A story of sisterly emnity, if you will. Bette Davis portrays a she-devil - conniving, without a conscience, selfish and immature, while Olivia DeHavilland is the prettier, and kindlier sister, without any ulterior motives. Bette steals away w/Olivia's doctor husband, Dennis Morgan, without considering the consequences, of course. Olivia receives a decree of divorcement, and the other two marry - with dire results. In time, the wild Stanley (Ms Davis), is on the loose. On the way back from a nearby bar, she causes a hit and run accident, killing a little girl and severely injuring her mother. (Look closely, and you'll see that the bartender is none other than Walter Huston. Not the first time his director son, John, cast him in an uncredited role. He did the same in "The Maltese Falcon", as the mortally wounded "Captain Jacoby") Naturally, she denies any wrongdoing, and tries to pass blame to Parry, a young black man who aspires to practice law. Justice prevails. Generally, I have no qualms with Bette Davis, in fact, she's one of my all-time favorite actresses in a class of her own. But I do believe that she does overact here in order to compensate the miscasting of a woman who is supposed to be playing someone at least 10 years younger! Olivia DeHavilland is always a pleasure - low-key, professional, and charming in a thankless role. And of course, there is Charles Coburn, as their uncle, Billie Burke and Frank Craven as their parents, Hattie McDaniel as the mother of the innocent Parry in a heartfelt, but small, role, and Ernest Anderson, who portrays a young black man with dignity and intelligence, (which was rare in those times), Dennis Morgan, and George Brent, as the man Stanley scorns, who later falls in love with her sister. This soaper had no easy answers, and a lot of melodrama, and I don't think it was one of the actresses' best works, but it makes for interesting viewing -- if only to see the wicked Bette get her just reward! (An interesting note: How refreshing it was to see the tables turned as these two wonderful actresses were re-teamed in "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte" twenty-odd years later, and Olivia DeHavilland was the EVIL one who made poor Bette's life miserable!)
Review of In This Our Life
