Four years later,the three actors of Irving Rapper's "now,voyager" -an ugly duckling melodrama-,Bette Davis,Paul Henreid and Claude Rains sign up for the cast of "deception" .One could hardly call "deception" a melodrama;it's rather a psychological drama for it lacks the "enough is enough", the extravagance of the plot which made Stahl and Sirk so priceless.It's actually a subtle movie,with a Bette Davis at her most generous and a Claude Rains at his vilest.A true gourmet,at the French restaurant ,you should see him talk woodcocks and partridges with the chef (with French lines galore)!A composer,he treats his fellow creatures as puppets ,buy them fancy clothes,luxury apartments,statuettes worthy of a museum.but as the heroine will learn,the rent is always due.
In its form,the film is curious:you could almost call it a "musical".Nobody sings,but everybody plays music,and the score fits the plot like a glove.A jazzy wedding march,a stupid jingle,and long concerts (the movie begins and ends with concerts).The best example is the terrible lines which Rains and Davis exchange,over an ominous Beethoven's "seventh symphony".
SPOILER Like "now voyager" which ended with the famous line about the moon and the stars ,"deception" has a stunning last line:a lady in the audience tells Davis:"you must be the happiest woman in the world".If she knew...
In its form,the film is curious:you could almost call it a "musical".Nobody sings,but everybody plays music,and the score fits the plot like a glove.A jazzy wedding march,a stupid jingle,and long concerts (the movie begins and ends with concerts).The best example is the terrible lines which Rains and Davis exchange,over an ominous Beethoven's "seventh symphony".
SPOILER Like "now voyager" which ended with the famous line about the moon and the stars ,"deception" has a stunning last line:a lady in the audience tells Davis:"you must be the happiest woman in the world".If she knew...