The Brothers Warner - Movie Review

Warner Bros. Studios has had an enormous influnce on American and world culture. It's impossible to imagine that there's anyone whose life hasn't been touched by the feature films, cartoons, music, books and television programs produced by the entertainment conglomerate.

In The Brothers Warner, filmmaker Cass Warner Sperling traces the company's development--its growth, policy and politics--from its establishment in the early 1900s until the mid-1960s, when the Warner family sold its interest in the business and the company became part of an even larger and more influential entertainment conglomerate.

From the start of The Brothers Warner, it's clear that Cass Warner Sperling has a personal interest in the film's subject. She announces that she's the granddaughter of Harry, eldest of the four Warner brothers who, during the early 1900s, founded a movie distribution company that became one of world's most influential cultural forces. She also confides that in telling his story, she's fulfilling a commitment she made to her grandfather before he died.

The story is told from Warner Sperling's perspective, and she makes no attempt to hide her reverence for her grandfather.

Still, Warner Sperling has researched her subject thoroughly. She bases her film on on her best-selling book of the same title, and using archival footage, family photographs, clips from movie classics and interviews with movie industry honchos to substantiate her personal commentary.

The film pays tribute to Harry Warner, who helmed the family business for decades, setting its standards and emphasizing the educational and social values of entertainment. Under his leadership, Warner Bros. moved in to production, and shaped the scope of cinema with technological advances, including the introduction of talking pictures.

According to the film, Harry had a keen sense of social responsibility and was committed to making movies that not only entertained, but also educated and addressed social and political issues. That point is brought home with clips from films and interviews with prominent industry players. For example, Dennis Hopper comments that he learned everything he knows from the movies. His remark is followed by a clip from The Story of Louis Pasteur (1935), in which Paul Muni, as the famous scientist, explains that disease is transmitted by germs. And, as an audience member, you suddenly realize that you may well have had your introduction to this notion -- or any number of other ideas -- while watching movies.

Changing the Guard at Warner Bros.

The Brothers Warner had major personality differences and differences of opinion. Warner Sperling provides an insider's glimpse at the schism between Harry and Jack, youngest of the siblings. Jack was a big personality who, unlike the more family-oriented Harry, sought the limelight and indulged in the excesses of fame. Warner Sperling doesn't shy away from showing how Warner Bros. changed when Jack eventually took over the operation. The revelation of family secrets is bound to intrigue viewers who are keen on Hollywood history, lore and gossip.

The film features appearances by Debbie Reynolds, Sherry Lansing, Norman Lear and others who are good storytellers and know what they're talking about. With their contributions, Warner Sperling has put together a documentary that is, in the Harry Warner tradition, both entertaining and educational.

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Film Details

• Title: The Brothers Warner - 2010
• Director: Cass Warner Sperling
• Release Date: September 25, 2008, DVD Release Date: March 9, 2010
• Parental Advisory: Content advisory for parents
• Location: Hollywood and elsewhere
• Language: English
• Production Country: USA
• Production Company: Warner Sisters Productions
• Distribution Company: Warner Bros. Home Video