- “Remember what it says in the Bible. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.”
-“How does it feel to be the Lord?”
-“Not so very wonderful, since the Free Will Bill was passed. Too little power.”
This may be my favorite Bette Davis performance. She really is amazing. This story is SO ahead of its time from its positive portrayal of psychology. This romance is so fantastic and I think its even better than the “forbidden it can’t happen” love than BRIEF ENCOUNTER. It’s so interesting how this came out a few years before that one, considering Paul Henreid (who is great in this as well) reminded me a lot of Trevor Howard’s character in that film. The relationship between Charlotte and her mother reminded me a lot of the toxic parts of my own relationship with my mother, even though our relationship is good while this one is terrible. The mother character in here is also one of the greatest film villains I’ve seen. The writing in here is so sharp with so many great lines. I LOVED Mary Wickes as the nurse. She reminded me of Alice from THE BRADY BUNCH. I had no idea she was the animation model for Cruella De Vil.
