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Reviews
The Whales of August (1987)
A beautiful film, but marred by Bette Davis
This is the sort of film I am most fond of. Things like On Golden Pond, Four Seasons, A Foreign Field...
Lillian Gish, in her last role, is wonderful, giving a gentle and moving performance. Ann Southern and Vincent Price are also equally professional and moving. But Bette Davis is out of her depth here. Not only is she giving her usual one note performance and plays the role without an ounce of sincerity.
This is not unusual for Bette, but it is more acceptable in the type of films she usually made like Dead Ringer, Beyond the Forest and Bunny O'Hare. Here, it is the one sour note in an otherwise glorious film.
Burnt Offerings (1976)
The only frightening thing about this film is Bette Davis' acting...God help us all!
After the wonderful House of Dark Shadows, Night of Dark Shadows and some very fine TV films, it was a shock to see something so awful turn up from Dan Curtis. Bad editing does not even come close to being an excuse here.
While the other actors, professionals all, struggle to bring SOMETHING to their lackluster roles, Bette Davis is the worst. Her behavior on the set of this film was, as always, bad enough. But to see her "acting" in this film is a gross embarrassment and very painful to watch. The scene with Karen when she is accused of hurting the boy is so bad that you actually want to run from the film screaming - which is about the only thing that DOES make you want to scream! Awful.
All About Eve (1950)
Even Bette Davis could not give a bad performance with a good script like this!
Here is a film that is flawless. Acting, direction, editing; all of it. The only thing one can wonder is that, if Joan Crawford had been available to say yes to the role, could it have been even better than Davis' obvious (and very good) imitation of Tallulah Bankhead? We will never know. Nonetheless, this is the sort of film one buys to keep.
Beyond the Forest (1949)
The sort of thing Bette did well.
That being campy trash. In a career filled with it, she excels here, dishing out trite, banal lines in her usual staccato delivery, flaming and fawning all over the place in a true delight to her somewhat misguided fans. One could rarely accuse her of great acting, but great bravado camp was right up her alley (watch What Ever Happened to Baby Jane and you will see what I mean. Joan Crawford acted, Bette gave us bravado camp...).
The Letter (1940)
A fine film, but a one note performance from Davis spoils it
This is indeed a great film: thrilling and inspiring. But Davis gives yet ANOTHER of her one note performances and keeps it from being a 10 star film. It is a shame the producers could not have given the role to someone of a more iridescent artistic ability like Joan Crawford, Vivien Leigh or Rosalind Russell. They certainly would have created a true classic in every sense of the word. Pity.
Juarez (1939)
Not the worst, but not the best.
Paul Muni gives one of his better performances here, and the film is fairly engrossing, but Bette Davis is totally wrong for the role. Not a particularly good actress, her limited talents do not extend far enough to bring her role to life. She was much more convincing in trash like Beyond the Forest. Luise Rainer would have done much better here.
Dark Victory (1939)
A rare chance to see Bette do some real acting...
Bette Davis was not a very good actress. But when paired with a director who knew how to push the right buttons, once in a while she came out looking good. This is one such moment. In a script that calls for her to be both tough and tender, she excels brilliantly. The film is a beautiful one with a message that comes through crystal clear.
Sadly, the one sour note is (amazingly) Humphrey Bogart. Rare for him, he just cannot handle the role of an Irishman - his accent is an abomination. Still, it is a terrific film worth repeated viewing.
Berserk (1967)
Great flick for this genre
A powerful Joan Crawford portrayal makes this film above average for the mystery/suspense genre. Despite some poor dialogue, Berserk remains a jolting film to this day, with kudos to Judy Geeson, Diana Dors and Robert Hardy. Some people do not care for the circus scenes, but I feel that they lend credibility to the proceedings. Best moments: Joan being stalked; Joan walking all over Diana Dors; the ending - a knockout!
Della (1965)
Brilliant late Crawford
An amazing film, which was a pilot for a series that did not sell, "Royal Bay". A combination of mystery and melodrama with a sad yet beautiful ending, Crawford's characterization is flawless in a role which calls for her to be tough yet compassionate, and Paul Burke, Charles Bickford and Diane Baker turn in fine performances as well.