The Old Maid

Bette Davis had already distinguished herself in DARK VICTORY and JEZEBEL, but she plumbed new emotional depths in this film, and her performance is a revelation. She always liked roles that forced her to stretch as an actress and, despite the fact that she had only just turned 30, she is convincing as a 60-year-old here. Reportedly, Davis and Miriam Hopkins had many battles on the set, and Hopkins did her best to upstage Davis, though, as you might expect, she had little luck. Edmund Goulding and Casey Robinson had collaborated on DARK VICTORY and the task of adapting this Pulitzer Prize-winning play fell to them. But despite the best efforts of everyone involved,...