Sons and Lovers ****½ (1960, Dean Stockwell, Trevor Howard, Wendy Hiller, Mary Ure, Heather Sears, William Lucas, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Thesiger) – Classic Movie Review 4498

Director Jack Cardiff’s 1960 British film Sons and Lovers is an astonishingly distinguished, and often heartrending version of the D H Lawrence semi-autobiographical novel.

Young American star Dean Stockwell is entirely at ease as the shy, struggling British hero Paul Morel, trying to break free of the Nottinghamshire coalmines and his dominating mother in England just before World War One.

Wendy Hiller is superbly affecting as Paul’s ambitious mum Gertrude, encouraging him as an artist, afraid to let go, yet knowing that she must, and so, in a different way, is Trevor Howard as his embittered, bullying father Walter, who wants the boy to go down the coal mines just like him.

It all rings so very true thanks to a marvellously sensitive script by Gavin Lambert and T E B Clarke, distilling the essential essence of Lawrence. And the film is beautifully photographed by great British cinematographer Freddie Francis (who won the film’s only Oscar for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White) in perfect black-and-white images that look like old photographs.

There were six other Oscar nominations, including Best Film, Direction, Screenplay, Art Direction-Set Decoration (Thomas N Morahan, Lionel Couch) and Supporting Actress for Mary Ure as Clara Dawes – and, in a slap in the face for Stockwell, Best Actor for Howard (when it should have been Supporting Actor of course). Ure’s nomination is a slap in the face for Hiller too of course.

And it is certainly another great British cinematographer Cardiff’s best film as director, tenaciously exposing Edwardian feelings and working people’s lifestyles.

Also in the cast are Heather Sears as Miriam, William Lucas, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Thesiger, Conrad Phillips, Rosalie Crutchley, Sean Barrett, Elizabeth Begley, Edna Morris, Ruth Kettlewell, Anne Sheppard, Susan Travers, Rosalie Ashley, Dorothy Gordon, Vilma Ann Leslie, Anne Scott, Patsy Smart, Gwendolyn Watts, Philip Ray, Trevor Little and Sheila Bernette.

Dean Stockwell (born March 5, 1936) enjoyed a prolific career spanning more than 70 years. He died of natural causes at his home in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, on November 7, 2021, aged 85.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4498

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