''All This, and Heaven Too'' is a 1940 American drama film released by
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
-
First National Pictures, produced and directed by
Anatole Litvak
Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (10 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), commonly known as Anatole Litvak, was a Russian-American filmmaker.
Born to Jewish parents in Kiev, he began his theatrical training at age 13 in Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, ...
with
Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. The screenplay was adapted by
Casey Robinson from the 1938 novel by
Rachel Field. The music was by
Max Steiner
Maximilian Raoul Steiner (10 May 1888 – 28 December 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and became one of cinema of the United States, Hollywood's greatest musical composers.
Steiner was a child prodi ...
and the cinematography by
Ernie Haller. The film stars
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...
and
Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...
with
Jeffrey Lynn,
Barbara O'Neil,
Virginia Weidler
Virginia Anna Adeleid Weidler (March 21, 1927 – July 1, 1968) was an American child actor, child actress, popular in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s.
Early life and career
Weidler was born on March 21, 192 ...
,
Helen Westley,
Walter Hampden,
Henry Daniell,
Harry Davenport,
George Coulouris and
Montagu Love
Montagu Love (15 March 1877 – 17 May 1943) was an English screen, stage and vaudeville actor.
Early years
Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Love was the son of Harry Love and Fanny Louisa Love, née Poad; his father was listed as accountant ...
.
Field's novel is based on the true story of her great-aunt
Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, a French governess who fell in love with the
Duc de Praslin, her employer. When
Praslin's wife was murdered, Deluzy-Desportes was implicated. The scandal contributed to the political turmoil before the
French Revolution of 1848
The French Revolution of 1848 (), also known as the February Revolution (), was a period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation of the French Second Republic. It sparked t ...
that deposed
King Louis Philippe I.
Plot
Mademoiselle Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, a French woman, starts teaching at an American girls school. She is confronted by the tales and gossip about her that circulate among her pupils and, thus provoked, she decides to tell them her life story.
Deluzy-Desportes is governess to the four children of the Duc and Duchesse de Praslin in Paris during the last years of the
Orleans monarchy. As a result of the Duchesse's constantly erratic and temperamental behavior, all that remains is an unhappy marriage, but the Duc remains with his wife for the sake of their children.
Deluzy-Desportes, with her warmth and kindness, wins the love and affection of the children and their father, but also the jealousy and hatred of their mother. She is forced to leave and the Duchess refuses to give her a letter of recommendation to future employers. The Duc confronts his wife and she invents alternative letters taking opposite attitudes, which in fact she has not written and does not intend to write. Her account enrages him and, at the breaking point, he kills her.
The Duc de Praslin is in a privileged position; as a peer his case can only be heard by other nobles. He refuses to confess his guilt or openly to admit his love for his employee, knowing that his fellow nobles wish to use such an admission to blame her for the murder by declaring that he was acting at her bidding. Ultimately the Duc takes poison to prevent himself from ever publicly proclaiming his love for Henriette, since he knows that would convict her; however, he lives long enough to reveal it to another of his servants, Pierre, a kindly old man who had warned the governess to leave the de Praslin household. With the Duc's death, the authorities accept that they have no evidence upon which to base a judgment that Henriette solicited the murder and she is released from the
Conciergerie
The Conciergerie () () is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which also included ...
.
Deluzy-Desportes had been recommended for the teaching position "in the land of the free" by an American minister, Rev. Henry Field, to whom she had expressed a loss of faith while in prison. He proposes marriage, and it is implied that Henriette will accept.
Cast
Reception
The film was positively reviewed by critics. When the film premiered at
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...
,
Bosley Crowther
Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...
of ''The New York Times'' wrote that filmgoers willing to sit through the long running time "will find the film a source of much emotional satisfaction; others of less Spartan stamp will certainly protest that it wears out their patience in the telling of a comparatively uncomplicated tale. For the Warners are here handing out a tear-laden old-fashioned drama—and a very heavy one, too."
''Variety'' called it "film theatre at its best...Casey Robinson in the scripting captured the quaintness of the manners and customs of Paris, in 1848, and succeeded admirably in retaining both spirit and characters of the novel, despite the necessity for much deletion of material." ''
Film Daily
''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informati ...
s headline announced: "Dramatically powerful, beautifully mounted and superbly cast; film should be one of year's strongest box-office attractions." ''
Harrison's Reports'' wrote: "A powerful drama, with a strong appeal for women. The production is lavish, and the direction and performances are of the highest order."
John Mosher of ''The New Yorker'' wrote that Litvak had swung the viewer into the historical setting "with all the romantic, profuse gusto at his command. I think a few of the scenes of governess and children might have been elided, for, with the sinister doings in the background, we can't forever sustain a nursery mood. In general, though, the long picture seems short, which, of course, is something very much in its favor."
''All This, and Heaven Too'' placed fifth on ''Film Dailys year-end nationwide poll of 546 critics naming the best films of 1940. The film is considered to be a successful but expensive costume drama.
[Glancy, H. Mark]
"Warner Bros film grosses, 1921-51"
''Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television'' (March 1995); accessed December 16, 2015.
Accolades
Home media
On April 1, 2008,
Warner Home Video
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...
released the film as part of the box set ''The Bette Davis Collection, Volume 3''.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:All This, And Heaven Too
1940 films
1940 romantic drama films
American romantic drama films
American black-and-white films
1940s English-language films
Films scored by Max Steiner
Films directed by Anatole Litvak
Films set in Paris
Films set in the United States
Films set in the 1840s
Warner Bros. films
Films based on American novels
Romantic drama films based on actual events
Films produced by Hal B. Wallis
1940s American films
English-language romantic drama films