Four Men and a Prayer Reviews

Greene, Sanders, Niven and Henry are the sons of cashiered officer C. Aubrey Smith who has been unjustly tossed out of the service and then murdered by criminal businessmen. John Ford directed this sprawling saga that treks from India to South America, London, Egypt and the USA as the young lads seek to uncover the truth about their revered father. What is never explained is how the family of a serviceman became rich enough to allow Niven to be a playboy, Sanders to become a barrister, and Henry to attend Oxford. There are many plots going simultaneously and the brothers use the transatlantic phone to communicate their progress. It turns out the old fella was done in by munitions makers but, by the time we discover that, the mystery has long since been forgotten. What is most unsatisfying is the distinct lack of Ford's usual camaraderie between men. Everyone is so offhanded and dispassionate that we can't get into feeling anything for them. The stiff upper lip was never stiffer. Barry Fitzgerald does a short bit in such an Irish accent that it's hard to discern what he's saying. Loretta Young provides the love interest with Richard Greene, but that takes a back seat to the alleged mystery. Good production values.