ThiefHott Too much of everything

SunnyHello Nice effects though.

Steineded How sad is this?

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Sons of Liberty" is an American English-language short film from 1939, the first year of World War II, so this one is already over 75 years old and the patriotic sentiment is easy to find in these 20 minutes. The director is Michael Curtiz, mostly known today for "Casablanca" and his writer is Crane Wilbur. People with a great interest in old American movies will find several familiar names, like Claude Rains ("Casablanca"), Oscar winners Sondergaard and Crisp and there are more people in here who you will find on the Walk of Fame or the lists of Oscar nominees. Pretty impressive for such a brief movie. It is in Technicolor, but the version I saw looked almost black-and-white still. As for the plot, this is about the life of Haym Salomon during the American Revolution. I may be slightly biased here as this era in history never really interested me that much, but the plot in here also did not manage to sparkle my interest. Apparently, the Academy thought differently as they gave this one an Oscar, which is why I would not say it is unwatchable. However, I personally found it underwhelming and don't recommend checking it out.

nwinski-1 It was great that they honored the story of Haym Solomon, an under credited hero of the American Revolution. However, Claude Rains plays Solomon with a very British accent. Haym Solomon immigrated from Poland. There is nothing about Rains portrayal that indicates that he is of either European extraction or Jewish descent. Given that this short was made by Jewish Warner Bros and Jewish Michael Curtiz, it raises many questions as to what they were thinking and what were their motivations? Could it have been, as implied by some of the other reviewers, that Hollywood wanted to remind Americans, given the situation in 1939, that Jews were instrumental in the Amercian Revolution that led to our Freedom and that we should be prepared for a possible threat to our freedom? But, as was often of the mind set of pre-WWII Hollywood, they wouldn't want to make our Jewish protagonist too Jewish in fear of an American anti-semitic back lash. This walks a hypocritical tight rope. Oy Vey!

bkoganbing This fine short subject from Warner Brothers won an Academy Award as the Best Short Subject in 1939. An honor for its director Michael Curtiz who would win another Oscar for Best feature film four years later with Casablanca and one for himself as Best Director.This film should be put in the context of the times. One of the criticisms of the Jewish movie moguls is that they did not use their influence to combat anti-Semitism in the USA. IF that was the the case the Brothers Warner redeemed themselves in a small way bringing the story of Haym Solomon to the screen, the Jewish individual among America's founding fathers.Solomon had quite a career during the revolution as a spy and later helping to finance the American Revolution with Robert Morris. The expenses they personally signed for these two men dear in personal wealth and health. Claude Rains is a fine Haym Solomon, the part is almost a dress rehearsal for his later role in Mr. Skeffington.I've a feeling that this might have started out as a feature film project for Paul Muni. It would have certainly been a perfect fit for him. Around this time Muni and Jack Warner were coming to a parting of the ways.It's good short subject and kids you can actually use it as the basis of a book report.

Neil Doyle CLAUDE RAINS gives an earnest performance as a rabbi Haym Salomon who finances Washington's troops during this historical short subject that appears on the Errol Flynn Signature Collection in collaboration with DODGE CITY.GALE SONDERGAARD is his faithful wife who stands by while he courageously leads the rebels against The Crown in the fight for freedom. All the usual slogans denouncing tyranny and oppression are here, but the short is directed in firm style by the capable Michael Curtiz, who keeps things moving briskly throughout the twenty minutes of running time.Seen briefly are JAMES STEPHENSON, DONALD CRISP, HENRY O'NEILL and, if you look closely, that's JOHN SUTTON as the horseback rider with a message for Rains. Photographed in Technicolor by Sol Polito, it's a fine example of the sort of shorts Warner Bros. made during the '30s and '40s to accompany feature films.