Konterr Brilliant and touching

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

gkeith_1 Spoilers ahead. Some observations. Bette one tough cookie. Miriam shrewish, selfish, spoiled. Grownup Tina charming, unselfish, unspoiled. How horrible to watch another woman raise one's child. How even more horrible to hear that other woman constantly remind of all the financial and emotional support for the child, while the biological mother has to sit in the background and constantly eat all of that crow. I'll get you, Miriam, someday I'll really get your sorry posterior. Or so we hope. What is good for the child? Her father is gone. She is the offspring of Miriam's rejected old flame. Bette did actually get that accomplished. If there had been birth control back then as we know it today, perhaps there would have been no story. But alas!!! The utter shame, back then, of illegitimacy. Now, it's all Baby Daddy and Baby Mama, which is happening a lot these days. George Brent was not able to say, "Whoops, Bette, gotta go to the pharmacy and get something to prevent making babies."Older Bette had too much white hair to be the believable mother of older Tina. The Old Maid look was certainly stereotyped in this film. 1939. Another American Civil War theme. GWTW, anyone? 10/10.

sdave7596 Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins shine in this Warner Bros. melodrama, "The Old Maid" released in 1939, a banner year for Davis at the studio. This was one of four very fine films she did that year, making her the reigning queen of the studio. In this one, Davis and Hopkins are cousins in the 1800's. Hopkins rejects her beau (George Brent) to marry into a wealthy family, the Ralstons. Davis has the hots for Brent (one of her frequent co-stars during this period) and gets pregnant with his baby. However, he goes off to fight the Civil War and is killed. At a time when being an unwed mother was not an option, Davis agrees to move in with Hopkins, now a widow with two children of her own. The child, Tina (Jane Bryan) grows up knowing she is a foundling, but always calls Hopkins "mummy." Davis does not let on she is Tina's mother, but rather an aunt; this fills her with resentment, and into a bitter old maid, hence the title of the picture.The movie is pure soap opera, for sure, but the interplay between Davis and Hopkins is fascinating to watch. Davis has the showier part, but Hopkins more than holds her own. Off screen, Davis had an affair with Hopkin's husband, director Anatole Litvak, and now the two had to star together in a film! One can only imagine what went on between them on the set of this, but both give fine performances. Even Davis herself, much later in life, stated Hopkins was a superb actress and she always had to be on her toes as her co-star. There are some fine supporting performances, notably from Jane Bryan as Tina and the always under-rated Donald Crisp as a friend of the family and doctor. But this is Hopkins and Davis' show, and they do not disappoint.

earlytalkie Here is a classic film which I have never seen. According to lore, Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins detested each other during the filming of this. Both actresses were forces of nature to be reckoned with, and, if anything, Miriam was even more of an upstager than Bette was. Both actresses however overcome their dislike for each other to turn in thoroughly terrific performances. Bette Davis is marvelous as the initially lovely and later repressed woman with a secret. Bette never turned in a bad performance, so it's natural to expect and get one here. Miriam Hopkins is, these days little-known to contemporary audiences and that's a shame, since she was really a terrific actress. The two stars spar subtly and not so subtly like two dogs circling each other for a fight. There is a satisfying ending which will bring a tear to your eye. The glossy Warner Bros. production has a marvelous Max Steiner score which dosn't hurt one bit. Two great actresses for the price of one, 23 years before "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"

GManfred George Brent is in and out of this picture pretty quickly - and in and out is an apt description. It is set during the Civil War and opens with Miriam Hopkins'marriage, made awkward by the untimely return of her old flame (Brent). Bette volunteers to smooth things over, and does yeoman work, giving Brent a memorable send-off back to the front... 9 months later the send-off becomes reality, and thereby hangs a tale, as they say.This is vintage Davis, better here than in Dark Victory. She is petulant and pouting and takes over the picture as the aunt/ mother to her own child, deferring to Hopkins as the mother/ aunt. She is backed up by some of Warners best supporting actors, among them Donald Crisp, Jerome Cowan and Louise Fazenda.It is very entertaining and well worth your time. It is a straight drama, with no action sequences - a soaper, if you will. But even so, it is extremely well done and holds your interest from beginning to end. In retrospect, it all sounds very hokey but the story holds up and is a must-see for BD fans.