All the Brothers Were Valiant Reviews

Taylor and Granger are brothers in a family that traditionally makes its trade in whaling, but Granger, filled with wanderlust, goes off to seek exotic adventures, landing on an island where, with the help of native St. John, he finds a cache of priceless black pearls. Meanwhile, back in New England, down-to-earth Taylor woos and wins Blyth, who was once engaged to Granger. Married, the couple set off on whaling business, but Taylor believes his brother may still be alive and steers a searching course across the Pacific. He locates Granger, who has escaped the island after natives, angry over his theft of their sacred pearls, have killed St. John and narrowly missed taking Granger's life. Once Granger is on board the family ship, he begins to make advances to Blyth and foment unrest among the crew members, telling them to forget harpooning whales, turn the ship about, and make sail for the island to retrieve the black pearls he has dropped in shallow water. Lust for riches inflames the crew to mutiny against skipper Taylor, who appears to be a coward, refusing to attack his brother, and loses Blyth's respect. He is locked in irons as Granger takes over the crew and is about to win Blyth's favor. Then Taylor escapes with the help of some loyal hands, and a five-by-five brawl ensues on board, with Taylor's side losing. Just as Taylor is about to be killed, Granger's sibling instincts come to the fore, and he steps in front of his brother to receive a mortal wound. At the sight of their leader dying, the mutinous crew members lay down their weapons, and Blyth flies to her husband's arms. Taylor is able to write in his log that his brother died as a hero, not a traitor, as the ship sails peacefully for home. Bathed in beautiful color photography (cinematographer Folsey earned an Oscar nomination), this film is a fast-paced yarn that makes up for its implausible script with action aplenty and rich production values. Taylor did not like the story nor working with Granger, whom he thought too stuffy, but their scenes together were strong and convincing. This was the last film made by MGM's venerable character actor Lewis Stone, best known as Judge Hardy in the popular Andy Hardy series; two weeks after completing this film, Stone, dressed in bathrobe, pajamas, and slippers, age 74, raced from his home in the middle of the night to chase teenagers vandalizing his property and died on the sidewalk of a heart attack. This was first filmed by MGM in 1923, remade as a silent in 1928 as ACROSS TO SINGAPORE with Joan Crawford and Ramon Novarro and Ernest Torrence as the saintly and devilish brothers, respectively.