For painter Bette Davis, loving the brooding seaman Glenn Ford is worth the price of a ship in a bottle, as well as agreeing to sketch his grizzled pal Walter Brennan. But to him, she is like a cake without frosting-sweet but dry. He prefers cake with frosting, and that turns out to be her own twin sister. Yes, this means a dual role for Ms. Davis, and one that, seen in a double bill along with Dead Ringers, shows the difference between less and more. Here, more quality and less camp, the 1964 film doing the reverse. An old movie tag-line claimed Nobody's better than Bette when she's bad, but the truth is that you really shouldn't know she's bad until it is too late.
The bad Bette is the supporting twin who lands Ford, her selfishness so subtle that it takes her own death for it to be revealed. She is a softly glamorous femme fatal, using her eyes rather than words to explain what she's thinking. The lead Bette wears less frilly clothing and speaks softly to explain her feelings. When her twin searches for her to toss the bouquet, she simply steps aside to purposely miss catching it. This is the art of Davis's genius. She always dares her audience to take their eyes off of her, and they never do. In the same year that he was seduced by Rita Hayworth's Gilda, Ford had an equally interesting character to play, and even though he has a double dose of Bette to react of, he does it convincingly.
Rising film noir anti-hero Dane Clark has a John Garfield "Humoresque" like supporting role as a temperamental starving painter whom Davis's cousin Charlie Ruggles refers to as the Rasputin of the paint pots. He influences Davis to come out of her shell, basically telling her to put frosting on her cake. Davis gets that opportunity when fate steps in, resulting in the truth coming about both sisters.
The Atlantic Coast scenery of New England adds moody atmosphere to the melodramatic situations which never become overwrought. The gripping sail boat scene during a sudden storm is extremely realistic. In fact, the whole movie is practically perfect and structurally sound. Iw doesn't fall into the category of a masterpiece, but it is a definite crowd pleaser.
The bad Bette is the supporting twin who lands Ford, her selfishness so subtle that it takes her own death for it to be revealed. She is a softly glamorous femme fatal, using her eyes rather than words to explain what she's thinking. The lead Bette wears less frilly clothing and speaks softly to explain her feelings. When her twin searches for her to toss the bouquet, she simply steps aside to purposely miss catching it. This is the art of Davis's genius. She always dares her audience to take their eyes off of her, and they never do. In the same year that he was seduced by Rita Hayworth's Gilda, Ford had an equally interesting character to play, and even though he has a double dose of Bette to react of, he does it convincingly.
Rising film noir anti-hero Dane Clark has a John Garfield "Humoresque" like supporting role as a temperamental starving painter whom Davis's cousin Charlie Ruggles refers to as the Rasputin of the paint pots. He influences Davis to come out of her shell, basically telling her to put frosting on her cake. Davis gets that opportunity when fate steps in, resulting in the truth coming about both sisters.
The Atlantic Coast scenery of New England adds moody atmosphere to the melodramatic situations which never become overwrought. The gripping sail boat scene during a sudden storm is extremely realistic. In fact, the whole movie is practically perfect and structurally sound. Iw doesn't fall into the category of a masterpiece, but it is a definite crowd pleaser.