Mr. Skeffington

Silly movie about a vain woman who's afraid of growing old (An odd comedy I'd call it but somehow manages to work or I'm just a softy for old movies) Bette Davis as usual is superb and the transformation scenes of her as an old woman are done very well

Took a while before I was sucked in, but when I was, I found it wonderfully absurd! Mr. Skeffington (1944) really took off when her adult daughter came back and Bette Davis became a total metal case from that point. A character totally detached from reality in such a abstract manner. The focus on her wrinkles and fallen hair created the desperate nature of this obsessed creature and the ending was one of those blissful ironies which was the perfect way to end this aging-horror story.

Rather tacky melodrama. Beautiful and conceited Fanny mistreats poor, faithful and dull Skeffington, until she gets her comeuppance. Predictable and silly as a movie, but has some good Bette Davis scenery chewing. Fun in a campy kind of way.

My only criticism here is the running time; just a bit too long. Great performances and an interesting story.

The first two-thirds of this is an odd mixture of rom-com and melodrama, and it never finds quite the right tone. Playing the coquette does not come naturally to Davis, and you can feel how carefully studied her characterization is--it excites no sympathy, though, and one begins to hate her. Claude Rains is wonderful as her barely-tolerated husband, never for one moment begging for our sympathy. Then, she's ravaged by diphtheria and the rom-com element evaporates, not a moment too soon.

Similar to those long and meandering 19th century novels, this tells the rise and fall of a very vain woman. Unfortunately, she's so one-note that by the middle of the movie, it's hard to tell if you care whether or not she ever grows up. Rains, of course, is amazing; Davis (and the makeup crew) go a little over-the-top. Chop off 20-30 minutes and it makes a great melodrama.

The plot all seems rather dated and daft but great fun for afternoon viewing.

"This is a star vehicle in extremis." - Dan Callahan

Anytime Hollywood gets on its high horse and tries to criticize something it holds dear (in this case, the obsession with beauty and appearances) it always strikes as more than a tad hypocritical. Nothing against Bette Davis, who seemed to be the only major actress of her era who repeatedly didn't mind being depicted in an unglamorous, even ugly, light. The alternative message the film proposes, that a woman is only beautiful when she is loved, doesn't redress the problem either.

Several great performances, led by Claude Rains, but also several jarring reminders of the film's age. Apparently the only cure for mental illness is a good man.