The Brothers Warner

The famed lore of the four siblings who created and ran Warner Bros. during Hollywood's golden era pretty much rests on Jack Warner, who rewrote the studio's story after his brothers died—largely leaving them out of it. The Brothers Warner, directed by Cass Warner Sperling and based on her book of the same title, attempts to set the record straight. Granddaughter of eldest brother and studio founder Harry Warner, the director serves up plenty of studio history here, but the focus is on the men themselves—Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack (the ambitious youngest member of the foursome who took over the company in a move still known as “the betrayal to end all betrayals”). The Brothers Warner reminds us of a time when studio heads could and did make policies based on their beliefs and egos, even if it cost them at the box office. When the Nazis rode a wave of anti-Semitism to power in Germany, Warner Bros. was the sole Hollywood studio to cut business ties with the country and make movies that exposed the realities of Nazi fascism (although within the bounds of censorship). While that's the kind of inspiring history illuminating the men behind the logo, most of the rest of the story centers on family conflict. Combining vintage footage with interviews of relatives, company staffers, and industry notables including Roy Disney, Debbie Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, and others, The Brothers Warner is a consistently interesting if not particularly compelling documentary. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Axmaker)