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 By the 1940s Bette Davis had already made 43 films, and her career was well established. She had already starred with many formidable actors, but this was her first time to work with Charles Boyer. All This, and Heaven Too was adapted from Rachel Field's novel based on actual events in her family. Anatole Litvak directs this excellent melodrama.
 When Henriette Deluzy arrives in America to teach at a girl's school, her tainted reputation precedes her. The girls being to scorn their teacher and pass around a newspaper article about her deeds in Paris. That's when Henriette begins her story to the girls and the movie shifts back to 1846 when Henriette arrives in Paris to be the governess to the children of Theo, Duc de Praslin (Boyer) and Frances, Duchesse de Praslin (Barbara O'Neil).
June Lockhart
Virginia Weidler
Ann E. Todd
Richard Nichols
The children - Isabelle de Praslin (June Lockhart), Louise de Praslin (Virginia Weidler), Berthe de Praslin (Ann E. Todd) and Reynald de Praslin (Richard Nichols I) - are absolutely delighted to have the sweet and loving Henriette as their mentor. Their mother is like the wicked witch. She's distraught because her husband won't pay her any attention so she's become a terrible nag and sees her children as a nuisance. Her first question to Henriette is, "So how old are you?"
When Henriette answers 25, there's a look of resignation in Frances' eyes as she mutters quietly, "So young."
Barbara O'Neil
Day to day life becomes convoluted in the Praslin household. Henriette and the children get along fabulously. While Theo loves the kids and is an active part of their lives, he has grown weary of his needy wife, and slowly falls for Henriette. She too, becomes besotted with him.
As one can expect, things get horribly worse in the Praslin household, as one tragedy after another occurs.
The cleverness of the screenplay is that there are no overt actions by either Theo or Henriette as to their feelings. Throughout the story only occasional looks confirm what both characters are feeling for each other, but are too proper and moral to act upon them.
Charles Boyer
Both Boyer and Davis are incredible in these roles. Boyer plays his royal character with proper attitude and respect for the governess, his wife and his children. Davis has a very sweet role in the character of Henriette. She's extremely loving with the children, honorable to a fault with her intentions, even when her heart is breaking. The sexual attraction of the two characters is more significant when you realize never in the movie do Henriette or Theo ever do anything more intimately than shake hands a few times. While we
Bette Davis
are used to seeing her in more contentious and heated roles, in All This, and Heaven Too she proves again what a great actress she was.
Several character actors add to the enjoyment of the film. Barbara O'Neil (Gone With The Wind) couldn't have been more spiteful as the scorned wife. Although her character arc never changes and does get a tad tedious, I assume that was more of what was on the script page than in O'Neil's doing. She did get an Academy Award nomination for performance.
Harry Davenport has only a few scenes as the Praslin handyman, Pierre, but is notable in every scene. He admires Henriette and as an insider of what's really going on in the household, warns her from day one not to accept the job. "It's a wise chicken that runs for cover at the first clap of thunder," he says. Another time he sets the mood when he says, "You're caught in the net and you don't even wish to escape."
I found All This, and Heaven Too to be extremely entertaining. The story includes drama, mystery, romance, heartbreak and has wonderful performances. Max Steiner's musical score sets the mood swings in the film exceptionally well. The lighting of the film by cinematographer Ernest Haller (Rebel Without A Cause) - also nominated for an Academy Award for All This, and Heaven Too - is certainly part of the reason the film feels so sincere.
Author Daniel Bubbeo provides an excellent commentary to the film that anyone who likes Bette Davis will want to listen to on the DVD extra features.
Special Features:
€¢ Commentary by The Women of Warner Bros. author Daniel Bubbeo - explains this movie was typical of the women's movies Bette Davis made in the 1940s, and that it was meant to be Warner Bros. answer to Gone With the Wind. Bubbeo explains a lot about he author of the novel and true incident that happened in her family. He goes into detail about the child actors in the movie, which is very interesting, especially since they comprise a good part of the movie, and of course has lots of great information about Bette Davis.
€¢ Warner Night at the Movies 1940 short subjects gallery:
- Vintage newsreel
- Technicolor patriotic short Meet the Fleet
- Classic cartoons Hollywood Daffy and Porky's Last Stand
- Trailers of All This, and Heaven Too and 1940's Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
€¢ Audio-only bonus: Radio show adaptation with the film's stars
ۢ Subtitles: English & Fran̤ais (main feature only)
All This, and Heaven Too is part of Warner Home Video's release of The Bette Davis Collection Volume 3 on April 1, 2008. Honoring the legendary actress on what would have been her centennial birthday, the six-disc gift set also included: In This Our Life; The Old Maid; All This, and Heaven Too; The Great Lie; Deception and Watch on the Rhine.
Director: Anatole Litvak
Writers: Rachel Field (story), Casey Robinson (screenplay)
Cast: Bette Davis, Charles Boyer, Barbara O'Neil, June Lockhart, Virginia Weidler, Ann E. Todd, Reynald de Praslin, Jeffrey Lynn, Walter Hampden, Harry Davenport
Run Time: 143 Minutes
Rating: Not rated - suggested for 13 and older
Classic Movie Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
DVD Release Date: 4/01/2008
Studio: Warner Home Video
Format: B&W - Standard Version
Photo credits: Warner Home Video
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