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There's ample satisfaction in watching Bette Davis
chew the scenery unlike some of her contemporaries because,
frankly, she had the acting chops to completely chew up
every morsel. The third volume of "The Bette Davis Collection"
provides fans with six new to DVD films from the Warner
catalog that captures Davis in peak form. As with all these
collections, some films are better than others but the best
here makes this set essential for fans. ***
"The Old Maid" is the oldest of the bunch dating from
1939 and featuring Davis along side Miriam Hopkins in a
love triangle with George Brent set during the Civil War.
This type of play makes you wonder about the taste of the
Pulitzer committee (the play won that prestigious prize).
***
"All This And Heaven Too" features a strong performance
from co-star Charles Boyer as Davis' love interest in a
story where Davis plays a governess who falls for the man
of the household where she works. It features a great and
more restrained performance from Davis ***
"The Great Lie" has Davis again as a woman in love
with an unobtainable man once again played by George Brent
who is torn between two woman (the second is actress Mary
Astor who won an Oscar for her role). ***
"In This Our Life" is directed by John Huston. Don't
let that fool you as this isn't the Huston of "The Maltese
Falcon". Huston takes what is basically a typical Hollywood
melodrama and blows it up even larger than life. Basically
recycling the same plot as "The Great Lie" and "The Old
Maid", "In This Our Life" is a typical programmer of the
period and, in spite of Huston as director and co-star Olivia
de Havilland, it isn't a very good one at that. ***
"Watch On The Rhine" stands above all the rest of the
films included here from the casting to the writing and
direction. Based on the play by Lilian Hellman and adapted
by Dashiell Hammett, "Watch On The Rhine" has pedigree.
The plot is pretty much by-the-numbers wartime suspense
drama redeemed by marvelous writing on the part of Hammett,
sharp direction and some strong performances. ***
"Deception" the last of the set features Davis with
co-stars Paul Heinreid and Claude Rains who appeared with
Davis in "Now Voyager". This is the over-the-top type of
drama that one would expect from the period where Davis
plays a concert pianist who is in love with a brute of a
man (Rains of course). When an old lover (Heinreid naturally)
who she believed dead reappears, all heck breaks loose.
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Image & Sound:
As with the other films in the previous collection,
Warner does a good job of making sure these older films
look as good as possible. There are some minor analog imperfections
that crop up now and again due to the age of the source
material but on the whole the image quality is extremely
good with sharp images, solid blacks and nice, crisp grays.
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