All This, and Heaven Too (1940)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Anatole Litvak

Writers:

Rachel Field (novel)
Casey Robinson (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 July 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

1800s | France | Girls' School | Jealousy | Melodrama

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Henriette Deluzy-Desportes
Charles Boyer	...	Duc de Praslin
Jeffrey Lynn	...	Henry Martyn Field
Barbara O'Neil	...	Duchesse de Praslin
Virginia Weidler	...	Louise
Helen Westley	...	Madame LeMaire
Walter Hampden	...	Pasquier
Henry Daniell	...	Broussais
Harry Davenport	...	Pierre
George Coulouris	...	Charpentier
Montagu Love	...	Marechal Sebastiani
Janet Beecher	...	Miss Haines
June Lockhart	...	Isabelle
Ann E. Todd	...	Berthe (as Ann Todd)
Richard Nichols	...	Reynald

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6089)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Warner Bros. erected 67 sets for this movie, a record at the time.

Quotes:

Henriette Deluzy-Desportes: Happiness isn't a little cake which we can cut up to fill our appetites.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Desperation (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The War of the Roses

Great top-drawer production from Hollywood's Golden Era

This is what classic movies were all about. The viewer is drawn into the story and soon transported back to a romantic place in the past. Bette Davis is at her best as the heroine of this slightly implausible story. But her great acting skill made me believe everything. I preferred Ms. Davis in her "good woman" roles, like in "The Petrified Forest", "Dark Victory", and "Now Voyager", perhaps because I liked her so much, I wanted to root for her characters. But she was extremely convincing in her "vixen" parts, as well. If you only know Ms. Davis from films like "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane", you owe it to yourself to see these wonderful earlier films. Also, I enjoyed Charles Boyer, too. He was very good in his role. He was at the peak of his good looks and debonair French charm during the '30's and '40's, and he is very likable here. Finally, "Gone With the Wind" fan alert! Barbara O"Neil, who played Ellen O'Hara (Scarlett's mother), and Harry Davenport (Dr. Meade) both have excellent parts in this picture. Enjoy, everyone!