Deception (film)
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| Deception | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster |
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| Directed by | Irving Rapper |
| Produced by | Henry Blanke |
| Written by | John Collier Joseph Than Louis Verneuil (play) |
| Starring | Bette Davis Paul Henreid Claude Rains |
| Music by | Erich Wolfgang Korngold |
| Cinematography | Ernest Haller |
| Editing by | Alan Crosland Jr. |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) |  18 October 1946 |
| Running time | 110 min |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Deception is a 1946 film noir made by First National Pictures-Warner Bros.. It was directed by Irving Rapper. The film is based on the play Monsieur Lamberthier by Louis Verneuil. The screenplay was written by John Collier and Joseph Than.
It stars Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains who had also appeared together in the highly successful Now, Voyager (1942). Despite their earlier success as a team, and generally positive reviews, Deception proved to be an expensive exercise for its producers. With high production costs and modest cinema patronage, it became the first Bette Davis film to lose money. [1]
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[edit] Background and notes
- The play on which the film is based was first performed in Paris in 1927. It opened on Broadway on October 22, 1928 under the title Jealousy, at the Maxine Elliott's Theatre, as a two-hander, with Fay Bainter and John Halliday. It was turned into a film also entitled Jealousy (1929) with Jeanne Eagels and Fredric March and directed by Jean De Limur. The play was presented again on Broadway on October 1, 1946 under the title Obsession at the Plymouth Theatre, with Eugenie Leontovich and Basil Rathbone.
- Warner Bros. had purchased the play as a vehicle for Barbara Stanwyck and Paul Henreid.
- Davis' solo piano playing was performed by Shura Cherkassky. Henreid's cello playing was dubbed by Eleanor Aller.
- The music for Hollenius' Cello Concerto is by Korngold.
[edit] Plot
The film opens with Christine Radcliffe (Bette Davis) running up the stairs of a college concert hall in the rain. She slips into the back of the hall which is filled with rapt students, and her eyes fill with tears as she recognizes the cellist on stage: Karel Novak (Paul Heinreid). After the performance Novak is mobbed by student well-wishers, and a student reporter questions him about his favorite composers. Novak lists some famous composers and then adds, "And, of course, Hollenius".
When the crowd dies down and Novak returns to his dressing room, Christine enters and their eyes meet in his mirror. The couple embraces while Radcliffe cries, “I thought you were dead. I saw them kill you.”
Karel and Christine return to her apartment where Karel becomes suspicious of the rare artwork on display and the fur coat hanging in the closet. Christine has told Karel that she is living a hand-to-mouth existence as a piano player and this does not jibe with the evidence in the apartment. It soon becomes clear that Christine’s relationship with the composer Alexander Hollenius (Claude Rains) is much more serious than Christine has been letting on.
[edit] Principal cast
- Bette Davis as Christine Radcliffe
- Paul Henreid as Karel Novak
- Claude Rains as Alexander Hollenius
- John Abbott as Bertram Gribble
- Benson Fong as Hollenius' Servant
[edit] External links
- Deception at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] References
- Martin, Mick and Porter, Marsha "DVD & Video Guide 2006"
- ^ Spada, James (1993). More Than a Woman. Little, Brown and Company, p 241. ISBN 978-0-316-90880-1.
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