Following Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, Bette Davis’ career had another surge of energy. Eager to show that she could still be somewhat glamorous, Davis accepted a quasi-morbid vehicle based on a story of twin sisters which was written twenty years earlier. The original story entitled, “Who is Buried in My Grave?” was made into a film in 1946 in Mexico, called “La Otra.” Curiously, also in 1946, Davis played twins for the first time in A Stolen Life—which she also produced.
Davis was nervous that she was too old to play the twins—one glamorous, one frumpy—and wanted to make sure that she would look her best throughout the picture. To this end, she enlisted her old friend and costar fromNow, Voyager and Deception, Paul Henreid, as director. Next, she entrusted her appearance to two men whom she trusted deeply. Her longtime cinematographer Ernest Haller would ensure that Davis was lit and filmed in such a way as to make her look her best. Secondly, her trusted makeup artist, Gene Hibbs, would pull back her slightly sagging face with a series of rubber bands and tape which she called, “straps.”
With a score by Andre Previn and shot on location in a real mansion, the film looks and feels quite glamorous and comes across as more of a late Film Noir than it does the horror picture that it was promoted to be. Davis’ performance as two vastly different sisters gives the far-fetched plot a great deal of credibility. Her performance is grounded by costars Karl Mauldin and the icky, awful Peter Lawford.
This tale of sibling rivalry, murder, deception and infidelity isn’t the crown jewel of Davis’ regal career, but it’s an awful lot of fun with memorable performances and a lot of quotable lines. It’s the perfect way to spend a Sunday evening. Just keep away from overly hot fireplace pokers and combs dipped in glasses of water.
No comments:
Post a Comment