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Ingrid Bergman always gives the audience a run for their money.
The legendary actor, born in Stockholm, Sweden, came to Hollywood in 1939, where he made films such as Casablanca (1942), Mary’s bells (1945) and Sixth Happiness Hotel (1958). It also won three Oscars and was nominated for an additional four.
So he knew a thing or two about being in pictures and consistently delivered stellar performances, even if he didn’t think the script was particularly good. There is one example Adam had four sons (1941).
It is a period melodrama set before and immediately after the First World War. Bergman plays a French governess employed by a wealthy family with four lively boys. He becomes even more sheltered in the family when their mother dies.
Alas, it’s 1907 and the stock market is crashing. The family loses its property and Bergman returns to France.
What we didn’t tell you is that paterfamiliasPlayed by Warner Baxter, he’s still a handsome man, and while I’m heartbroken to see Bergman return to France, so are we. But there is no other way! She and her youngest son are forced to live in reduced conditions in a Brooklyn apartment. what is there to do
Now, Bergman may not feel like this movie is award-winning material, but there are a lot of things he does well. The farewell scene between Baxter and Bergman is one of them. When the two characters, heartbroken and unhappy, say goodbye to each other, we as viewers want to shout, “You can get married!”
But it doesn’t work out for them – or maybe it does, but you know how it goes – and Bergman gets on a ship to France.
This movie pulls you in, and even though you see the tricks the directors use to trap you, you can’t help but care about this family.
Bergman would return to the United States, however, ten years later, just as World War I was coming to an end. Baxter enlisted him because his manufacturing company had made trucks with wartime money. Although the boys grew up and went into the army, Baxter did not forget Bergman, and he, of course, did not forget her.
Meanwhile, one of the sons unexpectedly married a young woman who had ulterior motives for his three brothers.… if You know what we mean.
Bergman and Hayward dislike each other and engage in a low-key power struggle. Bergman is reserved, Hayward is cocky. But Hayward asks the question we’ve all been wondering: “Why would a woman cross an ocean to be a governess to four grown men? Or is there some other interest that drew you?”
indeed. Bergman’s character has been in France for the last 10 years, four of which have been World Wars, and he has never married. It’s like his character He sat and waited Until Baxter sent it. It’s unlikely that an attractive young woman would undermine his youth in this way, but Bergman’s lost decade is beyond the scope of this film.
However, the 10-year waiting period provides an interesting subtext for the growing tension between Bergman and Hayward.
Hayward doesn’t appreciate Bergman and his long-suffering demeanor. As for Bergman, he sees through Hayward and hates the breakup of his family.
Ultimately, this is a film about women: a dying mother, a sly cousin, an unfaithful young wife and a devoted governess. Adam and his four sons, although the film is named after them, are supporting characters.
Adam had four sons Based on the 1940 novel, inheritanceCharles Bonner, who has written four novels, 200+ published short stories, and several film and television scripts. He also worked as a consultant for a public relations firm.
It was Bergman’s second film in Hollywood and was directed by Gregory Ratoff, who also directed his first Hollywood film. interval (1939).
“Finally, something bit my teeth, but it wasn’t a very good apple,” Bergman later said of the 1941 melodrama. “We had a script to work with, but the dialogue was made up minute by minute as we went along, and they had no idea how the picture would end. … (A) big love for crazy Gregory Ratoff, so it all made for a very nice souvenir.”¹
Bergman is in excellent company in this melodrama. Warner Baxter has a thankless role, but he always brings amazing depth to his characters. Susan Hayward, in one of her earliest films, is excellent as the pitiful, take-no-prisoners girl.
The film received mixed reviews when it first came out, but we think it has stood the test of time. If you’re into Ingrid Bergman melodrama or melodrama that steadily builds tension, I recommend Adam had four sons.
This post is part of the 8th WONDERFUL INGRID BERGMAN BLOGATHON hosted by Wonderful World of Cinema.
Adam had four sons Starring Ingrid Bergman, Warner Baxter, Susan Hayward. Directed by Gregory Ratoff. Written by William Hurlbut and Michael Blankfort. Columbia Pictures, 1941, B&W, 81 min.
source
¹IMDb. (Retrieved August 26, 2026.) Adam had four sons (1941).
