It was only six years earlier that Elizabeth Bergner made this same story for Paramount, so it was a surprise that Davis chose it to be the first, and only, film she ever produced. She plays twins for the first time (she did it again in DEAD RINGER) and, as you can imagine, one is very
good and one is not. To avoid confusion, we'll name the good twin Bette and the evil one Davis. Bette is a sweet, shy artist. She and her sister, Davis, are wealthy orphans whose guardian is Ruggles. Bette arrives at Martha's Vineyard to spend the summer at cousin Ruggles' home. She soon meets
Ford, a lighthouse inspector. They find each other when she misses the ferry to the island and Ford offers her a lift. On the two-hour ride, she sketches his face and it isn't long before the two start seeing each other. Ford is actually an engineer who wants to get away from the hustle of the
city and thinks that a summer on Martha's Vineyard will be just the tonic. Bette gets closer to Ford by arranging to do the portrait of Brennan, the lighthouse keeper. Everything is lovely; then Davis arrives. She is, of course, her sister's opposite. Noisy, flamboyant, and man hungry, Davis makes
a move on Ford, and it isn't long before he has fallen for her. Bette is hurt, but she moves aside and lets the two get married, thus making her a sister-in-law, not the wife she yearns to be.
Bette now begins to study art with a passion and takes lessons from Clark, a good artist but a boorish lout. She sees Ford one day and he tells her that he and Davis are going to South America, where he's just gotten a job as an engineer. She'll be sad to see them both go, but that's the way it
is. Ford has been very pleasant to Bette, and she wonders if that's not an indication of his desire for her. Bette tells Clark that she is going to cease her painting studies because she is not very good and will never be. She goes back to the island and is surprised to see Davis, who didn't want
to go to South America right away but will probably join Ford later. The two sisters go out sailing and Davis is washed overboard when a freakish squall hits the small boat. Bette tries to save Davis, but the boat turns upside down. In attempting to save Davis, Bette winds up with the wedding ring
from her doomed sister, and when she is found by Brennan, he just assumes that Bette is Davis. She realizes that this may be her opportunity to get the man she wants, especially after Brennan informs her that Ford is coming home from South America and is due to arrive at any moment. When he gets
back, Ford thinks that Bette is Davis, and she is shocked to learn that their marriage was on thin ice; she had been cavorting with other men, and Ford was about to ask for a divorce. Bette hears about all of this from the maid, Winfield. She pleads with Ford for another opportunity to make the
marriage work, and Ford grants it. Then more evidence of her sister's machinations are uncovered and Bette can take it no longer so she leaves. Ford follows her and admits that he suspected it was Bette the moment he came home. He understands that he was infatuated with Davis but it was Bette he
truly loved. They can begin their love again.
A popular movie and one of the best examples of the "twin technique." Of course, it was Davis' superb abilities that allowed her to put such a good division between the two characterizations. Ford had been borrowed from Columbia after a sensational performance opposite Rita Hayworth in GILDA. leave a comment