Mr. Skeffington
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Movie Reviews of Mr. Skeffington
Movie Review: Ms. Davis yet again isn't afraid to play a flawed, less than admirable character
Summary: 4 Stars
A vivid, sprawling, involving story about a woman who takes her beauty and charm for granted, reveling in the superficial benefits they attract while letting genuine opportunities for love and meaning pass her by. I think we all have met people like this, sharp and attractive and clever in their teens, twenties, and thirties, but then lonely and a bit paunchy as they enter their forties, because- way back when- they couldn't bring themselves to settle down with just one of the cute and charming people in their circle when they had the chance, because there were just too darn many of them to enjoy. Of course, the tragedy of people like Bette Davis' Mrs. Skeffington character is that, even if they did have a moment of clarity while still young and alluring, many still would choose the sweet, momentary pleasures instead of taking the time to build something more meaningful.
Warner Home Video's DVD of "Mr. Skeffington" features sharp picture and sound, a brief but illuminating featurette about the movie, and a couple of short subjects that might have been shown with the film during its original release.
Movie Review: What an interesting movie!
Summary: 4 Stars
If you like old classic movies...
I love it when the ending is unpredictable. The acting was great, the movie kept my attention and it had some good life lessons illustrated.
The only thing was...one has to suspend disbelief to accept that Bette Davis was the most beautiful woman in New York. She did such a great job of acting - as always - that one may not mind that. I didn't.
Movie Review: Great performances
Summary: 3 Stars
"Mr. Skeffington" is another one of those 40s films that is absorbed with the life and times of the wealthy - e.g., "The Philadelphia Story" (1940), "Citizen Kane" (1941), "King's Row" (1942), "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1943), etc. Skeffington is a 1944 film concerned with life among the wealthy from 1914 to 1940. It's a tour d'force for Bette Davis and Claude Rains, and includes excellent supporting performances from Walter Abel, Richard Waring, John Alexander, Jerome Cowan, Peter Whitney, and Bill Kennedy.
Bette Davis is a film icon. She appeared in nearly 100 films, was nominated for an Oscar 11 times and won twice ("Dangerous" in 1935 and "Jezebel" in 1939), nominated for an Emmy 4 times and won once ("Strangers" in 1979), 3 Golden Globe Nominations, and for "All About Eve" (1950) she won awards at Cannes, in Italy, and the New York Film Critics. According to AFI she is the #2 female screen legend . Some reviewers have commented on Davis' "beauty" in relation to the story, but IMHO I think she pulls it off. Being an eligible young woman has more to do than the simple physical appearance of her face, and Davis' face is attractive enough to make the film believable.
Claude Rains was one of the greatest actors of the 20th century and a personal favorite of his co-star, Bette Davis. He appeared in only a few dozen films, but was nominated 4 times for an Oscar ("Notorious" in 1946, "Mr. Skeffington" in 1944, "Casablanca" in 1942, and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" in 1939) although many people remember him best for "The Invisible Man" (1933) or "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938). Rains plays Mr. Skeffington. His performance is a true example of less is more.
Walter Abel (1898-1987) appeared in more than 50 films, and is best known for his work on "The Three Musketeers" (1935) as D'Artagnan. He does an excellent job playing Davis' down to earth cousin.
Davis' persistent suitors form a sort of chorus. They are John Alexander, Jerome Cowan, Peter Whitney, and Bill Kennedy.
- Jerome Cowan (1897-1972) appeared in more than 100 films, remembered best for his roles as the DA in "Miracle on 34th Street", Dagwood's boss Mr. Radcliffe in the "Blondie" series (1938-43), and Bogart's partner Miles Archer from "The Maltese Falcon" (1941).
- Peter Whitney (1916-72) appears much younger, smaller, and far tamer in this film than he did in the 100+ films in which he was a huge, strong, and generally dull presence with bushy eyebrows. We know him best from his omnipresence on TV in the 60s when he appeared in just about every Western on TV with names like "Moose", "Big Bill", "Fat Augie", and "The Giant".
- John Alexander (1897-1982) is best known for playing Teddy Roosevelt in "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944), one of 30 films in which he appeared.
- Bill Kennedy (1908-97) appeared in more than 50 films, but it's his distinctive voice that you'll recall. Among other roles, he was the announcer for the TV series "Superman" (1952-8)
Vincent Sherman (1906-2006) directs. He began a love affair with Bette Davis in 1943 ("Old Acquaintance") and it continued through the filming of Mr. Skeffington. Sherman followed Davis with Joan Crawford, making "Baby Jane" a little more understandable. Though he made films with Bogart ("Return of Dr. X", "All Through the Night", "Across the Pacific"), his good friend Errol Flynn ("Adventures of Don Juan"), Clark Gable ("Lone Star"), etc., he is generally known as a "woman's director."Sherman was investigated by HUAC in the 50s, which ended his film career and he made the transition to TV where he worked on series such as "The Waltons", "Baretta" and "77 Sunset Strip".
Julius and twin brother Philip Epstein co-wrote and co-produced. They're best known for "Casablanca" (1942) for which they won the Academy Award and also were nominated 3 more times - in 1938 ("Four Daughters"), 1973 ("Pete n'Tillie"), and 1984 ("Reuben, Reuben"). My favorite Epstein film is "The Man Who Came to Dinner" (1942), in which Davis also appeared.
Ernest Haller (1896-1970) provides beautiful black and white photography. He filmed more than 100 movies and was nominated for an Oscar 7 times, three times for films with Bette Davis ("Jezebel" in 1938, "All This and Heaven Too" in 1940, and "Whatever Happened to baby Jane?" in 1962), and won once for "GWTW" (1939).
Franz Waxman provides the score. Waxman was nominated for an Oscar 10 times and won twice ("A Place in the Sun" and "Sunset Blvd"). He was a favorite of Hitchcock who used him in 4 films and earned 2 of his Oscar nominations ("Rebecca" and "Suspicion"). Waxman is generally not known for his comedies, having to his credit films like "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), "Fury" (1936), Captains Courageous" (1937) etc. Nonetheless, I think the music adds to the film, which is perhaps not unlike his work on "The Philadelphia Story" (1940).
The film is a strange blend of romance, comedy, and drama, not necessarily successfully mixed. This may be Sherman's fault, as we can see this same problem in his work on "All Through the Night" which begins as a fast paced comedy and transitions awkwardly into a spy flick. Skeffington, for the first 40 minutes or so, is a mildly amusing look at the social elite, but with the death of one of the central characters the film takes a dark turn from which it never emerges. There is a scene with a so-called Psychoanalyst that is very funny, by itself, but it comes bracketed by Davis' concern with her failing looks and as such seems out of place in what has otherwise turned into a drama.
The film is definitely worth a look for the performances of Davis and Rains, but there are better romances, better comedies, and better period pieces if that's what you're looking for.
Movie Review: too smart for the role
Summary: 3 Stars
Yes, a must for Bette Davis fans (and at age 43, she is still MY favorite actress), but for me Fanny Trellis never really works because Bette Davis is so darn intelligent that I can never completely buy her character as an airhead. In fact, a more shallow actress might have made the character more interesting! Clothes and sets are fantastic, though. I will say this...she did convice me she was beautiful. One of my favorite scenes in a movie is her bursting through with "George, George dahling!" So fun to imitate!Movie Review: Not for Bette
Summary: 2 Stars
I love Bette Davis, and have many of her films, but the absurd characters of Mr and Mrs. Skefinton is so idiotic and unsympatheic, that it doesn't fit Davis or Raines. Ms. Davis has played the spoiled rich beautiful young woman before, as in Jezebel, and done it well, but the characters around her were written well also, and the costumes worked well, not so in Mr. Skefington.
The story is simply unbelievable. Mr. Skefington, Claude Rains, plays a proud man who came from a poor family, but because of his intellect and ability, became a rich, smart and shrewed business man. From that character, he is turned into a blitering idiot after he meets Bette. He allows her to turn him into a weak and naive man without any strenght of character. Also in this film, Bette's very high pitched voice, which got higher as she got older was nerve wracking. This part was not for Ms. Davis or Mr. Raines.