IMDb > All This, and Heaven Too (1940)

All This, and Heaven Too (1940) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   1,407 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Rachel Field (novel)
Casey Robinson (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for All This, and Heaven Too on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 July 1940 (USA) more
Genre:
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. more
User Comments:
Beautiful period piece from Warners more (38 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bette Davis ... Henriette Deluzy-Desportes

Charles Boyer ... Duc de Praslin
Jeffrey Lynn ... Henry Martyn Field
Barbara O'Neil ... Duchesse de Praslin
Virginia Weidler ... Louise
Helen Westley ... Madame LeMaire
Walter Hampden ... Pasquier
Henry Daniell ... Broussais
Harry Davenport ... Pierre
George Coulouris ... Charpentier
Montagu Love ... Marechal Sebastiani
Janet Beecher ... Miss Haines
June Lockhart ... Isabelle
Ann E. Todd ... Berthe (as Ann Todd)
Richard Nichols ... Reynald
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Additional Details

Runtime:
141 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Based on the true story of the Duc de Choiseul-Praslin, a French politician who was accused of the brutal murder of his wife Fanny Sebastiani in 1848. Praslin committed suicide via poison while on house arrest, subsequently causing the murder trial to be annulled. To this day, the murder remains one of France's most famous "unsolved" murder cases. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the very last frame of the movie, the window shot, the snow stops falling completely. more
Quotes:
Henriette Deluzy-Desportes: Happiness isn't a little cake which we can cut up to fill our appetites. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
The War of the Roses more

FAQ

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
Beautiful period piece from Warners, 6 September 2006
8/10
Author: blanche-2 from United States

Bette Davis is a schoolteacher whose past returns to haunt her in "All This and Heaven Too," a true story which took place in 1840s France and turned into a novel by Rachel Field. Bette Davis is the governess turned teacher, Henriette, Charles Boyer is the man of the house, the Duc de Praslin, Barbara O'Neill is his neurotic wife, and Jeffrey Lynn a minister friend who helps Henriette.

Henriette takes over as governess in the unhappy home of the Duc, caring for his four children - played by June Lockhart, Ann Todd, Virginia Wielder, and the adorable, pouty-lipped Richard Nichols. Though Nichols appeared in films taking place in France and Sweden, he sports a thick southern accent and calls Henriette "mamZEL." The Duc is miserable with his frustrated, bitter wife. The lack of sex in the marriage is demonstrated by his escorting her to her room and kissing her hand, then departing to his own room. She writes him lots of letters which she slips under his door. Feelings develop between the Duc and Henriette, but in the film at least, these are never acted upon. Unconvinced, the Duchesse does everything she can to get rid of the governess. In the beginning of the movie, Henriette tells her story as her students find out she has spent time in prison over a double tragedy which took place in the Praslin household.

Though a tragic story on many levels, it's a beautifully told one with every detail attended to. Bette Davis is warm and restrained as Henriette, soft-spoken and deferential. Boyer, with that vein in his forehead that sticks out when he's angry, is excellent as a man at the boiling point. O'Neill is positively hateful, a credit to her marvelous performance. From the strong, generous, loving mother in "Gone With the Wind," she turns herself into a self-involved, petty harridan.

"All This and Heaven Too" will sweep you into its rich atmosphere. In fact, I remember bringing this film to my office once when I worked a night shift, figuring that my colleagues and I would watch some of it over dinner each night. We ended up watching the entire thing in one sitting - which is what happened the last time I watched it. At 141 minutes, it's not short, but it holds the attention as a great film should.

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
how much is the book and movie fictionalized? Marybl
The painting of Henriette BillLloydSampsonRichards
Name Of Lullaby in 'All This And Heaven Too' dialynn44
only 6 stars marfrie56
what was wrong with her grandpa ashkanpashakola
Question regarding evidence in the case rahul_capri
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