MR. SKEFFINGTON
(1944)With Bette Davis, Claude Rains, Walter Abel, Richard Waring, George Coulouris
Directed by Vincent Sherman
Black and White
Reviewed by JL
The sort of soap-opera
epic that would be mini-series fodder today, MR. SKEFFINGTON is a
mostly effective examination of vanity, faith and redemption, and
social mores. I have trouble accepting Bette Davis as "the most
beautiful woman in New York," and she can be a bit shrill and annoying
in later scenes when she's trying to pull off her middle-aged coquette
act. But there's no denying that her Oscar-nominated performance
is powerful, or that she fulfills well her responsibilities of driving
the film's pace and setting its tone. Claude Rains (also
Oscar-nominated) delivers a moving and understated performance as Job
(how subtle) Skeffington, the Jewish investment broker whose emotional
suffering during his loveless marriage to Davis nearly equals the
physical suffering he endures in Nazi captivity. The DVD release
restores the film to its original 147-minute running time and includes
a commentary track by 99-year-old director Vincent Sherman. 
- JL
http://thestuffyougottawatch.com
Copyright © 2010 John V. Brennan, John Larrabee