There is much to enjoy in this film. Most of the actors do a fine job, the story is certainly dramatic, and the direction is wonderful. William Wyler and Gregg Toland, director and cameraman, work very well together. One scene seems to be in all the film texts: it's the one with Dan Duryea and Carl Benton Reid shaving as they discuss how to steal Herbert Marshall's money. The deep focus composition allows the director to eliminate cutting back and forth between the men; this encourages the viewer to form his own opinions of the characters. Andre Bazin hailed this film as a breakthrough in the attempt to transfer a play into film.
A wonderful cinematic achievement, therefore, but not much fun to watch when we have morose Patricia Collinge and stricken (morally as well as cardiac-aly) Herbert Marshall emitting clouds of left-wing gas, regarding how treacherous their relatives are. I actually heard Richard Carlson say, to the lovely Teresa Wright, that the white folks may have all the money, but the black folks sure have the fine voices. I almost choked on the sandwich I was eating. This script has too much opining and whining, not enough really tough observation.
The best saved for last: Bette Davis cuts through all of Lillian Hellman's sentimental hokum with a beautifully vicious performance as Regina, with a great supporting turn from Charles Dingle as Ben, the one man who enjoys finagling others out of their money.
A wonderful cinematic achievement, therefore, but not much fun to watch when we have morose Patricia Collinge and stricken (morally as well as cardiac-aly) Herbert Marshall emitting clouds of left-wing gas, regarding how treacherous their relatives are. I actually heard Richard Carlson say, to the lovely Teresa Wright, that the white folks may have all the money, but the black folks sure have the fine voices. I almost choked on the sandwich I was eating. This script has too much opining and whining, not enough really tough observation.
The best saved for last: Bette Davis cuts through all of Lillian Hellman's sentimental hokum with a beautifully vicious performance as Regina, with a great supporting turn from Charles Dingle as Ben, the one man who enjoys finagling others out of their money.