In Cukor's "Women" (1939) the heroines talked about men we never saw cause it was an all-female cast.In "Edward My Son" ,the character of the title ,"Edward" never appears either.It may be interesting but it's also a bit infuriating cause we know him only through the others' conversations .It takes all the talent of the cast to make the movie worthwhile :Spencer Tracy ,whose love for his spoiled child knows no bounds and leads him to become selfish,tyrannical and even crooked;Deborah Kerr,who for the first and last time in her career is compelled to overplay in her last scenes :the aristocratic Kerr as an alcoholic shrew,it has to be seen to be believed! The movie is a long flashback:Tracy appears in the first sequence and tells the audience he just lost his only child ;he owns almost everything a man can ,and perhaps the theater where you are watching this film;he will come back for the epilogue.
Although not entirely satisfying,it's an interesting way of telling a story,which ventures off the beaten track.
Although not entirely satisfying,it's an interesting way of telling a story,which ventures off the beaten track.