In This Our Life
1939  NR  DRAMA  1h 37min
CAST— Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, George Brent, Dennis Morgan, Charles Coburn, Frank Craven, Billie Burke, Hattie McDaniel, Lee Patrick, Ernest Anderson
MUSIC— Max Steiner  DIRECTOR— John Huston  BASED ON— In This Our Life (novel), by Ellen Glasgow

     In a typically overstated performance Bette Davis shows the audience her true talent. She plays a snotty young woman who steals sister Olivia de Havilland’s husband, later regretting it when they become bored with each other. He turns to the bottle and eventually kills himself, leaving poor little put upon Davis with no choice but to return to her family, where she finds that her old beau has become chummy with her sister. She decides to steal him back, of course, but he’ll have none of that. The film really picks up speed when Davis carelessly runs down a pedestrian and does everything in her power to slither her way out of the hot water she’s found herself in. A prime showcase for Davis’ overacting, in the type of role she was born to play.
OUR RATING— ** ½