The Brat

Dir. John Ford

60 Minutes

USA

1931

Starring: Sally O'Neil, Frank Albertson, Allan Dinehart, Virginia Cherrill, June Collyer

**/*****

The odd pre-code comedy The Brat is a bizarre entry in John Ford's early talkie offerings, a studio assignment that would probably have been fully forgotten if not for lingering interest as a curiosity for completists. The picture essentially functions as a studio assignment, material that Ford has no real business being involved in and may act as a low stakes opportunity to get accustomed to new technology. At the very least, after the stilted SALUTE he at least feels a little more comfortable moving the camera again.

The opening sequence in night court is actually surprisingly stylish, offering an intriguing cabinet of some in legal limbo (none of which are seen again). Focus lingers on the unnamed Brat (Sally O'Neil) who is taken home by novelist MacMillan Forrester (Alan Dinehart) who wants to use her as inspiration for a new work. Shocked by the sudden arrival, his wife and daughters scheme to end this new project, while his son Stephen (Frank Albertson) finds himself intrigued. Once the film settles into its groove it barely leaves the Forrester house, but Ford gives no sense of style or offers no exploration of the space (there is some comparison here to the much stronger Upstream), content to have the picture act as a filmed stage play with the occasional inconsequential pan or zoom. The general conflict has echoes of Pygmalion without anything interesting behind the characters or their motivations, and Sally O'Neil's Brat gets a bit irritating with her one note performance. Barely an hour long, the picture lumbers along with scenes furthering the plot solely out of the requirement that something *has* to happen at this moment in time. 

The version available online comes from the MOMA collection, but the recording looks like it was dragged in the mud before being uploaded. While some of the dialogue is inaudible, the simplicity of the narrative gives some confidence that not a ton was lost in translation.

Viewed on July 16th, 2020

Part of an ongoing John Ford Project with notes from selected films.