Rent The Great Lie (1941)

3.7 of 5 from 58 ratings
1h 48min
Rent The Great Lie Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
Tempestuous, ambitious concert pianist Sandra Kovac (Mary Astor) shares a bond with down-to-earth Maggie Van Allen (Bette Davis) and her little boy, Pete. Sandra's chic New York friends can't imagine what the two women have in common. What they don't know is that Pete is Sandra's son - and the son of the heroic aviator (George Brent) both women love. Powerful emotions rage against a backdrop of powerful music in the film that earned Astor for her tour-de-force performance opposite the legendary star who always gives a tour-de-force performance. Join two great actresses for the story of a great passion, a great sacrifice.. .and a great lie.
Actors:
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Directors:
Writers:
Lenore J. Coffee, Polan Banks
Studio:
Warner
Genres:
Classics, Drama
Collections:
Holidays Film Collection, Romantic Film Pairings for Valentine's Day
Awards:

1942 Oscar Best Supporting Actress

BBFC:
Release Date:
16/07/2008
Run Time:
108 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
Bonus:
  • Vintage Newsreel
  • Broadway Brevities Short At the Stroke of Twelve
  • Sports Parade
  • Short Kings of the Turf
  • Hollywood Novelty Short
  • Polo with the Stars
  • Classic Cartoon Porky's Pooch
  • Trailers of The Great Lie and 1941's The Strawberry Blonde

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Reviews (1) of The Great Lie

Musical Soap. - The Great Lie review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
15/11/2022

Musical melodrama which matches Bette Davis' wealthy landowner against the Oscar winning Mary Astor as a celebrated concert pianist. So there's plenty of rousing Russian classical music on the soundtrack to stir the emotions. George Brent is the (unconvincing) playboy aviator that the two divas fight over, but it's really all about the female stars.

Following Brent and Astor's swanky New York wedding they discover that her divorce wasn't finalised so the marriage is void. Brent flies down to Maryland to marry an old flame (Bette) instead, before crashing his plane into the Brazilian rainforest on secret government business. When Astor discovers she is pregnant, Davis takes her to a shack in the Arizona desert to secretly give birth so Bette can keep the baby in return for dollars.

Which is a hell of a pitch! It starts off as screwball, with Brent plainly uneasy in Cary Grant's shoes, then turns into pure soap. Most of the fun is courtesy of the two female leads wringing all the showbiz out of the preposterous set up. Bette's country mansion is staffed by African American character actors and while there isn't much dignity in their roles, Hattie McDaniel handles the comedy with expertise.

But this isn't so bad it's good. The events happen within the conventions and locations of classic Hollywood melodrama and it succeeds in that context. It's extraordinarily entertaining, and for that we thank the stars, Max Steiner's soundtrack, Orry-Kelly's gowns and director Edmund Goulding for spinning magic out of such an outrageous premise.

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