The Great Lie (1941)

Undescribable Perfection

The Worst Film Ever

Absolutely the worst movie.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This is a soaper supreme that has all the makings to be overwrought and overdone. But surprise! Bette Davis and Mary Astor yank the material to the A level, and their scenes together simply crackle with tension, and subtext. It's amazing how their presence (and creative input no doubt) take what could have been maudlin, and make it something You don't want to miss! And the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto throbbing in the background certainly doesn't hurt. Astor won a well deserved Oscar for her role and said Bette's input was a major reason why, having insisted the part be built up and polished. Just watched it again a few hours ago, and man, was it fun! Make sure you see it, and I'm not going to spoil it for you by giving away plot details!

Pete (George Brent) gets married to concert pianist Sandra (Mary Astor) but their union isn't legal so he re-arranges another wedding date. However, Sandra already has commitments on that day which, quite rightly, she fulfils. I'm not sure why Pete has a problem with this but he does and off he goes to marry previous lover Maggie (Bette Davis) instead. The script then throws us by killing off Pete. However, Sandra has become pregnant by him and Maggie proposes a deal which becomes the Great Lie. Maggie will keep the child as her own while securing Sandra financially and no-one outside these two women should know anything of the deal. Well, guess what ?...Pete is not really dead and returns to Maggie where he assumes that she is the mother of his son. At this moment, Sandra appears back on the scene.....The story is complete tosh. No way would a normal woman want to bring up a child that is not only not her own, but also belongs to her main love rival. It would be far more realistic to see her murder the baby. On the flip side, no way would a mother give up her baby to her main love rival - she'd abort or put it up for adoption rather than hand it to someone that she hates. The story of the Great Lie is ludicrous. But it doesn't matter coz it makes for great watching. And this is down to the two women Bette Davis and Mary Astor. Their sparring is very entertaining and continues throughout the whole film. Mary Astor takes the usual Bette Davis role and has great fun with the cutting one-liners. Her piano playing scenes at her concerts are a bit suspect but she manages to make what could be a very irritating bitchy character completely watchable and will have you thinking "oh good, she's back!" instead of "Oh no, not that annoying woman again".The black cast at Maggie's home are completely annoying but they do sing a nice song on Pete and Maggie's wedding night. It's followed by a boy singing a crappy song but thankfully, they cut that one short. Despite the stupid storyline, the film is very watchable, especially whenever Davis and Astor have scenes together, and I anticipated a different ending - eg, Davis has no option but to kill Astor and thus preserve the Great Lie. Well, that's not what happens!

The quintessential soap opera plot is two women fighting over the same man. Here it is in pure form, with Mary Astor obsessed with stealing George Brent away from Bette Davis. Nothing subtle about Mary Astor here, just blatant bitchery. You kind of wonder what the George Brent character saw in her to marry her in the first place (though the marriage proved not to be legal).But then, this story is so very improbable that questioning motives is beside the point.It's interesting to see the Brent character from what could be construed as "the woman's view" back in 1941, when men were supposed to do Important Things while women cooked and sewed and discussed the love affairs of others. All we know about George Brent is that he has gone off to do something in "aviation." (This makes sense, since he flies a plane.) What men did for a living was not a woman's concern--and was assumed to be too difficult for her to understand anyway.To be fair to Mary Astor, once the camera closes in on her face, so that we no longer have to look at the unflattering clothes she wears in this film, we can see that she was very beautiful.Bette Davis is, however, the reason I watched this movie in the first place. She is almost always interesting to watch. A diminutive woman, she lacked the full figure and glamorous face of the traditional female movie star. What she had that was far more memorable, however, was a great range of expression and a vivacity that made her beautiful in a deeper sense. In most of her pictures, even the bad ones, she is fun to watch.Ah, then there are the black folks, a whole big cast of them, with Hattie McDaniel at the top of the list, all of them having a happy time around the ole plantation. They are treated decently in this movie, at least in comparison with many other films of the time with black characters. But that's not saying much. What it means is that the stereotypes that they portray are seen in a condescendingly kindly light, rather than subject to mockery or made to look foolish.Yes, 1941 was a very different era from today.

When the film begins, you might assume it was a comedy. But before long you realize that it is a very serious drama. Some say melodrama, although I would not agree. Yes, it's a rather unique situation, but when you consider that this was war-time, well stranger things have happened.What is there about the Bette Davis - George Brent pairing? While she was something special in many movies, he was only something special when he starred with her. Oh, he was a good actor and very enjoyable, but somehow Bette Davis brought out the very best in George Brent.Although not one of my favorites, every now and then Mary Astor turned in magnificent performances, and this certainly was one of them (and, rightfully so she earned an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress). The other character actors and actresses contribute to making this a very enjoyable film. In particular, Hattie McDaniels, magnificent as always.But what always stands out for me regarding this film are the scenes supposedly in Arizona. I wasn't sure at first which state in the desert it was supposed to be in, but somehow it always reminded me of the Petrified Forest. But it's the interaction of Davis and Astor while Astor is waiting to deliver the baby that are just scintillating. And, of course, it's great fun watching Bette slap Astor, although this role is somewhat different for Davis...or at least one of the roles where she plays a truly nice and gentle person.Highly recommended...Davis at her best...Astor at her best...Brent at his best.