Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942)

Disturbing yet enthralling

A different way of telling a story

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Blistering performances.

A delightful film from the best years of Hollywood, when they really could make a good film out of a good story, and this one is glittering from beginning to end with eloquent innovations, telling the story of a hot-blooded aristocrat robbed of everything, dishonoured and kept down but returning with a vengeance. All the obligatory ingredients of a successful Hollywood film are here: a dashing central hero of good looks and great spirits, an outrageous crook of revolting villainy, more than one great romance, fantastic adventure, gorgeous sailing ships, and best of all: Polynesian belly dancers, actually bringing back the best days of "The Mutiny of the Bounty" and its extreme romanticism. Gene Tierney makes one of her first and best appearances of a sort she could never repeat, Tyrone Power is here still on top, and George Sanders makes a typically unsympathetic bully with bravura. Alfred Newman's music adds to the glitter, and although it's a rather superficial story, it's great adventure, and the romanticism must appeal to anyone. This is an irresistible treat for any lover of great romantic adventure on the screen.

This film stars two of the most stunning women ever to step before a camera, and two of the most troubled ones: Gene Tierney and Francis Farmer.Set in Georgian era England, this is an absorbing film. It's the story of Benjamin Blake (played as a child by Roddy McDowell and later by Tyrone Power) who after being orphaned at an early age, is cheated out of his title and inheritance by Sir Arthur Blake (George Sanders), his sadistic uncle who keeps him as a bonded servant.Ben escapes and stows away to a remote island in the South Pacific at a time when travel was a lot more difficult than dropping into Harvey World Travel or hitting the Trivago App on your iPhone. Years later he returns to England to put things right.Along the way he falls in love with two women. The first is Sir Arthur's daughter, Isabel Blake (Francis Farmer). Not much of it is made in the film, but this surely would have to be a non-starter as she was his first cousin. Nevertheless, Francis Farmer was never photographed to better advantage than in "Son of Fury", dazzling is a fair description. This was her last movie before her life fell apart.The second is Eve, the native girl Ben meets on the island played by Gene Tierney. The camera loved her and those amazing cheekbones that allowed her to play a wide range of ethnicities from Ancient Egypt to Polynesia - nearly always as a princess. It's sad knowing that this was about the time she too was overwhelmed by personal problems.Tyrone Power made every movie he was in seem important. Not just darkly handsome, you felt there was depth to his characters, and he could wear a Regency top hat and coattails as though he was born to the era.For anyone who loves movies of the golden age, the fact that the film stars George Sanders is reason enough to see it. Along with his trademark disdain he projects a powerful physical presence. He was a big dude and in the boxing scenes he looks surprisingly fit, and as though he knew some moves. It would be best to smile when calling him a fop.The whole production is polished with plenty of glass shots and moody sets; the slightly unreal quality gives it a touch of movie magic. The film features brilliant characterisations right down the cast list, and Alfred Newman contributed a vibrant score drenched in salt air and the aroma of the South Seas.You don't have to be a film buff to enjoy "Son of Fury", but it adds to the enjoyment if you know something of the stars and the filmmakers. They have all gone now, but this film is a lasting testimony to their talents.

Based on Edison Marshall's 1941 novel entitled "Benjamin Blake," 1942's "Son of Fury" is a rip-roaring swashbuckler that features nary a single sword fight, despite taking place during the reign of George III (that would be between 1760 and 1820); there ARE several instances of most impressive fisticuffs, however. In the film, we meet young Benjamin, played with wide-eyed appeal by the 13-year-old Roddy McDowall. Suspected of being illegitimate in birth, Benjamin lives with his kindly gunsmith grandfather (Harry Davenport) until the fateful day when his cruel uncle, Sir Arthur (the typically excellent George Sanders), fetches him to Breetholm Manor and, fearing that Benjamin will one day be able to prove his ancestry and claim his inheritance, makes him a stable boy. Benjamin grows up to be a handsome young man, and now, as played by Tyrone Power (riding high on the success of 1940's "The Mark of Zorro"), after several violent turns with his uncle, flees to Polynesia to make his fortune. Entering into a pearl-diving endeavor with fellow sailor Caleb Green (an untypically likable John Carradine), he makes his pile, falls in love with a beautiful native girl who he dubs Eve (Gene Tierney, in her seventh film), and returns to Bristol to claim what is his. But many surprises await him on his return...."Son of Fury" is a marvelous adventure film, given the A-list treatment by 20th Century Fox. It features handsome production values, rugged direction by John Cromwell (father of modern-day actor James), and a beautiful score by Alfred Newman. Acting by one and all is first rate, including Frances Farmer (as Benjamin's bitchy cousin) and Elsa Lanchester (as a barmaid who helps Ben escape from the law). Tyrone and Gene make a wonderfully romantic pair in this, their first teaming; they would go on to appear together in 1946's "The Razor's Edge" and 1948's "That Wonderful Urge." Gene's many fans should enjoy the awesome sight of her doing a convincing, hip-shaking, hulalike dance in this film; she does manage to convince as a Polynesian, with only a few dozen lines of broken English (still, more than the six lines of dialogue she had in her third film, "Tobacco Road"). She is simply gorgeous here, and when Tyrone takes her to wife at one point and declares "No bride was ever more beautiful," the viewer is not inclined to argue. In her 1979 autobiography "Self-Portrait," Gene tells us that the film shoot on "Son of Fury" exposed her to mental illness for the first time; not her own (that would come over a decade later), but rather in her costar Farmer, who was just starting to evince symptoms and would be institutionalized two years later (and stay in mental hospitals for a good eight years). One would never know it, though, based on Farmer's fine work in this film. Actually, though, every single aspect of this film is just perfect; I just loved it from beginning to end. And at that end, in which every character gets precisely what he or she deserves, the viewer will likely feel inclined to stand up and cheer. Without giving away too much, let me just say that those who have seen such marvelous entertainments as "Dodsworth" and "Dark Passage" might know the type of crowd-pleasing final scene that is in store for them. "Here is rousing, robust, romantic entertainment," the trailer for "Son of Fury" proclaimed, and I could not agree more. Watch it alone or with the entire family; it is a perfect film for adventure-loving guys, romance-seeking ladies, and kiddies of all ages. More than highly recommended.

I enjoyed this film a lot -- Tyrone Power is absolutely in top form in the role of the title character, Benjamin Blake, a man robbed of his inheritance and accused of being a bastard by his father's brother, the villainous Sir Arthur Blake as performed in high style by George Sanders. From the very first scenes there's this strong animal quality to Sanders, who's depicted as an expert fistfighter and an extreme sadist. Power insists on maintaining his dignity throughout being treated by his uncle as a slave, but the movie loses me a bit when he falls in love with his uncle's daughter, who after all would be his first cousin. She's pretty much obviously worthless in the first place. Frances Farmer was handed the unenviable role and she does a good job with it. Gene Tierney is the real love interest in the film, somewhat ridiculously cast as a native island beauty. Tierney isn't much of an actress but this is one of those fortunate roles where she doesn't really have to -- she just lets her fantastic chemistry with Power do the talking for her. They even let her have the first half of the movie as a silent role essentially since her character can't speak English, and it does wonders for her.The movie's just stuffed full of fantastic character actors. Dean Stockwell plays the young Benjamin. Elsa Lanchester appears in an interesting early bit as a prostitute with a sense of pride. John Carradine has a fun appearance as the man who jumps ship with Power and dives for pearls on the island. Carradine looks awesome in the sailor costume, and he brings a world of pathos to this film, really convincing us that once he's discovered the island and the simple joys of life that he no longer wants to go back to civilization and be wealthy within the structures of that unjust society. Blake under the influence of the same kind of impulse as his friend comes back to society changed not only in the status of his wealth but in the diversity of his perspective. And happily, this makes the eventual conclusion seem fitting instead of contrived or convenient.John Cromwell's directing is nice for the way he frames every scene very firmly within its social or environmental setting. Like in the ballroom scene where Power woos Farmer, which represents his desire for the aristocratic lifestyle, the frame is full of ornament and movement when first we open and focuses on the intrusive figure of Power in his masquerade coming onto the scene. It's a very good movie, but if I had any complaint it would be to the lack of moral ambiguity of any kind of Power's character. There should have been more of an edge to his anger and his desire for vengeance, and that would have made his lust for the Farmer character more believable and the contrast between his younger and older selves more marked. But the movie has an agenda to present Power as a hero throughout the entire film, which damages the possibility for interesting character development. Power himself is capable of much more subtle acting, but he's also good enough or competent enough to basically drop such pretense in a film like this and lean on his strong charisma and presence to carry the film.