A quality A-production from Warner Brothers. All the ingredients are here - David is the centre role as the spoiled daughter of a once-rich family, Olivia de Havilland as her kinder, long-suffering sister. Charles Coburn has a great turn as a roguish and slightly creepy uncle, and Billie Burke does her usual schtick as a twittery, not-quite-there mother. With stellar direction from John Huston and and a typically great score by the equally great Max Steiner, this is entertainment firing on all six cylinders.
What I love about Davis is that she was never afraid to play horrible characters. While other actors of the era wanted to be liked by audiences, Davis never cared. I guess that what makes the storytelling so compelling. Bette gives it everything she's got. And then just a bit more. Sure, a couple of her scenes are a bit overdone. And as such, de Havilland seems restrained in comparison ... but melodrama needs to be melodramatic. I don't think anyone could say that In This Our Life doesn't deliver.
What I love about Davis is that she was never afraid to play horrible characters. While other actors of the era wanted to be liked by audiences, Davis never cared. I guess that what makes the storytelling so compelling. Bette gives it everything she's got. And then just a bit more. Sure, a couple of her scenes are a bit overdone. And as such, de Havilland seems restrained in comparison ... but melodrama needs to be melodramatic. I don't think anyone could say that In This Our Life doesn't deliver.