The Old Maid (1939)

Absolutely Fantastic

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

. . . when a young woman won't keep it zipped in America. How is this Nineteenth Century Fable relevant in the 21st Century, one might ask. OLD MAID will become an increasingly important picture for 2017 and beyond, because those "Good Old Days" of Hippie Sixties-Style "Free Love" are so 1900s now. OLD MAID begins with a newspaper headline noting the start of the War between the Gray States and the Red States in 1861, and History's Circle of Life has rolled back almost to that same very time, since we're mere months away now from the final triumph of Red States over Blue States. This is NOT a Dr. Seuss fairy tale. Planned Parenthood already has been shamed out of most Red States, and even the Blue States will lose all access to Birth Control by this time in 2017. (The Super Rich One Per Centers will be the only exception to this Back to the Future moral code, as they always have.) Now is the time to learn well Bette Davis' Handmaid's Tale here. When only the Wealthy Few have the means for child-rearing, they'll have the pick of the litter. This will be especially true for Moms who don't jump through the proper hoops in the appropriate order for this having-a-baby business. Warner Bros. bear a name that's always needed to be taken literally. Since America did not heed their OLD MAID warning these past 76 years, there's not much left to do today but to watch OLD MAID and weep for our children's inevitable future.

Here is a classic film which I have never seen. According to lore, Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins detested each other during the filming of this. Both actresses were forces of nature to be reckoned with, and, if anything, Miriam was even more of an upstager than Bette was. Both actresses however overcome their dislike for each other to turn in thoroughly terrific performances. Bette Davis is marvelous as the initially lovely and later repressed woman with a secret. Bette never turned in a bad performance, so it's natural to expect and get one here. Miriam Hopkins is, these days little-known to contemporary audiences and that's a shame, since she was really a terrific actress. The two stars spar subtly and not so subtly like two dogs circling each other for a fight. There is a satisfying ending which will bring a tear to your eye. The glossy Warner Bros. production has a marvelous Max Steiner score which dosn't hurt one bit. Two great actresses for the price of one, 23 years before "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"

George Brent is in and out of this picture pretty quickly - and in and out is an apt description. It is set during the Civil War and opens with Miriam Hopkins'marriage, made awkward by the untimely return of her old flame (Brent). Bette volunteers to smooth things over, and does yeoman work, giving Brent a memorable send-off back to the front... 9 months later the send-off becomes reality, and thereby hangs a tale, as they say.This is vintage Davis, better here than in Dark Victory. She is petulant and pouting and takes over the picture as the aunt/ mother to her own child, deferring to Hopkins as the mother/ aunt. She is backed up by some of Warners best supporting actors, among them Donald Crisp, Jerome Cowan and Louise Fazenda.It is very entertaining and well worth your time. It is a straight drama, with no action sequences - a soaper, if you will. But even so, it is extremely well done and holds your interest from beginning to end. In retrospect, it all sounds very hokey but the story holds up and is a must-see for BD fans.

Interesting movie with great acting. Delia is a very selfish and mean person (the actress did a great job at portraying the character). She is spiteful and manipulative. She ruins charlot's life and almost ruins her daughters just because her cousin had a baby with the man she broke up with. She married, but unfortunately her husband died. Instead of moving on, she ruins Charlot's chance of marrying a nice wealthy man by making up a lye, even though Charlot was going to tell the truth about her daughter, which he probably would have accepted. She lets Charlot and her daughter move in, but never discourages her to tell her she is her mother (she was only like two then) and makes her believe she is an orphan who came to live with them. Later, when they find out that her being an orphan would prevent her daughter from marrying, her Delia convinces Charlet to allow her to adopt her. On her wedding day she was going to tell her the truth, but never does.