All This, and Heaven Too (1940)

All This, and Heaven Too
Directed by Anatole Litvak
Written by Casey Robinson based on a story by Rachel Field
1940/USA
Warner Bros.
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Henriette Deluzy-Desportes: Happiness isn’t a little cake which we can cut up to fill our appetites.[/box]

Warner Brother’s polished and well-acted answer to Gone with the Wind was not really for me.

Some cruel girls find out their new French teacher’s secret and she sets them straight by telling the sad story of her past.  Segue to extended flashback.  The teacher, Henriette Deluzy-Desportes (Bette Davis), returned to her native France from England and despite being warned off by the old gardener (Harry Davenport) seeks employment as governess to the four children of a Duke (Charles Boyer) and his wife (Barbara O’Neill).

The children immediately fall in love with Henriette.  However, it soon becomes clear that the wife is hysterical, unbalanced, and pathologically jealous.  Her clinging ways have alienated the Duke who becomes attracted to Henriette.  Henriette, while lonely and attracted herself, will have none of it however.  The wife begins to persecute the governess and eventually pushes the Duke right over the edge.    With Motagu Love as the Duchess’s father and June Lockhart and Virginia Weidler as two of her daughters.

This is based on a scandal that rocked France in the 1840’s and is the true story of the novelist’s aunt.  I unfortunately found it overly long and not too gripping.  It does give Bette Davis the opportunity to show her softer side and Barbara O’Neill really earned her Oscar nomination as the harridan of a Duchess.  You could see how such a woman could drive her husband to desperation!  The production is lavish.  If this kind of romance appeals, do not let my comments dissuade you.  I am apparently in the minority.  The IMDb user rating is 7.7/10.

All This, and Heaven Too was nominated for Academy Awards in the catagories of Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (O’Niell), and Best Black and White Cinematography (Ernest Haller).

Trailer