This movie gets one thinking about the nature of love, about the hidden and unhidden elements of relationships. Through the main characters' on and off romance, the subtleties of the dynamic between man and woman is explored in its extremes.
A movie can't treat this as thoroughly as a well-written novel. It has to become its own thing and express in its own way, which this movie does brilliantly. Leslie Howard and Bette Davis gave some of their best performances in this movie, and truly gave us reason to feel for each of the characters and want the best for them.
Leslie's performance make me wondered why he's not mentioned more often as one of the greats of this era. Bette's work on this film underscores why she is mentioned so much as a screen legend. Just before watching this, I watched "Petrified Forest" with him and Bette Davis and it was equally impressive in a totally different way. Where that movie was tight and terse in its plot, this one was just as much so in its characters. It turns out to be a very nice exploration of what makes us fall in love and fall out.
A movie can't treat this as thoroughly as a well-written novel. It has to become its own thing and express in its own way, which this movie does brilliantly. Leslie Howard and Bette Davis gave some of their best performances in this movie, and truly gave us reason to feel for each of the characters and want the best for them.
Leslie's performance make me wondered why he's not mentioned more often as one of the greats of this era. Bette's work on this film underscores why she is mentioned so much as a screen legend. Just before watching this, I watched "Petrified Forest" with him and Bette Davis and it was equally impressive in a totally different way. Where that movie was tight and terse in its plot, this one was just as much so in its characters. It turns out to be a very nice exploration of what makes us fall in love and fall out.
