film, the young people of the 1920s were known as The Lost Generation because they suffered through the first World War and were thus disillusioned on a hitherto unknown scale by what they felt was the meaninglessness of life. The generational tag may also refer to the number of young men who were lost in the war. I'm no expert on that era, but in Googling the term "existentialism" - the philosophy of pondering the meaning of life - I see that it began in the mid-1930s, about the time The Lost Generation would've been heading into middle age. Hitler had just come into power, and there would no doubt have been a feeling of "here we go again".
But in the early 1920s, the emptiness inside was only beginning. The Great Depression had not yet hit. Some folks still had a little money, and for those in the artistic community, France was a popular destination because you could live inexpensively on the Left Bank.
Tyrone Power plays Jake Barnes, an American reporter stationed in Paris. We see him with a prostitute as the movie opens, but as they venture through a series of bars and restaurants, it is clear that he has no interest in her. In one joint, Jake runs into his old flame, Lady Brett Ashley (Ava Gardner). Her title is exaggerated, she's actually a fellow American posing as an Noblewoman because of a brief marriage, but Jake has known her for years and is very glad to see her. Lady Brett was his nurse during the war. They fell in love then, but Jake's battlefield wounds rendered him unable to perform. Due to this they drifted apart, but now, as they meet again, we can see that Lady Brett still loves him. She asks Jake to take her away from the restaurant and back to his hotel.
The next day, we meet Robert Cohn (Mel Ferrer), a writer friend of Jake's. He's an energetic fellow who's always up for adventure. He asks Jake to accompany him to South America but Jake declines. Later, Jake introduces Robert to Lady Brett, and he forgets all about his intended trip. He falls instantly in love with her, and makes no secret of it, but while Lady Brett loves Jake, she is actually more interested in a third man, Mike Campbell (Errol Fynn), an older Scot. She tells Jake and Robert that she plans to marry Mike. Jake knows this is because Mike has money. Lady Brett is an alcoholic who is used to a high lifestyle. She can have any man she wants, and she keeps them all on different strings, but cash is her bottom line. At least it seems that way. But she keeps running back to Jake every time she has a problem.
Every Summer, Jake heads to Spain for a fishing vacation. We now meet his buddy Eddie Albert, an affable gent Jake met in the Army. While Eddie and Jake are fishing in Spain, who should arrive at their hotel but Lady Brett and Mike Campbell! The Lady can't stay away from Jake, and it appears that her man Mike is not all he's cracked up to be. For one thing, he has a strong appetite for booze. I must step in here to say that Errol Flynn looks pretty beat up in this movie. He's only 48, but is bloated and watery-eyed. His skin is rough and he is but a shadow of his former self. He seemed to actually be drunk in some of the scenes. I'll have to do some Googling to find out, but at any rate, even though it's sad to see him this way (because he is one of my very favorite actors), he is nonetheless quite good in his role. He and Eddie Albert liven things up and provide comic relief. Flynn would only live another two years, but I guess he was an Old Pro to the end.
Back to the story : Joining the foursome in Spain is Robert Cohn. He shows up on the heels of Lady Brett and Mike Campbell. Mike knows Cohn is after his woman, and drunkenly insults him over dinner. Mike needn't worry because the Lady doesn't like Cohn. He's too eager and too straight laced. As the five friends drink their way around Madrid, we discover that Mike Campbell is as broke as the rest of them. He's bankrupt. Much of the rest of the picture deals with Mike having to come to grips with the fact that Lady Brett only wanted him for his money.
The last act focuses on a bullfighting exhibition. Hemingway loved bullfighting (what an a-hole), and as another aside, so did Ava Gardner, possibly due to her experience in this movie. My Dad, who was vice-president of Deluxe Laboratories at the time, once told me a story of being at a restaurant (I can't recall if it was in Hollywood or Mexico), and Ava Gardner was there. Dad said she was at a table with a group of bullfighters, but more importantly that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Seeing the movie, I am wondering if Dad's Ava sighting took place during the shoot, because there are a couple of scenes that mirror Dad's experience. Deluxe was the film lab for 20th Century in those days. Dad worked at times in coordination with producer Darryl Zanuck. He was often at the 20th Century Fox lot, so maybe he saw Ava in the commissary? Or at a nearby restaurant? But then again, Ava went on to have a fascination with bullfighters in her offscreen life, so maybe it was in Mexico after all.
In the movie, we are introduced to Lady Brett's final lover : Pedro the young Toreador, infamously played by Robert Evans. Evans, who died recently, was more well known as a producer. He made "The Godfather", among other major pictures. But his acting career was brief, and watching him in "The Sun Also Rises", it's not hard to see why, lol. He was so bad, the story goes, that Ty Power, Errol Flynn and the others wanted him replaced. They complained to director Henry King, who relayed their message to Zanuck, who declined to get rid of Robert Evans. His famous reply led to the title of Evans' autobiography : "The Kid Stays In The Picture"! Evans, however, knew that acting was not his forte. He made his mark in producing, and also in romancing many women, among them Ava Gardner.
This film is one of those old-fashioned big-budget Oscar Vehicles, with lots of drama and many Stars. It runs 130 minutes and is slow to develop, so you have to have patience. But Power and Gardner are both first rate. I didn't know she was such a capable actress, but indeed this is her movie. Mel Ferrer is very good in the supporting role, though we never really discover what Cohn's purpose is, what he wants besides Lady Brett, whom he knows he can't have. As noted, Errol Flynn and Eddie Albert provide much needed energy (the two old guys, haha). There isn't a lot of plot, mostly the characters wander from place to place in search of a drink, while Ava sorts out her men. So it's fun to watch Flynn and Albert goof off, and I'll bet they had fun on the set, too.
The settings in France and Spain are beautifully photographed. Everything looks gorgeous - Color by Deluxe donchaknow - I worked there too for a brief spell in 1999-2000.
Because of comparisons to Hemingway's book, fan reviews at IMDB are mixed. I, however, didn't read the book, and I very much enjoyed the film. I give "The Son Also Rises" Two Big Thumbs Up, and recommend it for fans of great dramas. There's an aimlessness to the story, but the acting is so good that it all makes sense and keeps you interested. /////
I hope you are enjoying your Saturday. I'm gonna head out for a short walk and then back to Pearl's. I'll see you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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