Devotion

1946

Devotion

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Movie Info

Roundly blasted upon its release because of the extreme liberties it takes with the truth, Devotion is better as cinema than as history. Not that it's great cinema, mind you, mainly because the filmmakers opted to replace historical fact with either tired dramatic clichés or wild improbabilities. As an example of the latter, the film posits that Paul Henreid's character, who is a standard-issue film romantic hero (troubled, but understandably so), is the inspiration for two of the most passionate, fiery characters in the canon of English literature. Arthur Kennedy as brother Bramwell is much more passionate and fiery, a fact which tends to further muddle things up. The generic setting is also disappointing; these ladies wrote as they wrote because of where they lived and how they lived, but little of this makes it to the screen. Fortunately, Devotion has Olivia de Havilland and Ida Lupino on hand. De Havilland is quite good, grabbing hold of whatever she can find in the script and milking it for all it's worth. Lupino does even better, often making this standard-issue (at best) writing seem engaging and moving. As indicated, Kennedy also makes things work for him, and Nancy Coleman does what she can with the little she is handed. Erich Wolfgang Korngold's score provides plenty of the atmosphere that Curtis Bernhardt's direction often lacks. Ultimately, Devotion's assets, particularly Lupino and de Havilland, manage to squeeze it into the winner's column -- but it's a pretty close call. The film was produced in 1943, hence the presence of Montagu Love, who died that year.

Cast

Olivia de Havilland
as Charlotte BrontÙ
Ida Lupino
as Emily BrontÙ
Nancy Coleman
as Ann BrontÙ
Paul Henreid
as Nichols
Sydney Greenstreet
as Thackeray
Arthur Kennedy
as Branwell BrontÙ
Victor Francen
as M. Heger
Dame May Whitty
as Lady Thornton
Montagu Love
as Rev. Bronte
Ethel Griffies
as Aunt Branwell
Odette Myrtil
as Mme. Heger
Edmund Breon
as Sir John Thornton
Marie de Becker
as Tabby
Donald Stuart
as Butcher
Eily Malyon
as Miss Thornton
Forrester Harvey
as Hoggs
Yorke Sherwood
as Man
Billy Bevan
as Draper
John Meredith
as Draper's Assistant
David Thursby
as Farmer
David Clyde
as Land Agent
P.J. Kelly
as Shepherd
Doris Lloyd
as Mrs. Ingham
Violet Seton
as Mrs. Crump
Sylvia Opert
as French Girl Student
Elyane Lima
as French Girl Student
Patrick Kelly
as Shepherd
Howard Davies
as Englishman
Hartney Arthur
as Man
Reginald Sheffield
as Dickens
Brandon Hurst
as Duke of Wellington
Elspeth Dudgeon
as Elderly Woman
Hilda Plowright
as Elderly Woman
Rita Lupino
as Giselle
Sonia Lefkova
as Marie
Micheline Cheirel
as Mlle. Blanche
Edgar Norton
as Club Member
Crauford Kent
as Club Member
Tanis Chandler
Frank Dawson
as Club Member
Florence Wix
as Englishwoman
Irina Semochenko
as French Girl Student
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