Imagine marrying a woman who is the daughter of someone you threw under the bus when you were in a jam. That’s what we have here in the 1948 classic, All My Sons. The film is a suspenseful noir drama directed by Irving Reis, and starring a pair of screen icons in Edward G. Robinson and Burt Lancaster. The picture is based on Arthur Miller’s 1946 play of the same name.
Taking place just after World War II, Chris Keller (Burt Lancaster, Scorpio, Tough Guys) returns home to announce he is getting married to Ann Deever (Louisa Horton, Alice, Sweet Alice), who is the fiancée of his brother Larry. He has gone missing and presumed to be dead by Chris, and Ann fell for him. Ann is also the daughter of Herbert Deever (Frank Conroy, Grand Hotel, The Threat) that industrialist Joe Keller (Edward G. Robinson, Little Caesar, Key Largo, Double Indemnity) was able to maneuver his way out of a precarious situation with the law and walked freely. It seems Keller and his company came under criminal scrutiny when some airplane fuselages they built proved to be faulty and killed some people. Joe’s business partner Herbert took the fall and went to jail, but not Joe. He tries to avoid discussing the issue in fear that it will ruin him.
On top of that, there is Joe’s wife, battling depression over her son Larry that she hopes is still alive after all these years, is also against Chris and Ann getting married, in case he does return. This of course causes problems between the engaged couple, and adding to the stress that Joe is hiding something that could ruin his career! Joe is also skeptical of the wedding between the couple since she is the daughter of the man he sent up the river for something he didn’t do!
All My Sons is a great family drama film with excellent production values and a tremendous cast that brings the goods! The story and characters are all compelling, especially learning about what really happened between Joe Keller and Herbert Deever. Some scenes between the actors are so incredibly intense! Joe Keller is hiding a dark secret and is doing everything he can to sweep it under the rug, but events keep happening to the point where the truth will be revealed!
Kino Lorber has released All My Sons on Blu-ray and overall, I was satisfied. Given a new 2K master, some scenes looked fantastic, while in other spots, it was a bit unstable. I found the black and white image clean, boasting rich blacks and crisp whites and a balanced grey scale. Details appeared sharp for the most part. There were a few soft scenes but nothing to ruin the viewing experience. I didn’t notice any print damages or DNR during the presentation.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack is flawless with the dialogue and excellent musical scores by Leith Stevens coming in perfectly clear and balanced. English subtitles are available for this release.
The supplemental package includes a commentary track by Film Historian Kat Ellinger and Author and Film Historian Lee Gambin which is a nice, pleasant thorough breakdown of the film by both and is worth a listen. There are several theatrical trailers for this release as well.
All My Sons is a film classic fans should have on their shelf. The release is another superb effort by Kino Lorber!
All My Sons
Director- Irving Reis
Cast- Edward G. Robinson, Burt Lancaster
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date –2/12/22