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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1051

Four Sons

1928100 minUnited States
Drama

Synopsis

Mother Bernle watches one son leave Bavaria for America while three remain at home. War then places the brothers on opposing sides, turning family separation into an ordeal of competing national loyalties. The familiar routines of village life give way to departures, uncertainty and the mother's effort to endure what the conflict takes from her.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs
96:08
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · John Ford · Public domain

Cast

DirectorsJohn Ford

Inspirations

John Ford adapted I. A. R. Wylie's story about the Bernle family. The film combines silent dramatic narration with a synchronized score and effects, placing a mother's experience at the center of its view of war.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 15, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

  • June Collyer — unknown (Tiffany Productions); http://www.doctormacro.com/movie%20star%20pages/Collyer,%20June.htm · Public domain

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