In the Jewish ghetto of New York City, young Leon Kantor takes up the violin, much to his father's disapproval. Mama Kantor, however, encourages their son. Leon grows up to become a famous violinist, and falls in love with his childhood friend Gina Ginsberg. Just as Leon is offered a lucrative contract, he announces he has enlisted to fight in World War I. Mama Kantor is heartbroken. The family awaits his safe return from the front.
This movie was a pleasant surprise. I certainly expected some sentimentality and some tear-jerking (and the ending is a bit corny), but this film kept my interest, mainly because of the performances. However, it wasn't Gaston Glass and Alma Rubens who impressed me (although they give adequate performances). The standouts were Vera Gordon as Mama Kantor and Bobby Connelly as the young Leon. Their scenes together are filled with genuine warmth, and they are both so likable. Good performances are also turned in by Dore Davidson as the father, and Miriam Battista as the young Gina. In fact, Battista's portrayal of Gina is more interesting than Reubens' adult interpretation. It is odd that Reubens is given sole acting credit in the opening titles, since she doesn't have as much screen time as many of the others.
The direction is also first-rate. Most scenes are succinct, and not drawn out. This keeps the film moving at a good pace.
Contemporaneous reports mention that in the original ending to the film, Leon was to return from the war with an artificial hand. But this was changed to make the ending happier.
It has been some time since I've seen the 1946 version with John Garfield and Joan Crawford. Though that version is excellent, it has little in common with this version. I was unable to find the short story by Fannie Hurst on which both films are supposedly based. However, I would hazard a guess that the 1920 version is probably closer to the Hurst story than the later version.
