. . . states this Patriarchal live-action short, TO MY UNBORN SON. "Mr. Ravitch" is one of those benighted guys who doesn't even bother to suggest a prenatal ultrasound for his spouse, blissfully ignorant of the biological fact that there is at least a 50-50 chance that his progeny will be of the distaff persuasion. But as is usually the case in Tinsel Town, this possibility never occurs to the director, writer, and producer of TO MY UNBORN SON, either. These misogynist pigs do not even bother to give a film credit to Mrs. Ravitch, the undisputed star of this story. After all, what good does it do a man to spread seeds across the face of the land, if he does not involve a woman in the procedure? (Anyone who has studied Biology 101 knows that if one sex is to be left out--as the ill-informed M-G-M credits people insist upon doing here--it's the MALES, and NOT the females, as parthenogenesis proves.) Adding in salt to injury, TO MY UNBORN SON ends before Peter's mystery offspring is even born. As anyone who has seen THE WIVES OF HENRY VIII or followed "Billy Bigelow's" struggles during CAROUSEL will remember, those men Hell-bent upon siring baby boys are the most likely dudes to be shooting straight "X" chromosomes! No doubt TO MY UNBORN SON set back America's martial effort during the Second World War considerably, not to mention the basic understanding of human biology among the general populace.
4 Reviews
"Like all men, Peter assumed his child would be a son . . . "
pixrox130 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
War's Cost, Love's Hope
Ron Oliver15 August 2003
An MGM PASSING PARADE Short Subject.
Peter Ravitch, a gentle soul from a small Yugoslav town, writes a poignant letter TO MY UNBORN SON as he lies dying from a Nazi bullet.
This true-life story of courage against the Nazi oppressor features a reading of Peter's remarkable letter, in which he hopes for a peaceful world full of boundless opportunity & joy for his son. The film is a good example of MGM's mastery of the short subject format.
After Pearl Harbor, Hollywood went to war totally against the Axis. Not only did many of the stars join up or do home front service, but the output of the Studios was largely turned to the war effort. The newsreels, of course, brought the latest war news into the neighborhood theater every week. The features showcased battle stories or war related themes. Even the short subjects & cartoons were used as a quick means of spreading Allied propaganda, the boosting of morale or information dissemination. Together, Uncle Sam, the American People & Hollywood proved to be an unbeatable combination.
Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.
Peter Ravitch, a gentle soul from a small Yugoslav town, writes a poignant letter TO MY UNBORN SON as he lies dying from a Nazi bullet.
This true-life story of courage against the Nazi oppressor features a reading of Peter's remarkable letter, in which he hopes for a peaceful world full of boundless opportunity & joy for his son. The film is a good example of MGM's mastery of the short subject format.
After Pearl Harbor, Hollywood went to war totally against the Axis. Not only did many of the stars join up or do home front service, but the output of the Studios was largely turned to the war effort. The newsreels, of course, brought the latest war news into the neighborhood theater every week. The features showcased battle stories or war related themes. Even the short subjects & cartoons were used as a quick means of spreading Allied propaganda, the boosting of morale or information dissemination. Together, Uncle Sam, the American People & Hollywood proved to be an unbeatable combination.
Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.
Short narrated silent film, expresses hope for the future.
TxMike30 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
This is a short film shown on the TCM network as a filler between feature length movies. First shown in 1943, two years before I was born, it is silent but with narration in English, and the black and white picture is remarkably good. It is during the second World War, the Nazis come to this small village looking for the men. In turn, each woman says "He's dead." The Nazis doubt their word and go looking for the men. Among the trees we see that each man has taken a position in a tree, waiting for the Nazis. A fight ensues, some Nazis are killed, but single shot rifles are no match for the machine guns of the Nazi army, and soon all the men of the village really are dead.
The film then cuts to a beautiful shot of one dead man, with a letter in his hand, written overnight right before he died. It is to his unborn son, wishing him a good life, to live in hope and not in fear. It is really a metaphor for all humanity. Then the photography superimposed the rising sun on the dead man's forehead, as we see "future" glimpses of his rising son, growing up happy. Then, as if by divine guidance, the wind sweeps the letter into town, where the women find it and get it to the pregnant wife of the deceased man.
An IMDb rating for this short film is not meaningful. It is great in its own right, but cannot compete with the better full length movies.
The film then cuts to a beautiful shot of one dead man, with a letter in his hand, written overnight right before he died. It is to his unborn son, wishing him a good life, to live in hope and not in fear. It is really a metaphor for all humanity. Then the photography superimposed the rising sun on the dead man's forehead, as we see "future" glimpses of his rising son, growing up happy. Then, as if by divine guidance, the wind sweeps the letter into town, where the women find it and get it to the pregnant wife of the deceased man.
An IMDb rating for this short film is not meaningful. It is great in its own right, but cannot compete with the better full length movies.
Nice Passing Parade Entry
Michael_Elliott12 December 2009
To My Unborn Son (1943)
*** (out of 4)
Another fine entry in John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series, which often times told true, if unbelievable, stories. This time out he tells the story of a mild, weak man named Peter Ravitch who must leave his pregnant wife behind when he goes out to protect his village from the Nazis. Soon he is shot but before dying his writes a letter to his unborn son, which by miracle finds its way back to his mother shortly after the man dies. It's important to remember that this film was released in the heart of WWII so it's certainly going to try and be very patriotic and it does that very well. The actual story itself is a pretty interesting one and will certainly keep you entertained from start to finish. What works so well is that we're told the father dies within minutes of the movie and it makes us wait until the end to actually read what he had written. This builds up some nice tension as we patiently wait to see what he wrote his unborn son. The poem he wrote was quite touching especially when you consider that it was written while he was dying. Director Kardos, working as Leslie Kardos here, would later make a few "B" pictures including THE MAN WHO TURNED TO STONE.
*** (out of 4)
Another fine entry in John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series, which often times told true, if unbelievable, stories. This time out he tells the story of a mild, weak man named Peter Ravitch who must leave his pregnant wife behind when he goes out to protect his village from the Nazis. Soon he is shot but before dying his writes a letter to his unborn son, which by miracle finds its way back to his mother shortly after the man dies. It's important to remember that this film was released in the heart of WWII so it's certainly going to try and be very patriotic and it does that very well. The actual story itself is a pretty interesting one and will certainly keep you entertained from start to finish. What works so well is that we're told the father dies within minutes of the movie and it makes us wait until the end to actually read what he had written. This builds up some nice tension as we patiently wait to see what he wrote his unborn son. The poem he wrote was quite touching especially when you consider that it was written while he was dying. Director Kardos, working as Leslie Kardos here, would later make a few "B" pictures including THE MAN WHO TURNED TO STONE.
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