Customer Reviews

The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 3 (The Old Maid / All This, And Heaven Too / The Great Lie / In This Our Life / Watch on the Rhine / Deception)

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This set contains six films, all new to DVD in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Bette Davis' birth. Here we are on the third DVD boxed set of Bette Davis films by Warner Home Video, and we are still getting A List properties. The details are as follows:

In This Our Life (1942) - In my opinion this is one of Davis' best films, yet TCM will show "Jezebel" ten times a year and never show this one. Davis and Olivia De Haviland play sisters. Davis runs off with her sister's husband right before she herself is to be married. As time passes, her ex-fiance falls for De Haviland's character, and they decide to be married. When the husband Davis absconded with kills himself, Davis returns home and decides she wants her ex-fiance back. This film spotlights the kind of scenery-chewing role that Davis excelled at. Extra features include:
Commentary by film historian Jeannine Basinger
Vintage newsreel
Technicolor patriotic short: March On, America!
Technicolor musical short: Spanish Fiesta
Classic cartoon: Who's Who in the Zoo
Trailers of In This Our Life and 1942's Desperate Journey
Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

The Old Maid (1939) - Davis and Miriam Hopkin play cousins. Hopkins is the belle-of-the-ball type who is marrying a well-off man to spite her colorful yet poor suitor that she in fact still harbors deep feelings for. Davis plays Charlotte, the pretty but quiet type who comforts the ex-suitor after Hopkins rejects him. The rejected suitor then goes off to fight in the Civil War and is killed. Years later, as Charlotte is planning her own wedding, her cousin finds out that Charlotte had an illegitimate child by her ex-beau. Her retribution ruins Charlotte's life and yet binds her to Charlotte forever. Extra features include:
Vintage newsreel
Technicolor historical short: Lincoln in the White House
Howard Hill sports short: Sword Fishing
Classic cartoons: The Film Fan and Kristopher Kolumbus
Trailers of The Old Maid and 1939's Confessions of a Spy
Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

All This and Heaven Too (1940)
Davis plays Henriette, a governess to children whose wealthy parents are unhappily married. When the Duke (Charles Boyer) falls in love with Henriette, the angry wife dies a death that appears to be murder. The Duke and Henriette are instantly under suspicion, which is made no better when the Duke dies by his own hand. This leaves Henriette to face the questioning authorities alone. This film features a kinder, gentler, softer Bette Davis than roles she often played. Extra features include:
Commentary by The Women of Warner Bros. author Daniel Bubbeo.
Vintage newsreel
Technicolor patriotic short: Meet the Fleet
Classic cartoons: Hollywood Daffy and Porky's Last Stand
Trailers of All This, and Heaven Too and 1940's Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
Audio-only bonus: Radio show adaptation with the film's stars
Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

The Great Lie (1941)
Another pairing of Davis with George Brent, a leading man with whom she had such great chemistry. George Brent plays Peter, a man who marries concert pianist Sandra (Mary Astor) on an alcohol-induced lark. He really loves Maggie (Bette Davis), and repents at leisure. The marriage turns out not to be legal, Peter goes back to Maggie and marries her, and then disappears in the South American jungle while on an aviation expedition for the government. After Peter's disappearance Sandra discovers she is pregnant with Peter's child - something she doesn't want at all but Maggie desperately does. Extra features include:
Vintage newsreel
Broadway Brevities short: At the Stroke of Twelve
Oscar-nominated Technicolor Sports Parade short: Kings of the Turf
Hollywood Novelty short: Polo with the Stars
Classic cartoon: Porky's Pooch
Trailers of The Great Lie and 1941's The Strawberry Blonde
Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

Deception (1946)
A rather odd but good film. Davis plays pianist Christine Radcliffe who is separated from her great love, cellist Karel Novak (Paul Henreid), by World War II. She presumes he is dead and has had an affair with wealthy and unstable composer Alexander Hollenius (Claude Rains). Karel reappears after the war and he and Christine marry, but she can't shake the spectre of Hollenius who continues to torment her. Hollenius' character could have resulted in over-the-top camp in the hands of a lesser actor, but Rains makes the role work. Extra features include:
Commentary by film historian Foster Hirsch
Vintage newsreel
Oscar-winning Technicolor Sports Parade Short: Facing Your Danger
Technicolor Specials Short: Movieland Magic
Classic cartoon: Mouse Menace
Trailers of Deception and 1946's A Stolen Life
Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

Watch on the Rhine (1943)
Sara (Bette Davis) and Kurt Muller (Paul Lukas) and their three children are returning to her mother's home in Washington DC after 18 years in Europe where Kurt was working for the underground resistance. However, even in his mother-in-law's American home, Kurt can't escape those who would like to do him harm for the work he did in Europe. Extra features include:
Career profile - Bette Davis: A Basically Benevolent Volcano
Commentary by film historian
Technicolor patriotic short: March On, America
Musical short: Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra
Classic cartoon: The Wise Quacking Duck
Trailers of Watch on the Rhine and 1943's Mission to Moscow
Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

Here is a list of the films on this set and the special features, as listed at Turner Classic Movies:

The Old Maid (1939)
Special Features:
· Warner Night at the Movies 1939 short subjects gallery:
- Vintage newsreel
- Technicolor historical short Lincoln in the White House
- Howard Hill sports short Sword Fishing
- Classic cartoons The Film Fan and Kristopher Kolumbus
- Trailers of The Old Maid and 1939's Confessions of a Nazi Spy
· Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

All This, and Heaven Too (1940)
Special Features:
· Commentary by The Women of Warner Bros. author Daniel Bubbeo.
· Warner Night at the Movies 1940 short subjects gallery:
- Vintage newsreel
- Technicolor patriotic short Meet the Fleet
- Classic cartoons Hollywood Daffy and Porky's Last Stand
- Trailers of All This, and Heaven To and 1940's Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
· Audio-only bonus: Radioshow adaptation with the film's stars
· Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

The Great Lie (1941)
Special Features:
· Warner Night at the Movies 1941 Short Subjects Gallery:
- Vintage newsreel
- Broadway Brevities short At the Stroke of Twelve
- Oscar®-nominated Technicolor Sports Parade short Kings of the Turf
- Hollywood Novelty short Polo with the Stars
- Classic cartoon Porky's Pooch
- Trailers of The Great Lie and 1941's The Strawberry Blonde
· Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

Deception (1946)
Special Features:
· Commentary by film historian Foster Hirsch
· Warner Night at the Movies 1946 short subjects gallery:
- Vintage newsreel
- Oscar®-winning Technicolor Sports Parade Short Facing Your Danger
- Technicolor Specials Short Movieland Magic
- Classic cartoon Mouse Menace
- Trailers of Deception and 1946's A Stolen Life
· Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

Watch on the Rhine (1943)
Special Features:
· Career profile Bette Davis: A Basically Benevolent Volcano
· Commentary by film historian Bernard F. Dick
· Warner Night at the Movies 1943 short subjects gallery:
- Technicolor patriotic short March On, America!
- Musical short Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra
- Classic cartoon The Wise Quacking Duck
- Trailers of Watch on the Rhine and 1943's Mission to Moscow
· Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)

Those incredible Bette Davis eyes are on display in this 6 disc example of her films ranging from 1939 to 1946. A young woman who becomes an "old maid", a noble governess, a good girl, a bad girl, a noble wife and a musician---she carries each film with her own brand of style. From dignified performances to all out histrionics, these films show Davis in all her glory when she was the Queen of Warner Brothers. Each disc is seperately packaged in a snap case with art work. The prints are fine with some mild scratching and speckling on some but only minor. A true collector's item. And a fine chance to see Mary Astor's Oscar winning performance in "The Great Lie". Enjoy.

Since this is Volume 3 of the Bette Davis DVD sets, one would expect it to reach into the more controversial of her Warner Brother's legacy. Six films are included as follows:

- in 1939, possibly Davis's best year, "The Old Maid" paired her with the bitchy Miriam Hopkins in an emotional work out as a spinster who lives with her cousin who raises Davis's illegitimate daughter as her own. The film is very well made by Edmund Goulding and based on an Edith Wharton play but it was a dated yarn even in 1939.
- in 1940, "All This and Heaven Too" was filmed as Warner's rival production to "Gone with the Wind", a long and detailed film, the opposite of the normal gutsy Warner's product. Davis plays a governess in the unhappy home of Duke Charles Boyer and the film was based on fact. It is a dull film but Davis underplays poignantly.
- in 1941, "The Great Lie" was an entertaining but absurd soap opera with fireworks from Oscar winning Mary Astor as Davis's rival for the affections of George Brent. This was one of the films which contributed to Davis's reputation for interference. She found the screenplay poor and worked with Astor to re-write it and give it some guts.
- in 1942, the controversial "In This our Life" was released with a thin Davis playing a southern gal wreaking havoc on all around her. The film has underlying themes of racism and incest and is well constructed. Olivia De Havilland plays her sister and they make an interesting contrast. Davis is mannered and frenetic but it is not simple enough to dismiss her performance as such because she absolutely nails a bitch on heat.
- in 1943, "Watch on the Rhine", based on a very successful Broadway play, starred Paul Lukas in an Oscar winning performance as an anti fascist. Davis subdues her fireworks and matches Lukas with a warm and sympathetic portrayal of the wife who understands the reality of her husband's work. The film is stage bound and the children are awful but it is a worthwhile piece of history.
- 1946, Davis was pregnant and insecure and the overwrought "Deception" betrays her personal tensions. The film is high camp entertainment with an over the top Claude Rains as a conductor/composer. A plush melodrama, probably the last real Davis vehicle, what it lacks in credibility, mainly due to the censors, it makes up for in over the top dramatics.

The prints of all of the films are superb. All the disks contain Warner Brother's Night at the Movies, that entertaining program of cartoon, shorts and trailers - something for everyone. There are commentaries on 4 of the films - two good, one not so good and one dreadul. Janine Basinger gets better and better and her comments about "In This Our Life" are first rate. She also has a wry sense of humour which adds so much. The commentary for "Deception" is interesting because the commentator carefully points out how what went on behind the scenes, particularly Davis's personal life at this time, affected what can be seen on the celluloid. This is a good character study of Davis and her art. For "All This in Heaven Too", Daniel Bubbeo lost me in the first 10 minutes when he managed to completely repeat himself, almost word for word. He is wet in the worst sense. The commentator for "Watch on the Rhine" is a Lillian Hellman biographer and manages to talk almost entirely for the duration without mentioning the film. He also is a Claudette Colbert fan, including irrelevant stuff about Colbert, even going so far as to undermine Davis's famous performance in "All About Eve" when she replaced Colbert. This is a rotten commentary.

The set is excellent value.

It's wonderful news for all fans of bette davis to hear of the release of her third box set with all-new DVD releases of her movies. I am especially happy to finally have one of her most beloved films The Old Maid on DVD. The wonderful chemistry of the two lead actresses Davis and Miriam Hopkins is genial and the dialogue exquisite. My favorite part of the movie is towards the end when Charlotte tells Delia that she will tell Clementina that she is her real mother(right before her wedding day) and Hopkins tells her " Charlotte, you Ahh Wicked!" My biggest complaint for this DVD is that they failed to do a Commentary for this great film. I guess they felt that since they did one on Old Acquaintance, it wasnt necessary, but I think there is so much to talk about in this film about Davis and Miriam and about the fantastic year this movie was made And released: 1939, and also how it stood in terms of the three other Davis releases of that year.
Anyways, i am also happy about In this our life, the Great lie, and ATAHT. I have seen "watch on the rhine" and although its a a good movie, its not really a Davis vehicle. I think that there are so many other movies that could have easily been greater showcase choices, such as DANGEROUS, where she won her first Oscar. Although it isnt a great movie, its a fascinating Davis performance. Other choices are BEyond the FOrest, one of her most underrated and nowadays most requested movies to be released on DVD, and A Stolen Life, where we get 2 Davis sharing screen time. The inclusion of DECEPTION is still debatable to me. I think that the movie isnt great and its more of a Claude Rains film, but still i am glad they included this one and not the super boring the Corn is Green.

Now, I am also glad that there is another davis box coming right after this one which brings us a much-deserved two disc dvd for All about eve and a special edition of Hush Hush Sweet charlotte. It brings us new releases of the Virgin Queen, not a great movie, but with a great Davis performance opposed Joan Collins. Also, the highly campy the Nanny, if anything is good to have a few laughs and its way better than the dull the Anniversary. The only odd choice is Phone Call from a Stranger, but i guess FOx didnt own many Davis titles, so there isnt much they could do.
Finally along with these great releases, we will get the US POST OFFICE STAMP For BETTE DAVIS, and all i can say is that very happy to see that BETTE DAVIS is well celebrated for her centenary celebration with these marvellous well deserved tributes.

I had never seen any of these Betty Davis movies before I bought this set and was so pleasantly surprised that I can't recommend them enough! Before I watched these I only thought of "What ever Happened to Baby Jane", "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte", "Dead Ringer" and "All About Eve" when I thought of Bette Davis. The one movie in the set that surprised and impressed me the most was "Watch on the Rhine". What a moving and thought provoking movie and true story!! Bette Davis was so different in this movie than anything else I had ever seen her in and so good that I don't know how she didn't get an oscar for it! Can't wait to watch the other sets! Hope they are as good! So much better that the crap they are shoveling out of hollywood today!

I own every Bette film that I can get my hands on and this set has many of my favs in it. My fav of this collection is "In this our life", I love "The Old Maid" and "The Great Lie" too. If it only had these 3 movies in it it would still be worth the cost of the set. However the other 3 films are all worthwhile too. I cannot wait until Vol4 comes out! Dont miss this collection if you can at all help it!

It is so fantastic to be able to own these wonderful films! 'In This Our Life' and 'The Old Maid' are the definate highlights and the others are in no way among Bette's flops (of which there are not many anyway). All of the films are filmed in the high point of her career and while they are not her most famous (Vol 1 and 2 contain those), any Bette fan would be CRAZY to not buy this set! Bette Davis' talent is simply breathtaking!

This being said, I had this product shipped internationally and it arrived in perfect condition, earlier than the estimated time of arrival and in the correct place! The packaging is a gorgeous metalic silver with the only colour being the blue surrounding the title and the blue of Bette's eyes. Stunning! Buy it! It's so worth it!

Volume 4 please!!!

Bette Davis sparkles in this 3rd collection, which features 6 previously unreleased (on DVD) titles.

In This Our Life: Bette Davis and Olivia De Havilland are a pair of priviledged sisters who can't get along, especially when Bette tries to cover up a murder.

Watch On the Rhine: This war-time film won Paul Lukas an Oscar for Best Actor, and features one of Bette's most personal monologues that she said set the tone for the rest of her life.

The Old Maid: The original pairing of Miriam Hopkins and Bette that had audiences crying in the theatre. It was one of the most profitable films of 1939.

The Great Lie: When Mary Astor won her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress she thanked Tchaikovsky and Bette Davis- and rightfully so. For once, Bette plays the good girl, while Astor plays the femme fatale with grand results.

Deception: The reunion of the "Now Voyager" cast (Claude Rains, Paul Henreid, Bette Davis) finds them embroiled in a deadly love triangle.

All This and Heaven Too: Warner Bros. answer to "Gone With the Wind" stars Bette Davis, Charles Boyer and Barbara O'Neil. When Bette becomes a governess to a well-to-do French family, she finds herself an accessory to murder.

These films are excellently restored and have wonderful special features. My only wish is that they hurry up with the 4th volume and are sure to include some of the most requested Davis films such as "Beyond the Forest", "A Stolen Life", or "Cabin in the Cotton."

To buy each of these films separately would cost on the average about $20.00 apiece. This boxed set is a bargain at this price. I ordered mine from Amazon and got it the next day (without having to pay fast shipping charges)!

As for the movies themselves they are all superb! Bette Davis at her finest. Great entertainment. I can't add much to the description of what the films themselves contain as some other fine reviews here have already elaborated on quite nicely.

The only nit-picky thing I have to add is this: On the cover art for the DVDs of "Watch on the Rhine" and "Deception" the Davis images are wrong. On "Watch on the Rhine" cover it is clearly a still of Bette Davis from "Now Voyager"; and on the cover for "Deception" the image of Bette is from "A Stolen Life" with the short dutch bob hairstyle. Anyone who has seen "Deception" knows Bette had luxurious long hair in this film. But these are such picayune details that hardly matter.

What matters are the films themselves. My favorite Davis film of all time is here, "All This and Heaven Too". This is often an overlooked Davis film, mostly because the histrionics that Bette had patented by this time are kept to a minimum due to the sympathetic nature of her character. It is film-making at its very finest based on the true story of a governess and her implication in the murder of her mistress by her husband the Duc De Pralin played outstandingly by Charles Boyer. Anyone who cannot love Davis in this film has no heart.

THe next gem is "The Old Maid". Davis really tears your heart out in this one and the music score is superb!! To have her real-life nemesis, Miriam Hopkins with her is a plus and to watch them emote together each trying to outdo the other is fun to watch.

"In This Our Life" is Davis at her over-acting hammiest. The film is fun to watch and probably contains the most evil performance Bette ever turned out on celluloid. One of my favorites.

"Deception" reunites her with her "Now Voyager" co-stars Paul Henried and Claude Rains who manages to steal the picture. The music here is an added bonus and film is another of Davis' underrated gems.

"The Great Lie" is pure soap but is entertaining nonetheless. Again the picture is stolen by Mary Astor who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar of 1941 for her role in this.

"Watch on the Rhine" has Bette taking a secondary role to Paul Lukas (The 1943 Best Actor Oscar winner)but the film is a tremendous testament to "fascism" and the evils of it explored thoroughly. It is tense and biting.

This is a collection that shows Bette's acting at its finest with high production values in an era when the "Woman's Picture" dominated the movies and shows why she was queen of the Warner Bros. lot!

This collection is worth getting....pure Gold. Now, how about a 4th Collection that would include:

Dangerous
The Sisters
Beyond the Forest
Juarez
A Stolen Life
A Catered Affair