Alexander Walker: 'By supressing Davis's emotions, Wyler exposed her genius..' and talks about her stillness, and her glasses 'she puts on at times of crisis to do her lace work add another cold-paned screen between her true nature and us'. He also points out the one moment of alarm she displays, when she bends to pick up the letter Gale Sondergaard has dropped, and the latter steps back, like she's about to strike, and Bette freezes. I have to say this has always been my favourite scene, with the wind blowing the wind chimes, and Max Steiner's music (orchestrated by Friedhofer) emulates the tinkling, with Gaudio's lighting picking up the textures, and the oriental gentleman (Willie Fung) who we are convinced is smoking something illegal before Sondergaard *arrives*.
I find the ending quite shocking. It's a most successful film.
Didn't recognise the lawyer - James Stephenson, who's good. He died of a heart attack in 1941 just before he was about to take the lead role in King's Row... Nor Bruce Lester. (Victor) Sen Yung we knew, and Herbert Marshall of course, and didn't recognise Cecil Kellaway (he's only fleetingly in the party scene).
A Hal B Wallis production of a Somerset Maugham play, written by Howard Koch. Wyler directs in long takes, but Warren Low & George Amy's editing is also notable.
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| Wyler's at it again with one of his all-backs-to-camera shots |
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