How sad is this?

A Masterpiece!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Young Edward G. Robinson is discovering the art and culture of Greece and finding himself, when he gets a telegram from home. Heir to a beef- packing business, he reads his father has just died. He rushes home but didn't have much plans or a business mind to take over, when he meets Genevieve Tobin, who is an heir to a competitor. In fact, there are several meat-packing companies, but they don't all use pure beef in their product/business. Edward's father did and their business was number one in the industry, in this film was takes place in 1892, just before Teddy Roosevelt becomes President. In fact, Teddy and Eddie meet and become enemies of sorts. But, I'm ahead of myself. Getting married to Genevieve Tobin, and using only prime beef, Eddie does take over, but the business does not do so well, just adequate and others become more successful. Meanwhile, a young aspiring opera singer (Kay Francis) looking for a backer comes to him, asking for capital as an investment. When he hears her sing and she knows his favorite song, "Home on the Range," he obviously falls for her. But what he didn't realize was that she was what she was. She did form a fond attachment for him, but never claimed to love only him. She was a very cavalier lover. When he is inspired by her gusto to live life fully and go for the gold, he becomes ruthless in getting contracts for his business and in cutting costs, not always using premium beef, like everyone else. But in his getting fat deals, his food affects more people, more important people. So when the fit hits the shan, he is the scapegoat. Meanwhile, Genevieve learns about Kay and she lives for the day to show Edward up. This is a very well-made film that does not overdo its dramatics. In fact, this played out very well and was very realistic. While not a very important film or that great a film in the long run, it really delivers with great performances by all. This was not a turkey by no means, as Edward felt he was being thrown into them by the movie studio all the time. They were uninspired and repetitive to him, as he was a stage actor by heart. He never understood the appeal of "Little Caesar," despite the fact it made him an overnight movie star. Playing a gangster was not all that it was hyped up to be, but this film he felt at least was "about something," as he said in his autobiography. And, he had fond memories of Kay Francis. If you see this on TCM one day, watch and enjoy Edward G. Robinson, one of Hollywood's most versatile actors, who earned an Honorary Oscar for his performances of men in all walks of life.

What a peculiar (but often fascinating!) film! The title has a little to do with Robinson's character, but it really isn't a woman he loves, but the meat-packing business! Eddie G., who wants to make the world more artistic and to clean up the Chicago slums, inherits an unsavory but highly successful business from his father, and makes an attempt to break away from corporate alliances--enter Kay Francis, in one of her vamp roles, this time as an opera singer aiming for the top European houses, but needing a little cash infusion to get there--she seduces the good EGR by sitting down at the piano--and suddenly warbles a contralto version of "Home On The Range"! No Tosca, no Mimi, no Traviata--this overdressed little flower brims blooms with the Western tune a total of three times--and it becomes an ironic interlude throughout the film--Robinson also attempts to capture the world food market, even buys cattle instead of just canning it! (Some echoes of Upton Sinclair feeds plot complications).For early fans of Mr. Robinson and Our Kay, this is compelling fun, and frequently details fascinating turns of historical event--Teddy Roosevelt makes a personal appearance and WWI turns the world upside down. For those expecting the powerful one-note (but perhaps less well-rounded) characterizations which Robinson was often gave, there may be surprises as he ages--and hides out in another country. For others, this is a historical curiosity peopled with familiar early First National Faces.

Forgotten epic of a meat packer played well by Edward G. Robinson who takes over his fathers business and becomes ruthless.I agree with the previous reviewer who complained about the many holes in the plot and inconsistencies- Robinson is first presented as a lover of humanity and the arts. He has a complete personality switch and becomes a ruthless, amoral business man all because of a little Machiavellian advice from lover Francis.That said, the movie is interesting, well produced, historically accurate in a lot of ways and finally quite moving as Robinson ends up alone, back in his beloved Greece but afflicted with dementia so the events of his life become momentary snapshots that come and go.I also liked the portrayal of the deterioration of his marriage. As in many 30's movies, there is a lot of truth that is hinted at but not fully explored.Sometimes, this leads to a superficiality which is unsatisfying but sometimes it leads to motifs that suggest subtly the inner workings and leave it up to us to connect the dots.

Here is yet another of the films from early in Edward G. Robinson's career that has inexplicably and unfortunately been forgotten. A tale which anticipates "Citizen Kane" in an astonishing number of ways, it tells the moving story of a multi-dimensional character transformed from an idealistic and impetuous young man into a ruthless, demanding, ultimately abandoned force in business and politics. Robinson's character, John Hayden, knows how to get what he wants, but is never sure what that really is. Solid performances by a first-rate cast complement a scenario able to cover decades with crisp efficiency.There are some unfortunate sequences in which the dialog becomes florid, stilted, and too much in the manner of a lesser Victorian romance. And the use of "Home On The Range" as a Rosebud motif comes across as ludicrous, to put it charitably. Such flaws, however, do not seriously lessen the impact and entertainment value of this undeservedly obscure picture.