In This Our Life (1942)

Released in 1942 by Warner Bros. and directed by John Huston, In This Our Life is a drama adapted from the novel of the same title written by Ellen Glasgow. The film stars Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland as sisters - Stanley and Roy respectively - two very different women born to the wealthy Timberlake family of Richmond, Virginia.

We learn at the onset that the sisters' father, Asa (Frank Craven) has just lost his portion of a successful tobacco company to his wife, Lavinia's (Billie Burke) brother, William (Charles Coburn).

Roy is married to Dr. Peter Kingsmill (Dennis Morgan) and runs a successful operation as an interior decorator, while Stanley is just days away from marrying her fiance, Craig (played by George Brent).

The evening before her wedding Stanley runs off with Peter and it becomes apparent to everyone that they've been having an affair for some time now. Roy is devastated, but her hurt quickly turns to anger and she vows to move on with her life. She divorces Peter and he and Stanley marry and move to Baltimore soon after.

Stanley's betrayal forms a sort of bond between Roy and Craig and the two become friends then, over time, their friendship turns into romantic love.

Of course, while things are starting to look up for Roy, Stanley's situation has grown progressively worse. Her wild nature and Peter's hard drinking have resulted in an unhappy marriage and soon word reaches the Timberlake clan that Peter has killed himself, which means Stanley is moving back to Richmond...



Bette Davis initially pursued the role of Roy, but was forced to take the role of Stanley instead. She felt she was too old for the role and was dissatisfied with the script and the film, which she thought was a watered-down version of a powerful and moving novel that shed light on racial injustice.

I haven't read the novel, so perhaps my opinion of the movie would be different if I had, but I enjoyed the film and found it to be an entertaining diversion. Bette Davis is always interesting, even if I do think she was miscast - I had no problem with her age, but I didn't find her entirely believable as a femme fatale.

Olivia de Havilland is lovely, as usual. She had the "woman of quiet dignity" part down pat, didn't she? The role of the "good sister" suits her well in the film and she looks absolutely gorgeous.

Charles Coburn is sufficiently creepy as the sisters' uncle who has an unnatural interest in niece Stanley. George Brent and Dennis Morgan are nice additions to the film, though there isn't a lot of dialogue for either of them, which I found disappointing. It was interesting to see Morgan in an unflattering role as a cheating husband.

The film also features Hattie McDaniel as Minerva Clay, Parry's mother and the Timberlakes' maid. Unfortunately, it's a very small role for her. (I was also disappointed with Billie Burke's very boring role as the sickly mother.)

In an effort to avoid spoiler alerts, I won't go into specifics, but I will say that I really enjoyed Ernest Anderson's portrayal of Parry Clay, a young African American man who aspires to become a lawyer. It was so refreshing to see a film from this time period portray a person of color in a positive and realistic light. Anderson won the 1942 National Board of Review award for Best Actor for his performance.

Overall I enjoyed In This Our Life and found it to be a solid drama with a fine cast. An extra ten minutes might have helped to flesh out the characters a bit and I think the film would have been more powerful if we had been given more time to truly understand and care about the characters and what happens to them.

Dark Victory (1939)

Released in 1939, Dark Victory is a Warner Bros. film starring Bette Davis, George Brent and Geraldine Fitzgerald. I had seen the movie before, years ago, and remembered that it had impressed me, so I was curious to find out if I would still find it as wonderful as I had then.

Well, let me just say, I was glued to the TV and cried like a baby. I was not disappointed.  



Bette Davis stars as Judith Traherne, a young, carefree Long Island socialite with a wild streak and an indulgent lifestyle. 

Judy has been feeling poorly for a while now - headaches, dizzy spells, double vision - but she stubbornly refuses to seek help.  A scare while racing her horse and a tumble down the stairs lead Judy's friend Ann (Geraldine Fitzgerald) to call the family doctor, Parsons (Henry Travers).

Judith is uncooperative, refusing to admit that there is anything the matter with her. Still, Dr. Parsons is worried and feels that she requires a specialist.  He visits fellow colleague Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent), a brain surgeon who has just closed his practice so he can move to Vermont and devote his time to brain cell research.  Dr. Steele is reluctant to meet the patient, but Dr. Parsons' obvious concern finally convinces him to see her.

Judy is cavalier, even rude, during her meeting with Dr. Steele, responding to his questions with answers intended to shock.  But Steele isn't fooled - he can see that she is scared and it's this fear that is driving her to pretend everything is fine.  He calls her out on it and his directness helps her accept that she is ill and needs help.

"I'm accustomed to a reasonable quantity of tobacco and alcohol..."

Judy is tested thoroughly and the results are not good: she has a malignant brain tumor, just as Steele had suspected.  She agrees to surgery to remove the tumor and puts on a brave face.  Steele performs the surgery and, although Judy survives the procedure, it is not a true success.

The doctors were unable to remove all of the tumor and it will grow back over time. A second surgery is impossible. Judy  has only months to live.  

Dark Victory is filled with emotion - tragic, hopeful and quietly powerful. Many of its most potent and poignant moments can be attributed to a single expression - Davis could say more with one look than many actors could with a hundred words.  

Davis' role as Judith Traherne was her own personal favorite and garnered a nomination for a Best Actress Oscar, but she and the film were up against tough competition that year and the award instead went to Vivien Leigh for her role as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind.  The film was nominated for Best Picture (but lost to Gone With the Wind) and the score, which was composed by Max Steiner, also received an Oscar nod.  In fact, Steiner received two nominations that year for Best Original Score, one for Dark Victory and the other for Gone With the Wind, but the award went to Herbert Stothart for The Wizard of Oz.

Overall, the supporting cast is good.  George Brent’s Dr. Steele is self-possessed and kind, the perfect steadying influence on Judy.  I was particularly touched by his performance during the scene where he explains his reasons to Ann for keeping Judy’s prognosis from her.  It was evident even then that he had already fallen in love with Judy.  I was surprised to discover that Brent appeared in many films - thirteen of them - with Bette Davis.  I remember him best for his role in The Spiral Staircase.

I loved Geraldine Fitzgerald in this film  – her performance as loyal, caring Ann is fantastic.  She embodies the ideal friend. It was a real treat for me to see Fitzgerald once again as a young woman - I am a rabid fan of The Golden Girls, so I see her two performances in that show as an elderly woman often.  She was a wonderful actress all throughout her career.  In fact, her role as Anna in the Mother's Day episode of The Golden Girls earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series.  (I adore that episode!)

Henry Travers has a small role as Dr. Parsons and he is solid, as usual.  Humphrey Bogart's part as Irish stablemaster Michael O'Leary seemed unnecessary to me.  I don't know if it was just the role or if it was Bogart's performance, but I felt the film would have been better without his role.  (And I'm a Bogie fan, so that's saying something.)  Another notable part was that of Alex, one of Judy's society pals, played by a very young Ronald Reagan.  The role was one of his earliest and one he apparently hated.

So, I guess all I can say is: if you like Bette Davis (and crying your eyes out), watch this movie!  It is, simply put, beautiful.