Deception

Some time back, I DVRed the Bette Davis movie Deception, but put off watching it because it wasn't available on DVD. Well, it just so happens that not only is it going to be on TCM tomorrow afternoon at 12:45 PM, the TCM Shop says that the Warner Archive will be releasing it on MOD in June. So either way, now is a good time to blog about it.

Bette Davis plays Christine Radcliffe, who at the beginning of the movie is running into a building that looks suspsiciously like the police headquarters Joan Crawford walks out of at the end of Mildred Pierce. Even if it is the same building on the Warner Bros. lot, this time it's a concert hall, and she's going to see a concert given by cellist Karel Novak (Paul Henried).

You see, many years ago, before war came to Europe, Christine, a pianist but nowhere near as good a musician as Karel, had a relationship with him. But World War II intervened and Christine was certain Karel was killed, so she headed back to America to try to start life over again. Now that Karel is actually alive, however, Christine can resume her love for him.

Karel is impressed with how Christine was able to start her life over again, as he goes to her apartment, which is the sort that you wonder how anybody can afford, let alone a second-rate pianist. She says she's been given lessons to the idle rich, and they've been able to pay her back by rather lavishly furnishing her apartment, but seriously, who would believe that?

We're soon to figure out the real story, which happens when Karel and Christine get married. Who should show up fashionably late for the reception but the noted composer Alexander Hollenius (Claude Rains)? He seems shocked to see Christine getting married, to the point that he breaks a wine glass in his hand! That's a definite sign something is wrong.

What went wrong is that Christine, convinced that Karel had died, decided to support herself by having an affair with Hollenius, who is apparently a very successful composer considering his fine place. Successful enough, in fact, that everybody is waiting for the premiere of his new piece, which happens to be... a cello concerto! Perfect for Karel to play, if only everybody weren't so jealous of everybody else. Well, except for Karel, who seems oblivious to everything that's going on.

Deception is one of those movies that's clearly well-made, and a fine example of the production values the studio system could give to a prestige movie. And yet there's something not quite right about it. The movie runs and runs, but never really goes anywhere. Davis and Rains and Henried act, but it's somehow as if they acted their scenes alone and the others were spliced in or something. There's a pervasive thread of "slightly off" running throughout the movie.

Still, there's definitely a fair deal worth mentioning. If you like classical music, you'll definitely enjoy the soundtrack, which includes several famous pieces as well as new music by Erich Korngold (including the "Hollenius" concerto). The acting is good if sometimes over the top, even if everybody seems to have decided to take their own cues. And the production values are top-notch. If you like melodrama, I guess you'll probably enjoy Deception quite a bit.