Devotion (1946)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

Theodore Reeves (story) and
Keith Winter (writer)

Release Date:

20 April 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Acclaimed...THE GREATEST LOVE STORY OF THE YEAR! Tender! Endearing!

Plot:

In Victorian England, literary siblings Emily and Charlotte vie for the affection of the Reverend Arthur Nichols...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Sister Sister Relationship | Orchestral Music Score | Writer | Leitmotif

Cast

Ida Lupino	...	Emily Bronte
Paul Henreid	...	The Reverend Arthur Nicholls
Olivia de Havilland	...	Charlotte Bronte
Sydney Greenstreet	...	William Makepeace Thackeray
Nancy Coleman	...	Anne Bronte
Arthur Kennedy	...	Branwell Bronte
Dame May Whitty	...	Lady Thornton
Victor Francen	...	Constantin Heger
Montagu Love	...	Reverend Bronte
Ethel Griffies	...	Aunt Branwell
Edmund Breon	...	Sir John Thornton
Odette Myrtil	...	Mme. Heger
Doris Lloyd	...	Mrs. Ingraham
Marie De Becker	...	Tabby
Eily Malyon	...	Mrs. Thornton's Friend at the Ball

Runtime:

USA:107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Spain:T | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #9002, General Audience)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Filmed between November 11, 1942 and mid-February 1943, the movie premiered on April 5, 1946 at the Strand Theater in Manhattan. The release had been delayed while Olivia de Havilland, after completing Government Girl (1943) on loan to RKO, successfully sued Warner Bros. to terminate her contract without providing the studio an extra six months to make up for her time on suspension.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Emily enters her brother's sickroom and doesn't completely shut its door, a hand and arm very obviously reaches out from outside the room and shuts it.

Quotes:

Charlotte Bronte: I know nothing. I understand nothing. And yet, I have dared to write 200,000 words about life!
[tosses manuscript on floor]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Between Two Worlds: Erich Wolfgang Korngold (2001) (TV)

Excellent performances in romanticized Bronte biography

Despite the fact that this treatment of the famous Bronte sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne) and their tormented brother Branwell (Arthur Kennedy)gives their story a romantic glow (instead of the harsh reality of their life on the moors), it can be enjoyed on the level of a well-acted, sometimes overwrought romantic drama with sterling performances by Ida Lupino and Olivia de Havilland, as well as an excellent one from Arthur Kennedy as the brother who wastes his talent.

The large cast includes Sydney Greenstreet (effective as Thackeray), Victor Francen, Nancy Coleman, Ethel Griffies and Dame May Witty. It may not be an accurate biography (in fact some critics said it should have been called 'Distortion'), but thanks to fine performances and Erich Wolfgang Korngold's magnificent score, it's fascinating to watch. Particularly effective is the montage showing a horse and rider against a cloudy sky as death approaches Emily Bronte and Korngold's music mounts as he comes closer and closer. Wonderful moment of imagery.

Whatever its shortcomings, I cannot praise Erich Wolfgang Korngold's score enough. It's one of his most magnificent and stands with KINGS ROW as one of his best film scores, adding majesty and atmosphere to many of the film's most dramatic scenes.

Trivia note: DEVOTION has a strange history. It was actually filmed and finished in 1943 while de Havilland was still under contract to the studio. When she launched her famous legal battle against them for adding suspension time to the end of her contract, Jack Warner decided to punish her. He gave her third billing, kept the film off the screen for three years hoping to weaken her career, and failed to invite her to the premiere of the film when it finally did open in Hollywood.

Despite all this, Olivia not only won the case in the Supreme Court, but went on to win two Oscars after the film was released!! Proof that he was wrong all along in underestimating her.