Product Details

• Actors: Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
• Directors: Irving Rapper
• Format: NTSC, Black & White
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Warner Brothers
• Run Time: 112 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001709JY0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,910 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

AN AUTHENTIC REGION 1 DVD FROM WARNER BROTHERS. SYNOPSIS: The three stars (Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains) and director (Irving Rapper) of Now Voyager reunite for this glamorous, angst-ridden melodrama set to a thrilling Erich Wolfgang Korngold score. A favorite of Davis fans, Deception inspired one of the best-known reviews in movie history: "It's like grand opera, only the people are thinner. I wouldn't have missed it for the world"(Cecelia Ager, PM). Based on Louis Verneuil's 1928 play Jealousy, the film tells the story of pianist Christine Radcliffe separated from her great love, cellist Karel Novak by World War II. Unexpectedly reunited with him, Christine desperately strives to hide her wartime dalliance as the mistress of a wealthy, sadistic composer (Rains), with devastating results. BONUS FEATURES: * Commentary by film historian Foster Hirsch * Warner Night at the Movies 1946 short subjects gallery: o Vintage newsreel o Oscar-winning Technicolor Sports Parade Short Facing Your Danger o Technicolor Specials Short Movieland Magic o Classic cartoon Mouse Menace o Trailers of Deception and 1946's A Stolen Life

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THE LOFT MISS DAVIS!, May 8, 2009

By 

Michael C. Smith "[e-mail]" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deception (DVD)

It would be a unforgiveable deception to tell you that this Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains vehicle is anything but top rate glossy soap bubble popping high drama. A rainy day is the perfect time to watch this film, late afternoon when the light seems like it will last forever giving you that trapped in time feeling. This film evokes that effect through out. Wonderful light, and so much of it takes place in twilight, or in rain, and in the deepest inky night.

It may not be considered a film noir in the classic sense but it certainly, as shot by the incredible Ernest Haller; it looks like one and one of the most gorgeous of the style. It is more like a Woman's Noir with its story of a basically good woman driven by her deceptions to do bad things, very bad things.

Without a shadow of a doubt this is one of Claude Rains most entertaining, sharp, insightfully and wicked performances. He is pure joy to watch as he manipulates each person he comes in contact with in the story. He is the rotten, jealous petrified hard center of this poison soufflé. Bette Davis is wonderful of course and is dressed to the nines but what is remarkable to see is the fun she is having as she hands the film over to Mr.. Rains. They made so many wonderful films together and he is obviously someone she admired and loved to work with. She is strong and exciting in the role but she gets out of the way and lets him have his day.

And yet beyond all of this there are two reasons I love this film. It has a remarkable classic Hollywood score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and features his now famous "Hollenius' Cello Concerto" as well as music by Beethoven, Wagner and Schubert. The music is as much a star of the film as anyone else. And in the commentary you will learn how the magic of Hollywood was employed to make the non-musical Henreid play that violin and not look like he is trying to saw it in half, and that Bette Davis could indeed play the piano just as she does in the film.

Then there is the incredible and even inspiring set design. The loft that Davis lives in is forty years ahead of it time. It is an incredible set and must have inspired interior designers in some subliminal way over the years, for now in cities across America that look is so in vogue. The industrial concrete walls and the slanted floor to ceiling glass wall overlooking the city juxtaposed with a mix of modern furniture and antiques. It is timeless decorating, visually magnificent, barren, cold and full of dark corners where secrets can be hidden. In short a perfect design for this film.

If you are a Steve Martin fan see if you can spot the scene he borrowed from "Deception" so that he could act with Bette Davis in his very wonderful "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid." Whether working with Claude Rains or Steve Martin, Bette Davis lets both men shine as she casts her mega-watt star power over them.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second rate Davis but good package, May 11, 2008

By 

Douglas M - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Deception (DVD)

"Deception" was the last half decent Bette Davis vehicle from her glorious Warner Brother's years. Released in 1946, the film was based on a 2 character play called "Jealousy". Unfortunately, censorship robbed the film of credibility and the phoney ending just doesn't work as Davis herself recognised. Until then though, the film has some great features:

- an outstanding over the top performance by the great Claude Rains playing a composer/conductor named Hollenius. Rains, as Davis always acknowledged, steals the film.
- great sets, costumes and lighting creating a plush world among the operatic arty set in New York.

The DVD print is excellent and there are some good extras. The commentary is intriguing, carefully noting how the problems behind the scenes, including Davis's troubled private life (she was pregnant at the time) and insecurity about her looks contributed to the tension visible on the celluloid. There is a coloured short film about adventurers riding the Colorado river rapids and one set in Hollywood which puts together technicolour numbers from previous shorts dating back almost 10 years. Jane Wyman sings one of the songs and shows she was a competent singer. The cartoon is an hilarious gem as a mouse outwits Porky Pig. Don't miss when the mouse takes on a mechanical cat. This is animated perfection. Lastly, there is the original trailer of the film plus another Davis opus, "A Stolen Life".

The DVD is excellent value and even better if purchased as part of the Davis Set Volume 3.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Overdone Melodramatics Falter on a Weak Premise and Unsympathetic Characters, September 19, 2009

By 

Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deception (DVD)

At the start of her career downturn at Warner Bros. until she was saved by Joseph Mankiewicz casting her at the last minute for her definitive role of Margo Channing in All About Eve, Bette Davis played one of her most morally puerile characters as Christine Radcliffe, a classical pianist who is unexpectedly reunited with the love of her life, cellist Karel Novak, whom she took for dead, while carrying on as the "protégé" of renowned composer Alexander Hollenius. Note the fancy, spacious apartment she can supposedly afford on a piano teacher's paltry wages. Had Christine shown any common sense, she would have told Karel within the first five minutes of their passionate embrace, gotten slapped for her supposed infidelity and then she would have been forgiven with violins swooning in the background. However, that would have made this 1946 Baroque-level soaper about seven minutes long. Instead, as directed by Irving Rapper in overly emphatic style, we get to watch Davis wrench her hands and get all tight-lipped as she tries to convince the tirelessly jealous Karel that she and Alex are merely good friends. Ha!

When Alex is not spending his time seething in a jealous rage, he is busy manipulating the nerves of poor Karel, whom Alex has suspiciously chosen to play the spotlight cello solo in his new concerto. The movie's most amusing scene is when the three go out for a pre-performance dinner as Alex plays the world's most pretentious diner in front of the increasingly exasperated lovers. The tension of Charlotte's deception leads to a melodramatic finish that recalls earlier Davis' vehicles, but this time for the weakest of reasons. Reunited with a mostly subdued Davis and Rapper from their classic tearjerker, 1942's Now, Voyager, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains play Karel and Alex, respectively. While Henried grapples with Karel's anger management issues, Rains easily steals the picture as the erudite composer. Some of the dialogue courtesy of John Collier and Joseph Than actually has some snap and wit but not nearly enough to make this the wallow it should be. Film historian Foster Hirsch provides a thoughtful commentary track on the 2008 DVD.