Below is a list of my favorite television productions set during the U.S. Civil War:
FAVORITE TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS SET DURING THE U.S. CIVIL WAR
1. "The Blue and the Gray" (1982) - This three-part CBS miniseries focused on the experiences of two families linked by two sisters - the Geysers of Virginia and the Hales of Pennsylvania - during the U.S. Civil War. John Hammond and Stacy Keach starred.
2. "Copper" (2012-2013) - Tom Fontana and Will Rokos created this BBC America series about an Irish immigrant policeman/war veteran who patrols and resides in New York City's Five Points neighborhood during the last year of the U.S. Civil War. Tom Weston-Jones, Kyle Schmid and Ato Essandoh starred.
3. "North and South: Book II" (1986) - James Read and Patrick Swayze starred in this six-part television adaptation of John Jakes's 1984 novel, "Love and War", the second novel in John Jakes' "North and South" Trilogy. David L. Wolper produced.
4. "Gore Vidal's Lincoln" (1988) - Sam Waterston and Mary Tyler Moore starred in this two-part miniseries adaptation of Gore Vidal's 1984 novel about the 16th U.S. President during the U.S. Civil War. Lamont Johnson directed.
5. "The Young Riders" (1989-1992) - Ed Spielman created this ABC television series about six riders who rode for the Pony Express between 1860 and 1861. Ty Miller, Josh Brolin and Anthony Zerbe starred.
6. "Class of '61" (1993) - Steven Spielberg produced this ABC television movie about a few West Point graduates who found themselves on opposite sides of the U.S. Civil War. Dan Futterman, Clive Owen and Andre Braugher starred.
7. "Mercy Street" (2016-2017) - Lisa Wolfinger and David Zabel created this PBS series that followed two hospital nurses on opposite sides, at the Mansion House Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia during the U.S. Civil War. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Hannah James and Josh Radnor starred.
8. "Lincoln" (1974-1976) - Hal Holbrook and Sara Thompson starred in this NBC six-part miniseries about the life of the 16th U.S. President. George Schaefer directed.
9. "The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance" (1978) - Brock Peters starred in this Disney television movie about an escaped Union soldier who flees to the Union lines with five Northern children who had been snatched and held as hostages by Confederate soldiers during the war. Russ Mayberry directed.
10. "For Love and Glory" (1993) - Roger Young directed this failed CBS pilot about a wealthy Virginia family disrupted by the older son's marriage to a young working-class woman and the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War. Daniel Markel, Tracy Griffith, Kate Mulgrew and Robert Foxworth starred.
"ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE" (1992) ReviewNearly twenty years ago, ITV's "AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT" aired an adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1940 novel. Not only was "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" considered one of Christie's darkest novels, due to its political overtones, the 1992 television adaptation acquired the same reputation. Directed by Ross Devenish and adapted by Clive Exton, "ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE" centered on Hercule Poirot's investigation into the death of his dentist, one Dr. Henry Morely, which occurred less than two hours after the former's last appointment. Poirot's police colleague, Chief Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard, believes that Dr. Morely had committed suicide, because another one of his clients had died from an overdose of anaesthetic. However, Poirot and Japp eventually discovered that both Dr. Morely and Mr. Amberiotis' deaths may be tied to possible attempts on the life of a banker named Alistair Blunt, who also happened to be a client of the dentist. Other suspects in the case include a former actress-turned-missionary named Mabelle Sainsbury Seale, who knew Mr. Blunt and his first wife back in India, during the 1920s; a member of the British Blackshirts named Frank Carter, who also happened to be the boyfriend of Dr. Morely's assistant; Mr. Blunt's American sister-in-law, Mrs. Julia Olivera; and the latter's daughter, Jane Olivera.As I had stated earlier, many fans of Christie's novel and the "AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT" seemed to harbor a very high regard of this particular story. I must admit there is a good deal about this production that I found impressive. Rob Harris's re-creation of 1936-37 London was superb. In fact, I would go as far to say that out of the many episodes and television movies that aired on "AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT", I would count Harris' production designs as among the best. Harris' work was ably supported by Barbara Kronig's costume designs and Chris O'Dell's photography. And I also had to compliment Andrew Nelson's editing, especially in the sequence that featured the details that led to Dr. Morely's murder. I thought the entire scene was well paced.The performances also struck me as first-rate. David Suchet was in fine form as Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. He was ably supported by Philip Jackson's wry performance as Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Japp. I realize that many may have been a little upset by the lack of Arthur Hastings and Miss Lemon's presence. But to be honest, I did not really miss them. Suchet and Jackson made a pretty strong screen team, as they have done in a few other productions. Most of the supporting cast gave solid performances, including Joanna Phillips-Lane, Laurence Harrington, and Carolyn Colquhoun. However, there were times that I found the latter's performance as Mabelle Sainsbury Seale to be a little ponderous. Peter Blythe did a good job in conveying both the charm and dignity of his character, Alistair Blunt, even if he came off as a bit smug toward Poirot, a man trying to prevent his murder. Helen Horton gave an amusing performance as Blunt's American sister-in-law, Julia Olivera. And I am relieved that her portrayal as a middle-aged American woman did not collapsed into a cliche, even if Clive Exton's screenplay gave her nearly every opportunity to do so. But I believe the best performance came from Christopher Eccleston, who portrayed one of the suspects - the boyfriend of Dr. Morely's assistant and a follower of the British Union of Fascists. Not only was Eccleston's performance brimmed with energy, he managed to inject sympathy into a character most would regard with disgust.I wish I could say that "ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE" was one of the best Christie adaptations I have seen. Many seemed to think so. I believe it had the potential to be one of the best. But I also believe that Clive Exton's script was riddled with a few flaws. One, Clive Exton wrote a convoluted script, which is not surprising since it was based upon a convoluted novel. Two, Exton and director Ross Devenish should have never included that prologue in 1925 India. It literally made it easier to solve the murders. And three, the script never made it clear why Alistair Blunt was needed to maintain some balance within Britain and Europe's political and economic climates. Why was it so important for Scotland Yard to discover who was trying to kill him? And three, the nursery rhyme chant that permeated the movie really got on my nerves. Why was it that every time ITV aired an Agatha Christie adaptation that featured a title from a nursery rhyme, it had to include an annoying and heavy-handed literary symbol into the production?Despite a convoluted story and a prologue that made it easier to identify the murderer, I must admit that I still rather like "ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE". It has a lot of style. I thought it did a great job in re-creating mid-1930s London. And it featured some top-notch performances led by David Suchet, Philip Jackson and a young Christopher Eccleston.
"POLDARK" SERIES TWO (2016): EPISODES FIVE TO TENSometime ago, I had expressed my feelings about "POLDARK", the 1975 adaptation of Winston Graham's 1953 novel, "Warleggan: A Novel of Cornwall, 1792-1793". Needless to say, my opinions were not overall positive. Then I focused my attention of Debbie Horsfield's recent adaptation of the novel. Considering the writer/television producer's boast that this new adaptation would be more faithful to Graham's literary saga, I found myself wondering how she would handle the writer's most controverisal entry in his series. Series Two of the new "POLDARK" stretched out in ten episodes. While the first four adapted the 1950 novel, "Jeremy Poldark: A Novel in Cornwall, 1790-1791" the last six episodes adapted "Warleggan". Episode Five focused on the last months of the life of Francis Poldark, protagonist Ross Poldark's cousin - his emotional reconciliation with his wife, Elizabeth Chynoweth Poldark; his duties as a local magistrate; and his excitement over his investment in the Poldark family's revived Wheal Grace. In the end, it was Francis' interest in Wheal Grace and a possible copper lode that led him down into the mine and to his death by drowning.Despite its tragic ending, I must confess that Episode Five might possibly be my favorite one from Series Two. In a way, it represented the "calm before the storm" that eventually overwhelmed the lives of Ross, Demelza, Elizabeth and other characters. Unlike certain fans of the saga, I never had a problem with the "storm" that overwhelmed the main characters in this chapter of the saga. I never had a problem, as long as it was well-written. And I believe Episode Five was truly a fantastic one, thanks to Debbie Horsfield's writing and Kyle Soller's last and superb performance as Francis Poldark. Episode Five also featured an engagement party in which Ray Penvenen held for his niece Caroline and her foppish fiance, a politician named Unwin Trevaunance. During this party, Elizabeth had quietly confessed in a misguided moment that she still harbored feelings for Ross and sometimes regret marrying Francis in the first place. It was a moment that would rear its ugly head, later in the season. As for the episode itself, it seemed to be the only one featuring the adaptation of "Warleggan" that really impressed me. Because Horsfield's adaptation of the "storm" proved to be very disappointing to me. And I truly missed Soller's presence in the series after this.Following Francis' death, Episodes Six to Ten focused on a collection of story arcs:*Ross's continuing financial struggles
*Ross' continuing attempts to wield riches from the Wheal Grace mine
*the courtship between Ross' close friend, Dr. Dwight Enys and heiress Caroline Penvenen
*Elizabeth's financial struggles to manage the debt-ridden Trenwith estate
*Antagonist George Warleggan's attempts to woo the widowed Elizabeth
*Ross and Elizabeth's close relationship and its effect upon DemelzaDespite the six hundred pounds investment he had received from his cousin Francis for Wheal Grace, Ross continued to struggle with finding a cache of copper. And because of this failure, his financial problems continued to persist for the next several episodes. At one point, Ross found himself on the brink of financial disaster when his nemesis George Warleggan had purchased the promissory note he had signed after borrowing money from his banker, Harris Peascoe. Worse, Wheal Grace proved to be an unsafe working environment and collapsed, causing the deaths of two workers. And all because Ross was desperate to find the copper he believed would alleviate his financial woes. Many fans and critics seemed to lack the patience to watch Ross struggle financially. They seemed more interested in his personal - especially his romantic - life. In a way, I could understand. But I thought Debbie Horsfield handled his financial struggles rather well. However, I was annoyed by two things. One, his mine workers seemed very reluctant to blame him for the Wheal Grace accident. I get the feeling that Horsfield seemed reluctant as well. I admire the fact that she allowed Ross to feel remorse for the accident. But I found it unrealistic that not one Poldark miner was willing to blame Ross, let alone resent him for failing to provide a safe working environment for them. This whole scenario smacked of some management-worker fantasy in order to make Ross look good in the eyes of the fans. As icing on the cake, Horsfield made sure - in a ham-fisted scene - that series villain George Warleggan criticized Ross over the Wheal Grace disaster. If it had been someone else, chances are the audience would be more inclined to criticize Ross. Unsure over the value of Wheal Grace, Ross made a quick trip to the Isles of Scilly to seek out the fugitive Mark Daniels, the miner who had murdered his wife near the end of Series One. I wish I could say that I found this sequence rather interesting. But to be honest, it lacked the pathos of the 1975 adaptation. Frankly, I have to blame actor Matthew Wilson. For me, he simply failed to convey Mark's guilt and grief over his wife's murder with any real poignancy or effectiveness. The only interesting aspect of this story arc proved to be Ross' return to Cornwall, where he found himself in the middle of a situation between the local smugglers using his cove as a landing spot and the militia. Frankly, I found it more than satisfying and rather exciting. The sequence ended on an exciting note with the death of informer Charlie Kempthorne. Ross managed to avoid the consequences of that night and his role in the smuggling by committing perjury in court and buying witnesses to do the same on his behalf. Unfortunately, poor Dwight Enys not only angered his blue-blooded fiancée by failing to rendezvous for their elopement, the local court fined him fifty pounds for starting a bonfire - which had alerted the smugglers to the presence of the militia. In the end, a series of events helped Ross and Demelza rise above their poverty-stricken state. One, Caroline Penvenen secretly provided Ross with two thousand pounds, enabling him to pay off the promissory note that George had purchased from Harris Peascoe and prevent the former from eventually taking possession of the Nampara estate. Ross finally struck a lode withing the Wheal Grace . . . but it proved to be tin, not copper. And a neighbor to whom Ross had lent money years ago repaid his debt and allowed Ross to become an investor in his business. By Episode Ten, I came to the conclusion that Ross was not exactly an exceptional businessman and estate manager. It seemed pretty obvious that sheer blind luck was responsible his rising fortune by Episode Ten.I realize that I had earlier stated that Episode Five was the last time I truly enjoyed Series Two. Well . . . perhaps not. I had no troubles watching the circumstances involving Ross, Elizabeth, Demelza and George unfold. And unlike the 1970s series, this current series did not rush through a good deal of the narrative in order to reach the sequence involving Ross' return to Cornwall on the night of the smugglers' conflict with the militia. I suspect that is due to the fact that the 1975 adaptation of "Warleggan" had stretched through four episodes and the 2016 adaptation stretched through six.Amidst the turmoil that seemed to engulf the Poldark family and George Warleggan, the romance between the lowly-born Dr. Dwight Enys and upper-class heiress Caroline Penvenen continued its rocky path. Although the pair finally managed to admit their love for one another and become engaged (behind the back of Caroline's uncle, Ray Penvenen). They even managed to form a plan to elope on the night of Ross' arrival from France. However, their plans went nowhere when Dwight ditched them in order to warn the smugglers that a local named Charlie Kempthorne had ratted them out to Captain McNeil and the militia. Do not get me wrong. I do believe that Luke Norris and Gabriella Wilde have some kind of chemistry together. The problem is that I found it difficult to really care about their relationship. The problem was . . . Wilde. She did not strike me as a charismatic actress. There were times when I found her performance rather stiff and rote-like. Even when her character had expressed disappointment and anger over Dwight's failure to rendezvous for an elopement, Wilde did not seemed to be selling these emotions with any real conviction. Series Two ended on a happy note for Dwight and Caroline, when Ross arranged their reconciliation before Dwight was scheduled to set sail with the Royal Navy. Sometime earlier, the War of the First Coalition had started, the first of several conflicts between Great Britain and France for the next twenty years or so.Ross and Demelza were not the only members of the Poldark family who struggled financially. With Francis dead, Elizabeth and the other inhabitants at Trenwith found themselves in a financial bind. The six hundred pounds that Francis had received from George Warleggan were invested in Wheal Grace. This left Elizabeth cash poor and unable to hire a bailiff to manage the Trenwith estate. She could not manage it, due being only trained to manage a household as mistress of the house. Thanks to Ross' never ending infatuation with her, he seemed willing to help her manage the estate every now and again. He even provided her and Geoffrey Charles with six hundred pounds from the money he had acquired through the sale of his remaining shares of Wheal Leisure. I believe these acts were Ross' way of attempting to rekindle the romance between himself and Elizabeth, now that Francis was gone. Ross became so focused upon Elizabeth that he failed to notice Demelza's growing awareness and concerns over his visits to Trenwith. But Ross was not the only one interested in romance with Elizabeth. George Warleggan, who has harbored romantic feelings for her since the beginning of the series, finally decided to make his move with her. At first, he used tentative steps - the occasional friendly visit to Trenwith, offering her advice on handling the estate's employees and tenants and presenting gifts to young Geoffrey Charles. The only fly in George's ointment was Francis' great-Aunt Agatha Poldark, who disliked him just as much as he disliked her.As much as I had enjoyed parts of the adaptation of "Warleggan", it was not perfect. And where did it all go wrong for me? Well, the first hint occurred when Demelza complained to her cousin-in-law Verity Poldark Blamey about Ross ignoring her in favor of visits to Elizabeth. And what did Verity do? Talk to Ross about Demelza, which would have been the sensible and direct thing to do? No. She visited Elizabeth at Trenwith and gently convinced her sister-in-law to spend less time with Ross. Sigh. How passive-aggressive. And sexist. Matters grew worse with Horsfield's ridiculous portrayal of Elizabeth as some incompetent woman incapable of maintaining the Trenwith estate matters. This was utterly ridiculous. As a woman and a member of the upper-class, Elizabeth was probably trained by her mother to be the wife of a landowner - namely manage the household of an estate manor. She was never trained to manage an estate or a mine. The same could be said for Verity and Caroline. And although Demelza, who was born into the working-class, could manage a smaller house without servants; also knew nothing about managing an estate. But thanks to Horsfield, only Elizabeth's lack of experience in this matter was emphasized.It grew worse. Horsfield treated viewers to this ridiculous sequence involving George Warleggan hiring some local thugs to frighten Elizabeth by squatting on Trenwith land. He hoped that this would finally drive Elizabeth to being opened to the idea of becoming Mrs. George Warleggan. I found this incredibly heavy-handed and unnecessary. In the novel, Elizabeth had already begun considering George as a potential spouse, thanks to her financial situation. Apparently, Horsfield thought Elizabeth required a more direct (and heavy-handed) reason to depend more on George. And why did she not turn to Ross? Well . . . she did. She had sent a note to Ross explaining the situation. And here, matters became very silly and childish. The Poldarks' housekeeper, Prudie Paynter, did not bother to hand over the note to Demelza. Ross was at the Isles of Scilly at the time. The entire scenario smacked of a scene from a teen romance novel. A desperate Elizabeth appeared at Nampara asked for Ross' whereabouts. Prudie kept her mouth shut and said nothing about keeping the note. And a cold and obviously jealous Demelza merely informed Elizabeth that the note was never received and Ross was away on business. Both Demelza and Prudie were so busy regarding Elizabeth as "the enemy" that they were obviously too stupid to notice Elizabeth's desperate air. In the end, the latter turned to George to deal with the squatters. From George hiring thugs to squat on Trenwith land to Elizabeth's desperate visit to Nampara - this was one of the silliest and unnecessary sequences I have ever seen in this series.Then came Episode Eight, which I now regard as the nadir of this "POLDARK" series . . . so far. Earlier in the episode, Demelza encountered Elizabeth in Truro, where the following exchange occurred:Elizabeth: I’ve been meaning to call upon you to thank you for your kindness these past few months.
Demelza: In lending you my husband?
Elizabeth: . . . in a manner of speaking.
Demelza: Oh, you’re welcome to him, just so long as you remember where he belongs and send him back to me when you’re done with him.While many viewers were hooting with laughter at Elizabeth's expense or raising their fists in the air crying, "Demelza! You go girl!", I merely rolled my eyes in disgust. One, this scene was never in "Warleggan". Two, once again, Debbie Horsfield managed to slut shame Elizabeth in preparation for what happened later in the episode. And three, she managed to make Demelza look like a passive-aggressive bitch. Good going, Ms. Horsfield!But what happened between Demelza and Elizabeth was nothing in compare to what was to come. Mrs. Chynoweth, Elizabeth's mother, fell ill and the latter realized she would have to care for her mother. At long last, George proposed marriage, promising both his riches and to clear the Trenwith estate of any debts for Geoffrey Charles. A very desperate Elizabeth accepted and very reluctantly, wrote a letter to Ross, informing him of her engagement. For once, Prudie did not withhold this second letter from Elizabeth and handed it over to Ross. Well, we all know what happened. He lost his temper and ignoring Demelza's pleas, rode over to Trenwith in the middle of the night to end Elizabeth's engagement to George.The one good thing I could say about this scene between Ross and Elizabeth is that it featured outstanding performances from both Aidan Turner and Heida Reed. I found it interesting that only a few people managed to notice. Otherwise, I loathed it. The novel's version of this scene was ugly enough, considering what Ross did to Elizabeth. But Horsfield's version of the scene was uglier. As in the novel, Ross broke into the house, ignored Elizabeth's protests and confronted her inside her bedroom. He tried to slut shame her Then he forced himself upon her with kisses and later, forced her on the bed with the intent to rape her. Before he could rape her, Elizabeth embraced Ross, signalling her consent to have sex with him. What made this scene so ugly to me? By having Elizabeth consent at the last moment, Debbie Horsfield seemed to be endorsing the concept of "Rape Fantasy". I had never felt so disgusted in my life.With the exception of one particular scene, Horsfield provided others following the Ross/Elizabeth scene that either annoyed or disgusted me. Upon Ross' return to Nampara the following morning, Demelza greeted him with a punch to the face and a great deal of hostility. The only aspect of this scene that would have made me cheer was Eleanor Tomlinson's first-rate performance. In the end, I could not because this scene was never in the novel. Worse, Horsfield used this scene to transform Demelza from a passive-aggressive bitch to an anachronistic character. Sigh! In the novel, Elizabeth was reluctant to proceed with her marriage to George, due to the trauma of being raped. At the same time, she wanted Ross to explain himself and apologize . . . which never happened. In Episode Nine, Horsfield attempted to solidify Elizabeth's guilt by having her spend her days at Trenwith, waiting for Ross to leave Demelza for her, thanks to Agatha Poldark's ludicrous suggestion that Ross might actually do this. Despite Caroline Blakiston's very skillful performance, Agatha Poldark proved to be very annoying to me, throughout this entire season. In the end, Elizabeth married George. Demelza, on the other hand, made the misguided decision to punish Ross by attending a house party given by that old lech, Sir Hugh Bodrugan and engage in revenge sex with Captain McNeil of the militia. Remember that one scene of which I had no problems? Well, it was not Sir Hugh's party. Unlike the 1975 version, it seemed to lack any atmosphere whatsoever of a debauched late Georgian party. Instead, the party sequence seemed to consist of every man admiring Demelza's beauty and desiring her, transforming her into television's ultimate Mary Sue. In the end, Demelza and McNeil retired to a room, where she decided that she did not want to engage in revenge sex, after all. Unlike the 1975 version, which featured McNeil attempting to rape Demelza, this version closely followed Graham's novel by having McNeil deciding not to force himself on her. For once, Horsfield did the right thing. Like Graham, she was willing to show that unlike Ross Poldark, here was a man capable of not forcing himself on a woman. Unfortunately, Episode Ten returned to the revised crap that Horsfield had inflicted upon Graham's saga. Like the producers of the 1975 series, Horsfield had Demelza contemplating leaving Ross for his infidelity and lack of remorse. Worse, she planned to return to her father's home . . . with young Jeremy. Was this scene in Graham's novel? I do not remember. I do know that she would have never gotten away with taking Jeremy with her to Tom Carne's home. As a man and a member of the landed gentry in the late 18th century, Ross could have easily used the courts to stop her. And I doubt very much that he would have tolerated Jeremy being raised in his father-in-law's household. He detested Tom Carne's bullying and religious fanaticism too much. Once again, Horsfield transformed Demelza into an anachronistic character. And like the 1975 series, Horsfield allowed Trenwith to be threatened by a mob after George had the estate closed off from its tenant farmers. This sequence began with Demelza confronting the newly married Elizabeth in the woods and slut shaming the latter for what happened on the night of May 9, 1793. Again, this was not in Graham's novel. I found it misogynistic and unnecessary. And I suspect that Horsfield added another ham-fisted scene to solidify Elizabeth guilty of adultery in the viewers' eyes.In the end, the mob led by Jud Paynter did not burn down Trenwith. Demelza arrived at the Warleggans' home to warn them about the mob. Horsfield had Ross behave like romance novel hero and appear at Trenwith - on a white horse (ugh!) - to prevent Demelza from getting swept up by the mob and to prevent the latter from burning Trenwith and harming the Warleggan newlyweds. By the time Episode Ten ended with another scene straight from a romance novel. It featured Ross and Demelza reconciling near the edge of a cliff . . . again. Ugh. Episodes Five to Ten, which featured the adaptation of Graham's 1953 novel, "Warleggan: A Novel of Cornwall, 1792-1793", had started on such a promising note. But since the novel was controversial, due to the saga's protagonist becoming a rapist, producer Debbie Horsfield and the BBC slowly transformed the adaptation of the novel into a pile of shit. Like their 1975 predecessors, Horsfield and the BBC lacked the balls to closely adhere to Winston Graham's ambiguous portrayal of Ross Poldark. The worst they were willing to do was simply portray him as an adulterer. Because of this, Episodes Five to Ten of Series Two for "POLDARK"seemed to be filled with heavy-handed revisions of Graham's novel and a rape fantasy scene that left me feeling completely disgusted.
"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" (1940) Review
Whenever one conjured the image of Warner Brothers Studio during the 1930s and 40s, hard-hitting crime dramas or social commentaries come to mind. I would certainly not view melodramas - costumed or otherwise - as part of the studio's usual repertoire. Then in 1933, Hal Wallis became the studio's new production chief and eventually allowed the studio to release more films with a wider variety. And when Bette Davis became "Queen of the Lot" in the mid-to-late 1930s, the release of melodramas by Warner Brothers became more common.
One of the melodramas associated with Davis was "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO", the 1940 movie adaptation of Rachel Fields' 1938 novel. Set in France and northeastern United States during the mid-to-late 1840s, the movie told the story of a newly hired French schoolteacher at an American school, who finds herself reliving her past experiences with a French aristocratic family to her new students gossiping over the scandal that had followed her across the Atlantic. The movie begins in 1848 United States. Mademoiselle Henriette Deluzy-Desportes has been hired as the new French instructor at a girls' school. To her dismay, she discovers that her new students are aware of the scandal that drove her out of France. Instead of resigning from the school, she decides to tell her students about her experiences with the family of the Duc de Praslin and Duchesse de Praslin.
The movie jumps back to 1846, during the last years of the Orleans monarchy, when Henriette arrives in France, following a five-year stint as a governess for an English family. After an interview with the Duc and Duchesse, Henriette is hired to act as governess for their three daughters and son. Although Henriette endears herself to the Duc and his four children, the Duchesse seemed to resent her presence. Due to an erratic temperament and an all compassing love for her husband, the Duchesse begins to suspect that Henriette is not only stealing the love of her children, but more importantly her husband. Despite her happy relationship with the de Praslin children, Henriette is forced to deal with the Duchesse' increasingly hostile behavior, a growing awareness of the Duc's feelings for her . . . and her own feelings for him. The tensions within the family culminates in the Duchesse's brutal death, which leads to a great deal of legal problems for Henriette.
"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" proved to be a successful film, but not quite a major box office hit. I read somewhere that some at the Warner Brothers Studios blamed the movie's elaborate production designs for overwhelming the other aspects of the movie. I do not know if I could agree with this assessment. Granted, I found some of Carl Jules Weyl's art designs of 1840s France a bit grandiose - especially in scenes featuring the de Praslin household. But considering the high level of melodrama and characterization, I find this opinion a bit hard to accept. I also find it difficult to agree with this slightly negative opinion of the movie's visual style. Personally, I rather enjoyed it. I thought Weyl and his staff did an excellent job in re-creating the movie's period - 1846 to 1848 via production designs, set designs, Warren Low's editing and especially Ernest Haller's Oscar nominated cinematography. I also have to compliment Orry-Kelly's costume designs. The Australian-born designer had also created the costumes for some of Bette Davis' movie, including 1938's "JEZEBEL" and 1939's "JUAREZ". The designer could have easily been sloppy and re-used the costumes from those particular movies. Instead, Orry-Kelly created costumes that more or less accurately reflected the fashions of the mid-to-late 1840s.
While reading another review of "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO", the writer complained that he/she found it difficult to believe that a forbidden romance between a French aristocrat and his governess led to the outbreak of the Revolution of 1848 and the fall of the July Monarchy in France. Apparently, the reviewer had failed to do any research or read Rachel Field's novel. AFter all, the novel was based upon history, including Field's family background. Henriette Deluzy-Desportes (or what was her real name) was one of Field's ancestors. And from what I have read, the real scandal that surrounded the governess and the duke had a major impact on the 1848 revolution that broke out in France. But was the movie's historical background completely accurate? I honestly do not know. I would have to read more on the 1848 Revolution in France and the life of the Duc de Praslin. If I have one complaint about the movie's handling of this historical background, I do wish that Casey Robinson's screenplay could have provided more hints about the upcoming political upheaval.
Overall, I really enjoyed "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO". It is rare to come across a first-rate costume melodrama that can keep me enthralled during its entire running time. And this movie managed to achieve this, thanks to not only Robinson's screenplay, but also Anatole Litvak's steady direction. This was especially apparent in the first two-thirds of the movie that chronicled Henriette's troubles with her American students, her arrival in France and her working and personal relationships with the de Praslin family. The movie's best segment centered around the months she spent in the de Praslin family's employment. Once, Henriette is dismissed by the Duchesse de Praslin for imagined slights, the movie struggled to maintain its momentum. This last third of the film centered on Henriette's attempts to retrieve a reference from the Duchesse, the latter's violent death, the legal wranglings that surrounded the murder and the finale in the United States. And yet . . . this last third of the film dragged so much - especially the period in which Henriette was in prison - that it threatened to overshadow my enjoyment of the film.
Aside from one particular performance, I have no problems with the movie's cast. Bette Davis gave an engrossing and subtle performance as the movie's lead character, Henriette Deluzy-Desportes. I will admit there were times I found the character a bit ideal for my liking - especially in the scenes featuring the governess and her charges. But the scenes featuring the growing love between Henriette and the Duc de Praslin and her conflicts with the Duchesse allowed Davis to superbly portray the governess more as a human being and less as a figure of feminine ideal. Charles Boyer was superb as the Duc de Praslin, a practical and loving man who found himself trapped in a marriage with a woman he no longer love. I feel it is to his credit that he could make the audience feel sympathetic toward a man who not only harbored adulterous feelings for another woman, but also murdered his wife.
The movie also featured fine performances from a supporting cast that included Jeffrey Lynn as Henriette's future husband, the Reverend Henry Field; Harry Davenport as the de Praslin groundskeeper Pierre; Montagu Love as the Duc de Praslin's father-in-law, Marshal Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de la Porta; and Henry Daniell as Monsieur Broussais, the man charged with investigating the Duchesse's murder. "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" also benefited from excellent performances from the child actors who portrayed Henriette's charges. I was especially impressed by June Lockhart and Virginia Weidler, who portrayed the Duc and Duchesse's two older offsprings. The only performance I had trouble with Barbara O'Neil's portrayal of Frances, the Duchesse du Praslin. I realize the latter was supposed to be an emotional and possessive woman, whose selfishness left her family out in the cold. O'Neil was fine in those scenes in which she conveyed the Duchesse's coldness and attempts at indifference toward Henriette. Otherwise, her shrill rants and emotional outbursts struck me as hammy. I am surprised that O'Neil was the only cast member to earn an Academy Award nomination for acting.
I cannot say that I agree with the old criticism of the production designs for "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO". I believe the movie does suffer from some flaws that include occasional hammy acting from Barbara O'Neil and the slow pacing that nearly bogged down the third act. But Anatole Litvak's direction, along with a first-rate screenplay by Casey Robinson, excellent production designs, and superb performances from a cast led by Bette Davis and Charles Boyer have led me to regard "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" as an excellent example of a Hollywood costume melodrama at its best.
