In This Our Life (1942)

One of my all time favorites.

Must See Movie...

Best movie of this year hands down!

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

John Huston's second film, "In This Our Life" may have been just a job of work for him and nothing more than a trashy melodrama but it's undeniably entertaining with a very classy cast even if it does have one of Bette Davis' worst performances, (she's still the bitch but her acting is pinched as if her heart wasn't in it, as if she knows what a crock she's landed herself in). She's the bad sister who steals her good sister's husband and drives him to suicide. Olivia De Havilland is the good sister who finds her backbone after she's been dumped. It was quite daring for its day, even touching on the subject of incest, (Bette has a randy old uncle who has the hots for her and is played with lip-smacking relish by Charles Coburn). The men in their lives are George Brent, (who else?), and Dennis Morgan and there's a nice supporting turn from the young African-American actor Ernest Anderson, (whatever happened to him?) as the boy Bette tries to incriminate in a hit-and-run. Unfortunately poor Hattie McDaniel, only a couple of years after winning an Oscar, is back to playing Mammy and Billie Burke is wasted as the mother who never seems to get out of bed. Huston's heart may not have been in it any more than Bette's but he keeps it moving along at quite a gallop nevertheless.

Bette Davis once again takes us into a nice entertainment and pulls it off so well that you actually love to hate her in this movie as her character goes through the day to day interactions with others. Furthermore, there are good familiar support players in this making it all make sense including realistically portraying racial prejudice in the South at that time. Black people had no faith in the justice system so instead, they put their hope in God and heaven. Anyone who has ever suffered an injustice that is hanging around can relate to this. The story moves along nicely and we find out that money has its limitations in helping you become a better person. Instead in this movie it makes you into the opposite. Watch and be entertained and pay a visit with...

In Richmond, after the Great Depression, the industrialist Asa Timberlake (Frank Craven) is cheated by his brother-in-law and partner William Fitzroy (Charles Coburn) and loses his business to him. His spoiled daughter Stanley Timberlake (Bette Davis), who is the pride and joy of William, is going to marry the idealist lawyer Craig Fleming (George Brent). However, she flees to Baltimore with the surgeon Peter Kingsmill (Dennis Morgan), who is the husband of her sister Roy Timberlake (Olivia de Havilland). After a short period of happiness, Peter cannot afford to support the shopping of Stanley and commits suicide. Meanwhile Roy divorces from Peter and gets close to Craig that proposes to marry her. The black teenager Parry Clay (Ernest Anderson) that worked to Timberlake, dreams in becoming a lawyer, and Craig hires him to work in his office. Stanley returns home and unsuccessfully tries to seduce Craig, inviting him to have dinner with her in a tavern. However Craig does not show up and the upset Stanley drives back home at high speed. She hits and run a mother and her daughter and kills the girl. When the police comes to Asa's house, Stanly accuses Parry of driving her car and the youth is arrested and put in jail. What will happen to the innocent Parry?"In This Our Life" is a film directed by John Huston about a selfish and evil woman. His tight direction saves the dramatic and tense story from becoming a melodramatic soap opera. Bette Davis steals the show with a fantastic performance. The rest of the cast is also magnificent. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Nascida para o Mal" ("Born to the Evil")

Bette Davis plays a woman intent on always getting what she wants even if this means hurting those close to her. In This our Life feels like it should have been a classic but although all the ingredients are there is never really takes off as it should. I am a big fan of Bette Davis but this is not her greatest performance. In my opinion she overdoes it as the vicious and conniving Stanley Timberlake ( as an aside I was a little confused at the beginning as the two leads both had conventional men's names! ). The gorgeous Olivia de Havilland is more restrained and puts in a good performance as the wronged sister. For me though the highlight of the film is Charles Coburn who is brilliant as the sleazy uncle.Although if falls short of greatness there is still much to like here and for fans of old films this is well worth watching.