The life of Mrs. Skeffington

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Movie
German title The life of Mrs. Skeffington
Original title Mr. Skeffington
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1944
length 127 minutes
Rod
Director Vincent Sherman
script Julius J. Epstein ,
Philip G. Epstein
production Julius J. Epstein,
Philip G. Epstein
music Franz Waxman
camera Ernest Haller
cut Ralph Dawson
occupation
synchronization

The life of Mrs. Skeffington (Original title: Mr. Skeffington ) is an American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman from 1944. It is based on the novel The Seven Mirrors of Lady Frances ( Mr. Skeffington , 1939) by Elizabeth von Arnim .

action

Fanny Trellis is a pampered young woman who lives in the early years of the 20th century. For her brother Trippy, the woman who has many admirers would do anything. Mr. Skeffington is a stockbroker and the boss of Trippy. When Fanny learns that Trippy has embezzled company money, she decides to marry Mr. Skeffington to protect her brother. Mr. Skeffington loves his wife even if he knows that love will not be returned. Fanny likes the role of the fine society lady who has many lovers. Left alone, her husband hooks up with his secretary, whereupon Fanny files for divorce. Her daughter - her name is also Fanny - asks her father to take her to Europe . Mother Fanny is now free and enjoying life, which is made easier for her by the fortune of her ex-husband. She did not see her daughter for years.

Time goes by, Fanny is getting older. During a sailing trip with her lover Johnnie she falls ill with diphtheria . The disease affects their attractiveness more than age. When Fanny invites her old friends and lovers to a party, they are shocked by Fanny's bad looks. Fanny is dismayed, and Johnnie also falls in love with her daughter who has returned from Europe and who has fled the Nazis . The two marry and leave Fanny alone.

Meanwhile, Skeffington is trying to gain a foothold in Europe. But as a Jew , he is taken to a concentration camp, where he goes blind. He survived the war and the concentration camp and returned to the States to visit Fanny. Fortunately for Fanny, he can't see what she looks like now. Fanny feels sorry for her ex-husband. Her friend and cousin George tells her about a quote from Skeffington: "No woman is beautiful until she is loved." Fanny realizes the truth of these words and blossoms again.

background

Screenwriters Julius and Philip Epstein were twin brothers. Together they won an Oscar for Casablanca in 1942 . Other employees with Oscar merits: composer Franz Waxman won two statues (1950 and 1951) and was nominated ten more times; Cinematographer Ernest Haller won an Oscar in 1939 and was nominated six more times; Film editor Ralph Dawson received three Oscar awards (1935, 1936 and 1938); The three-time Oscar-winning Orry-Kelly was responsible for the costumes . The orchestra director Leo F. Forbstein also had an Oscar, which he won in 1938.

The Life of Mrs. Skeffington premiered in New York City on May 25, 1944 and was released in the United States on August 12, 1944. The German premiere was on September 21, 1963 on ARD .

Reviews

For the film service, it was a matter of a "[g] roßanganges touching piece full of cleverly staged melodramatic effects; remarkable also through the make-up artistically convincing aging and decay process of the superbly playing Bette Davis ”. Cinema described the film as a “soap opera de luxe with a multifaceted diva”. Prisma praised Bette Davis, who “traces the crossroads of an aging society girl with extraordinary versatility”. The film is a "gripping noble melodrama about the cold shine of beauty and the narcissistic joie de vivre".

The internet portal moviesection.de stated that the story was "captivating and gripping". "The different facets of Mrs. Skeffington are worked out great", so the portal. In general, all actors are credible in their roles and the film is “a must for all fans of black and white cinema and for those who want to be convinced by Bette Davis again”.

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1945 , the film was nominated for an Oscar in the categories of Best Actress (Bette Davis) and Best Supporting Actor (Claude Rains) . However, Bette Davis lost to Ingrid Bergman in The House of Lady Alquist and Claude Rains had to admit defeat to Barry Fitzgerald in The Road to Happiness .

synchronization

A German dubbed version was created in 1963 on behalf of ARD.

role actor Voice actor
Fanny Trellis Skeffington Bette Davis Gisela Peltzer
Job Skeffington Claude Rains Friedrich Schoenfelder
George Trellis Walter Abel Heinz Petruo
Doctor Byles George Coulouris Hans W. Hamacher
Trippy trellis Richard Waring Herbert Stass
Gangster McMahon Robert Shayne Gert Günther Hoffmann
Jim Conderley John Alexander Alexander Welbat
Edward Morrison Jerome Cowan Reinhold Nietschmann
Housekeeper Manby Dorothy Peterson Use Fürstenberg
Chester Forbish Peter Whitney Gerd Duwner
Bill Thatcher Bill Kennedy Heinz Palm

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mr. Skeffington (1944). In: AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved September 28, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b The Life of Mrs. Skeffington. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 1, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  3. ↑ The Life of Mrs. Skeffington. In: Cinema . Hubert Burda Media , accessed on September 28, 2019 .
  4. ↑ The Life of Mrs. Skeffington. In: prisma.de . Retrieved September 28, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Thomas Ays : The Life of Mrs. Skeffington. In: Moviesection. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016 ; accessed on September 28, 2019 .
  6. ↑ The Life of Mrs. Skeffington. In: synchronous database. Retrieved September 28, 2019 .