The Old Maid
by Edmund Goulding
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bette Davis, Donald Crisp, George Brent, Jane Bryan, Miriam HopkinsDirector: Edmund Goulding
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Running Time: 95 minutes
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Old Maid
Movie Review: A mother's self-sacrificing love...
Summary: 5 Stars
Lush and yet beautifully quiet, `The Old Maid' is one of those films that you may never see because its stars went on to make more noted films, but that's what makes discovering this beautiful film all the more exciting. With stellar performances by the entire cast (especially a young and remarkably mature Bette Davis) and a script that will leave you in tears, `The Old Maid' is the definition of a hidden gem.
Coming out in the year of all years (1939), it is easy to see how a film like `The Old Maid' could be overlooked with sweeping Hollywood epics and starry-eyed fairytales devouring the critical bests of the year. Bette Davis herself starred in a slew of films this very year, and wound up Oscar nominated for her turn in `Dark Victory'. Despite that, it is a shame that `The Old Maid' walked away without a mere mention at the Academy Awards, for it is a beautifully told and crafted film about love, life and sacrifice.
Charlotte and Delia are cousins. On the outset of the film, the wealthy and rather spoiled Delia is getting married, only to find that her lover, Clem, has finally returned from war to make her his bride. She maintains composure and goes through with her wedding, while Charlotte confesses her love for Clem and soon finds herself pregnant with his child, only to hear of his death overseas. Instead of acknowledge her child, Charlotte lives as if Clementina is just an orphan staying in the orphanage she helps manage. When Charlotte is about to wed Delia's brother-in-law her secret is revealed and her life is thrust into turmoil. In order to care for her daughter the best way possible, Charlotte winds up moving in with Delia and soon finds that her own daughter starts gravitating towards Delia and considers her, her mother.
Thus, Charlotte becomes nothing but an old maid.
Davis is spectacular here, for she really understands the heartbreak that her character is undergoing. She emulates that sheltered love very well, wearing a mask of harshness that is lifted ever so lightly by the devastation and pain in her eyes. Miriam Hopkins is also quite good here (she reminds me a lot of Lana Turner in her roles in films like `Imitation of Life'), but Davis acts circles around her (Davis does have the meatier role). I also really adored Donald Crisp here (such a standout supporting player he was) and Jane Bryan's frustrated tantrums were effectively handled without ever straying into that `actorly' territory.
In the end I really, really must recommend this film. It is such a beautiful portrayal of parental love and sacrifice. The pre-wedding night scene, where Charlotte enters her daughter's room, is just so heart-swelling; and that final kiss carries such emotional weight. This film captures the true meaning of parenthood, even if this extreme case is one that hopefully we will never have to endure.
Summary of The Old Maid
AN AUTHENTIC REGION 1 DVD FROM WARNER BROTHERS. SYNOPSIS: Based on an Edith Wharton novel and Pulitzer Prize-winning play, The Old Maid tells the sad story of Charlotte, a woman whose circumstances force her to give up her illegitimate child and pose as the child's "old maid" aunt, thereby facing a lifetime of maternal sacrifice. As Charlotte, Bette Davis gives one of her most nuanced performances, aging from wide-eyed girl to gray-haired martinet. Miriam Hopkins provides effective counterbalance with her portrayal of Charlotte's effusive cousin, who raises the little girl. Two women, one child - and a brilliant example of melodrama as art. BONUS FEATURES: * Warner Night at the Movies 1939 short subjects gallery: o Vintage newsreel o Technicolor historical short Lincoln in the White House o Howard Hill sports short Sword Fishing o Classic cartoons The Film Fan and Kristopher Kolumbus o Trailers of The Old Maid and 1939's Confessions of a Nazi SpySimilar DVD Movies
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