Have always loved "Golden Age" films and Olivia De Havilland of the actors involved here is a favourite. The Bronte Sisters are very important and iconic authors, with 'Jane Eyre' and 'Wuthering Heights' being considered classics for very good reason. Curtis Bernhardt has always been a bit inconsistent to me as a director, of the films of his seen his best is easily 'Interrupted Melody'. Have always liked very much biopics, regardless of how true to history they are or not (usually not).
'Devotion' is definitely not true to the facts and one may easily dismiss it as just another standard golden age melodrama (personally wouldn't go as far to say that). On its own though, 'Devotion' is pretty good with plenty of great merits as well as a few things that underwhelmed a good deal. Other literary author biopics do better at delving into their subject's minds and showing how they write and what makes them do so (i.e. 2002's 'Last Call', centered around F. Scott Fitzgerald). In all fairness, doing biopics on authors/writers is not easy to do and it lends itself better to mini-series and films made for television. 'Devotion' is not perfection but it's laudable and do applaud it for trying.
It is by no means a perfect film. It is hurt by Charlotte not being a likeable or fully fleshed out character at all, almost cartoonish. Do feel bad about saying this, as someone that likes De Havilland a lot and her characters are usually easy to like but to me it seemed as if she was over-compensating a bit here.
To me, Paul Henreid was rather stiff and lacked personality as Nicholls and never seemed properly at ease, have nothing against Henreid and never have but he just didn't work for me and this is all personal opinion (if anybody disagrees, lets call it different strokes for different folks and leave it at that). Also didn't care for the subplot between Emily and Nicholls, very soapy and dull and added very little, if it was cut out it would not have affected the film at all. It seemed like an attempt to flesh Emily out even more than she already was and it didn't work. Instead it could have elaborated much more on going into more detail of Branwell's self-destruction, which agreed is very underdeveloped. Again personal opinion.
However, 'Devotion' looks lovely. The sets and costumes are handsome and don't look photography, complemented beautifully by the elegant photography and lighting that has a good deal of atmosphere. Erich Wolgang Korngold is one of my personal favourite film composers since seeing 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' and being blown away by the score and everything about that film, and his sumptuous and emotion enhancing score is one of his best. Bernhardt's direction is solid, not mind-blowing but there is absolutely nothing incompetent about it.
It is thoughtfully and poignantly scripted and the story while melodramatic is involving and moving with great chemistry between the two sisters and an ending that tears at the heart-strings and like seeing 'Wuthering Heights' come to life. Of the cast, Ida Lupino gives the best performance as the most fully fleshed out and most likeable character (Emily), the one that resonated with me the most and Lupino is luminous, charming and nuanced as her. Also excellent is the under-appreciated Arthur Kennedy, after being so impressed by him in Eliza Kazan's excellent 'Boomerang!' recently he is quite splendid here as another conflicted character that he plays with subtle intensity. May Whitty is always good value as is Sydney Greenstreet.
Concluding, well done but didn't bowl me over. 7/10
'Devotion' is definitely not true to the facts and one may easily dismiss it as just another standard golden age melodrama (personally wouldn't go as far to say that). On its own though, 'Devotion' is pretty good with plenty of great merits as well as a few things that underwhelmed a good deal. Other literary author biopics do better at delving into their subject's minds and showing how they write and what makes them do so (i.e. 2002's 'Last Call', centered around F. Scott Fitzgerald). In all fairness, doing biopics on authors/writers is not easy to do and it lends itself better to mini-series and films made for television. 'Devotion' is not perfection but it's laudable and do applaud it for trying.
It is by no means a perfect film. It is hurt by Charlotte not being a likeable or fully fleshed out character at all, almost cartoonish. Do feel bad about saying this, as someone that likes De Havilland a lot and her characters are usually easy to like but to me it seemed as if she was over-compensating a bit here.
To me, Paul Henreid was rather stiff and lacked personality as Nicholls and never seemed properly at ease, have nothing against Henreid and never have but he just didn't work for me and this is all personal opinion (if anybody disagrees, lets call it different strokes for different folks and leave it at that). Also didn't care for the subplot between Emily and Nicholls, very soapy and dull and added very little, if it was cut out it would not have affected the film at all. It seemed like an attempt to flesh Emily out even more than she already was and it didn't work. Instead it could have elaborated much more on going into more detail of Branwell's self-destruction, which agreed is very underdeveloped. Again personal opinion.
However, 'Devotion' looks lovely. The sets and costumes are handsome and don't look photography, complemented beautifully by the elegant photography and lighting that has a good deal of atmosphere. Erich Wolgang Korngold is one of my personal favourite film composers since seeing 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' and being blown away by the score and everything about that film, and his sumptuous and emotion enhancing score is one of his best. Bernhardt's direction is solid, not mind-blowing but there is absolutely nothing incompetent about it.
It is thoughtfully and poignantly scripted and the story while melodramatic is involving and moving with great chemistry between the two sisters and an ending that tears at the heart-strings and like seeing 'Wuthering Heights' come to life. Of the cast, Ida Lupino gives the best performance as the most fully fleshed out and most likeable character (Emily), the one that resonated with me the most and Lupino is luminous, charming and nuanced as her. Also excellent is the under-appreciated Arthur Kennedy, after being so impressed by him in Eliza Kazan's excellent 'Boomerang!' recently he is quite splendid here as another conflicted character that he plays with subtle intensity. May Whitty is always good value as is Sydney Greenstreet.
Concluding, well done but didn't bowl me over. 7/10