In This Our Life (1942) or, Sisterhood Be Damned!

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Serene and lovely, a classical poster for John Huston and Raoul Walsh's In This Our Life

With outspoken and devil-may-care attitude Virginian Stanley ruins her sister's coming marriage by eloping with her man to be. But that life doesn't last.

In This Our Life is written by Howard Koch (The 13th Letter (1951)), adapting the same-titled 1941 novel by Ellen Glasgow (Virginia (1913)), and directed by Missourian master filmmaker John Huston (The Maltese Falcon (1941)), whose 2nd film it was, with uncredited co-direction from great New-Yorker filmmaker Raoul Walsh (The Regeneration (1915)).

A gloriously directed melodrama with pristine images (remastered to crisp perfection, cinematography by Ernest Haller (The 3rd Voice (1960))), and Bette Davis (All About Eve (1950)) in a performance of unbridled recklessness, which still today stands as utterly relevant as a portrayal of that type of person who only take themselves into consideration and always disregard those who might get in their way.

Olivia de Havilland (Gone with the Wind (1939)) is fine as the 'good sister', and so are the male actors, and the film is also esteemed by a race angle to its story, since Stanley is also willing to destroy her black help's life in order to be free.

 

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High Sierra (1941) - Bogart steals the silver screen

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 713k $

Box office: 2.7 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 3.78 times its cost)

[In This Our Life premiered 7 May (New York) and runs 97 minutes. Warner Bros. paid 40k $ for the film rights to Glasgow's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, and Koch toned down the risqué topical material (incest and racism) to suit the censorship. Shooting took place from October - December 1941 in California. Davis fought costume, hair, make-up and other involved departments during production and disliked the script, later declaring herself "disgusted" by the outcome, which she deemed  "phony film". De Havilland reportedly carried on an affair with Huston during shooting. It is the 3rd of 6 that the female co-stars appeared in together. America's entrance in WWII, due to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7 1941, pulled Huston away from filming at the behest of the US Department of War, and Walsh was put in charge of direction at the late stage, seemingly finishing the film for his 20 years younger colleague. The Office of Censorship 'disapproved' the film for foreign distribution due to its truthful depiction of racial discrimination (the black character's legal testimony is deemed ineffectual simply due to his race), but the film was somehow released abroad nevertheless: It grossed 1.6 mil. $ (59.3 % of the total gross) in North America. It won 3 National Board of Review awards. Huston returned with Winning Your Wings (1942, short) and theatrically with Across the Pacific (1942); Walsh with Desperate Journey (1942). Davis returned in Now, Voyager (1942); and De Havilland in Thank You Lucky Stars (1943). 5.4k+ IMDb users have given In This Our Life a 7.3/10 average rating.]

What do you think of In This Our Life?

The Great Lie (1941) - Astor and Davis shine in Goulding's over-the-top melodrama

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Star Bette Davis looks mysterious and far away up against co-star George Brent on this poster for Edmund Goulding's The Great Lie

A chivalrous pilot in a drunken bout marries a troublesome pianist, - but does that then for sure means that they are married? And what about the virtuous Maggie, which it seems he really loves...?

 

The Great Lie is written by Lenore J. Coffee (Honor of the Family (1931)), adapting January Heights (1936) by Polan Banks, and directed by Edmund Goulding (Sun-Up (1925)).

The plot, which includes a fake child, a plane accident and the most incredible developments imaginable, is positively ludicrous, - residing in the category that may be called 'melodrama bonkers', - and the film must be seen partly for this quality, but also for the outstanding, skilled performances from Mary Astor (Across the Pacific (1942)) - as the pianist, - and Bette Davis (The Scapegoat (1959)) as the good girl Maggie. The Great Lie also has Hattie MacDaniel (Sky Racket (1937)) as a laughably sentimental black house mama. 

Related post:

Edmund Goulding: Grand Hotel (1932) - Loose star vehicle with some charm and two magnificent dames

 

Watch a 4-minute excerpt from the film here

 

Cost: 689k $

Box office: Unknown, reportedly a "solid hit"

= Uncertain

[The Great Lie premiered 5 April (Littleton, New Hampshire) and runs 108 minutes. Davis was unexcited about the part but took it to play a sympathetic character, which her fans had beckoned her to do. She fought hard to get Astor cast, and the two reportedly found the screenplay to "stink", eliminating several "soap opera elements" while adding new things for their characters instead. Davis was reportedly paid 4,500 $ a week during shooting, which took place from October - December 1940 in California. Astor was a capable pianist but mimicked playing anyway. The box office information about the film is regrettably unavailable online. A Goulding biographer calls the film a "solid hit" without backing it up with any numbers. It was only released in several countries 2-3 years after WWII, that is in 1947 and 1948. Astor won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, and the film also won a National Board of Review award. Goulding returned with Forever and a Day (1943). Davis returned with an uncredited cameo in Shining Victory (1941) and front-and-center in The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941). 3,472 IMDb users have given The Great Lie a 7.2/10 average rating.]

What do you think of The Great Lie?