Once you get past the fact that the character 'Johnny Mitchell' is played by a Johnny Mitchell and another character has the wonderfully evocative name of 'Trippy Trellis' this is a pretty good Warner Bros picture.
Bette Davis and Claude Rains are as always very watchable, she playing broader than him as usual, but both dovetailing neatly. They are supported by a good cast, Walter Abel is particularly able as the cousin, and a romantic Franz Waxman score sweeps around nicely in the background. The movie has good lines of dialogue. The early scene where Mr Skeffington arrives just before a Trellis dinner party is excellent. The film loses momentum about half way through however.
There are a couple of world wars going on in the background and hints of anti-semitism but the mindset of the movie is the Bette Davis character's, who sails through life pleasing herself, being admired and worshipped and forever breaking lunch engagements with the always unseen Janey Clarkson. The last scene is a cliche but Davis and Rains pull it off like the professionals they were. We won't see their like again.
Bette Davis and Claude Rains are as always very watchable, she playing broader than him as usual, but both dovetailing neatly. They are supported by a good cast, Walter Abel is particularly able as the cousin, and a romantic Franz Waxman score sweeps around nicely in the background. The movie has good lines of dialogue. The early scene where Mr Skeffington arrives just before a Trellis dinner party is excellent. The film loses momentum about half way through however.
There are a couple of world wars going on in the background and hints of anti-semitism but the mindset of the movie is the Bette Davis character's, who sails through life pleasing herself, being admired and worshipped and forever breaking lunch engagements with the always unseen Janey Clarkson. The last scene is a cliche but Davis and Rains pull it off like the professionals they were. We won't see their like again.