More good drama from Warners with Bette Davis and Claude Rains. These two shared a terrific screen rapport, and MR SKEFFINGTON is perhaps the best example of their playing together.
Davis stars as Fanny Trellis, an extremely vain woman who values her looks above everything else. She does car fore her brother Trippy (Richard Waring) though, and marries the rich Claude Rains in order to help him financially. Rains is completely in love with Davis, and silently, lovingly, waits in the background hoping that Davis will some day feel the same way about him.
Rains is just brilliant in his role, he's the one we remember even if he does disappear from the film for about 45 minutes. His scene with his screen daughter is probably the most emotional moment I can think of that Rains played- bar, perhaps, realising his love for cool blonde wife Ann Todd is "of the romantic kind" in Lean's THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS. Davis is fascinating as Fanny Trellis in a role that Davis normally didn't gravitate towards. Davis, even if she isn't possessed with Vivien Leigh-like looks, makes us truly believe that she is indeed the belle of the ball through her feminine, flighty mannerisms, soft vocal tone and vacuous giggling at her many admirers. She's a woman who lives a life of delusion, and there are very few moments on film so honest as the talking-to the older Fanny (who has lost her looks and is plastered in make-up) gets from a psychiatrist! Walter Abel gives great support, solid as a rock, as Fanny's cousin. Richard Waring, however, is a different matter altogether. His acting is quite bad and when he does act, he overacts. Davis' devotion to her brother Waring is made to seem ridiculous, and Fanny stupid, by Waring's portrayal. This has the effect of shifting more audience sympathy onto Rains, which I don't think is quite the effect the scriptwriters were hoping for.
The film covers a lot of ground, taking in WW1, the roaring 20s (Bette in flapper dress) and the rise of Hitler in Europe through the 30's. It's a long haul, yet it's worth it for Rains and Davis. Love is truly blind (metaphorically and literally) in this film, and you want to kick Davis for not realising the deep, abiding love of her husband. However, the ending is quite satisfying as Fanny Trellis finally learns that "A woman is only ever truly beautiful when she is loved". Amen to that.
Davis stars as Fanny Trellis, an extremely vain woman who values her looks above everything else. She does car fore her brother Trippy (Richard Waring) though, and marries the rich Claude Rains in order to help him financially. Rains is completely in love with Davis, and silently, lovingly, waits in the background hoping that Davis will some day feel the same way about him.
Rains is just brilliant in his role, he's the one we remember even if he does disappear from the film for about 45 minutes. His scene with his screen daughter is probably the most emotional moment I can think of that Rains played- bar, perhaps, realising his love for cool blonde wife Ann Todd is "of the romantic kind" in Lean's THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS. Davis is fascinating as Fanny Trellis in a role that Davis normally didn't gravitate towards. Davis, even if she isn't possessed with Vivien Leigh-like looks, makes us truly believe that she is indeed the belle of the ball through her feminine, flighty mannerisms, soft vocal tone and vacuous giggling at her many admirers. She's a woman who lives a life of delusion, and there are very few moments on film so honest as the talking-to the older Fanny (who has lost her looks and is plastered in make-up) gets from a psychiatrist! Walter Abel gives great support, solid as a rock, as Fanny's cousin. Richard Waring, however, is a different matter altogether. His acting is quite bad and when he does act, he overacts. Davis' devotion to her brother Waring is made to seem ridiculous, and Fanny stupid, by Waring's portrayal. This has the effect of shifting more audience sympathy onto Rains, which I don't think is quite the effect the scriptwriters were hoping for.
The film covers a lot of ground, taking in WW1, the roaring 20s (Bette in flapper dress) and the rise of Hitler in Europe through the 30's. It's a long haul, yet it's worth it for Rains and Davis. Love is truly blind (metaphorically and literally) in this film, and you want to kick Davis for not realising the deep, abiding love of her husband. However, the ending is quite satisfying as Fanny Trellis finally learns that "A woman is only ever truly beautiful when she is loved". Amen to that.