A warm, watchable whitewash. MGM went all out for Thomas Alva Edison in 1940, producing two films on his life. YOUNG TOM EDISON was a box-office flop despite Mickey Rooney's energetic portrayal; EDISON, THE MAN was a much more lavish and popular production, with Tracy giving a dutiful
but dynamic performance as the famous inventor. The film opens as Edison, at age 82, is about to be honored on the 50th anniversary of his invention of the incandescent light. He is being interviewed by two youths and begins to relate the story of his early manhood. It then goes into flashback and
chronicles Edison's most productive years, from age 25 to 35, when he produced the phonograph, the dictaphone, and the electric light.
A little too old for the part, Tracy nevertheless immersed himself in the details of Edison's life, trying to capture the flavor of his personality as well as the words of the script. The result is a much more interesting performance than the one he gave in MGM's similar canonization of Father
Flanagan in BOYS TOWN--energetic and committed, but not over-earnest. Tracy was ably backed up by a fine cast, particularly Rita Johnson, and directed with a sure feel for Americana by Clarence Brown. What's missing is a sense of the "difficult" side of his personality, which could have made this
more of a well-rounded biography than a one-note song of tribute. leave a comment
