Sarah and Son (1930)

"Grey" (Fuller Mellish Jr) is a bit of a rake. He treats his wife "Sarah" (Ruth Chatterton) appallingly and after years of this, absconds with their young baby son "Bobby" (who turns into Philippe De Lacy) of whom he soon bores and so he sells him onto a decent and wealthy family before enlisting. "Sarah" is heartbroken but the Great War intervenes and thereafter, the "Ashmore" family who acquired her son decline to give him up - she hasn't got tuppence to rub together. Her luck changes though - her singing takes her to operatic stardom and she is now in a better financial position to appeal directly to her now quite spoilt son. Grimly determined to reconcile her family, she tries to influence "Vanning" (Frederic March). He's a lawyer and a relative of the "Ashmore" family. As she pursues her real goal, a side benefit includes a burgeoning romance between these two. Can she establish her own ideal family unit? The story itself provides for quite an emotional maelstrom. The frustrated mother seeking a son who has never known anyone but the folks he grew up with, loved and took care of him. There's never going to be a conclusion that satisfies everyone, but so long as "Sarah" gets her way. Chatterton delivers well here as does De Lacy as the young lad, but there's just far too little of March for him to make much difference to the rather ploddingly melodramatic fashion in which Dorothy Arzner decides to tell the tale. The production is adequate and the denouement filmed quite effectively, but it's all just a bit flat.