Zeus

Broad sweep of a story, but it's Barrymore's to own

Posted by Sam MB on Jun 22nd 2016

I recall hearing Lionel Barrymore in A Man to Remember on the radio (via mp3) and thinking it was a pretty darn good story. So I ordered this film to check out the original. It's a good quality dvd, no frills. And honestly, it's a dated story in terms of its presentation, but Lionel Barrymore playing a role from basically his late thirties into his sixties across a variety of storylines was worth it. There's a probably overdone plot about an abandoned baby who gets to go back to dad after being given up to the doctor who then grows up to be significant in several people's lives, and Joel McCrea is fine as the doctor's son but again, that storyline gets overwhelming. I kept wanting to yell at the screen for the selfless doc to finally get out of his one-horse town and study the darn neuropathology he's always on about. Great for watching Barrymore do his thing with quiet acting, but it almost requires a scorecard.