Mr. Skeffington (1944)

Some kind of wonderful

You can't get better than Bette Davis in my opinion. Claude Rains is a wonderful male lead, portraying a calm, long-suffering Mr. Skeffington to Bette's selfish, manic Mrs. Skeffington. You won't want to miss a minute. September 13, 2008

What an interesting movie!

I love it when the ending is unpredictable. The acting was great, the movie kept my attention and it had some good life lessons illustrated.
The only thing was...one has to suspend disbelief to accept that Bette Davis was the most beautiful woman in New York. She did such a great job of acting - as always - that one may not mind that. I didn't. April 11, 2008

"A woman is beautiful when she's loved, and only then..."

Earning an eighth Oscar nomination, Bette Davis boldly owns this captivating "women's picture". Playing a vain and self-centered beauty, Davis commands the screen in every possible way.

Fanny Trellis (Bette Davis), the darling of New York society, is penniless thanks to her weak-willed brother but enjoys a neverending string of male admirers traipsing through her Gramercy Park mansion. When marriage finally comes, it's more of a business arrangement. Although she's very fond of Job Skeffington (Claude Rains), Fanny will never settle down as the devoted little wife and mother. Only after a middle-aged Fanny has suffered the ravages of diphtheria will she discover the true value of love over appearances.

Bette Davis was never afraid in playing unsympathetic characters, and in Fanny she found the perfect meaty role. Layered with many shades, moods and colours, Fanny Skeffington wins hearts on and off the screen, despite her more tempestuous moments. Not the most conventional screen beauty, Davis was concerned about playing a woman famous for her looks (Irene Dunne, Merle Oberon and Hedy Lamarr were all briefly considered for Fanny). I can't imagine any of them being better than Davis.

I absolutely adore everything about MR. SKEFFINGTON, from it's lush period design to the bravura performance of Bette Davis, in what must have surely been one of her favourite roles.

The DVD includes the new documentary "Mr. Skeffington: A Picture of Strength", audio commentary with director Vincent Sherman, and the trailer. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc). December 4, 2007

Ms. Davis yet again isn't afraid to play a flawed, less than admirable character

A vivid, sprawling, involving story about a woman who takes her beauty and charm for granted, reveling in the superficial benefits they attract while letting genuine opportunities for love and meaning pass her by. I think we all have met people like this, sharp and attractive and clever in their teens, twenties, and thirties, but then lonely and a bit paunchy as they enter their forties, because- way back when- they couldn't bring themselves to settle down with just one of the cute and charming people in their circle when they had the chance, because there were just too darn many of them to enjoy. Of course, the tragedy of people like Bette Davis' Mrs. Skeffington character is that, even if they did have a moment of clarity while still young and alluring, many still would choose the sweet, momentary pleasures instead of taking the time to build something more meaningful.

Warner Home Video's DVD of "Mr. Skeffington" features sharp picture and sound, a brief but illuminating featurette about the movie, and a couple of short subjects that might have been shown with the film during its original release. August 21, 2007

Classic

Loved this one. Just classic Bette Davis. I would watch her in any movie. A simple review I know, but what else can be said about Bette Davis?? She's the best! June 26, 2007

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