In 1846, at Miss Haines School for Young Ladies, the new French teacher---Henriette Deluzy (Bette Davis)---has just been introduced to her students. As the girls begin to gossip amongst themselves and even ask her how to spell the name of a notorious French prison, Miss Deluzy feels defeated and is about to give up her new post. However, in the end, she decides to share a story with the girls...a story which will show them that life is not always a pretty picture.
After her former governess position has ended, Miss Deluzy travels to Paris, where she will governess for the children of the Duc and Duchesse de Praselin (Charles Boyer and Barbara O'Neill). The Duc is quite close to the children---3 daughters, ages 8-13, and 1 son, almost 4---and they love him dearly. The duchesse, on the other hand, is easily exasperated with them and has nearly zero interest in their lives. Starved for the attention and love of a mother, the children attach very easily to Miss Deluzy, and they thrive under her tutelage and care.
The Duchesse is an emotionally volatile woman, who flies into fits of rage constantly. Her hatred and anger have driven her husband away, and while the Duc and Duchesse are civil to each other, it's quite obvious that there is no love in their marriage. In fact, they occupy separate bedrooms---and have done so since before their son's birth. His children and his government duties are the Duc's only happiness.
As the months go by, Henriette's presence in the home brings a peace which the Duc had all but forgotten existed, and he is extremely grateful for all she has done. Though he may, in fact, be in love with Henriette, he never oversteps the bounds of their relationship, nor does Henriette behave inappropriately toward him. The Duchesse, though, deep into another episode of mania, sees Henriette as a thief---out to steal her husband and the affections of her children. Enraged and extremely jealous, she forces Henriette to leave her employ, an action which infuriates the Duc and brings about the scandal which will follow Henriette to America. The exact nature of that scandal and how it all plays out is the balance of the film.
All This and Heaven Too is a beautiful and tender movie, one that seems a bit out of the norm for Bette Davis. She gets a chance to play maternal in this film, and she does it very well. The chemistry between her and the children is superb. Her character is pure delight---a bit sugary sweet---but delightful nonetheless. Her performance is, as always, top-notch.
This is the film which allowed me to finally like Charles Boyer. After having seen him in Gaslight, where he gave what I deem an Oscar-winning performance (for which he was nominated, but didn't win), I just couldn't like him, for in that film he was an evil husband trying to drive wife Ingrid Bergman mad. He played the part SO well that it clouded my opinion of him---for a couple of years. It took several movies before I could actually like him and stop seeing him as "a killer." Here in All This and Heaven Too, I really enjoyed him.
Barbara O'Neill is completely fabulous in her role. She was nominated for best supporting actress...rightfully so, because she was brilliant!! The four children are totally precious. You will love them, especially the little boy. The oldest girl is played by June Lockhart, and wow, she looks the same here in 1940 as she did playing the mother on Lost in Space in the 1960's. The youngest daughter is played by the beautiful Ann Todd. Middle daughter is Virginia Weidler, Katharine Hepburn's younger sister in The Philadelphia Story. The little boy is Richard Nichols, who you will undoubtedly recognize from a few other films. He is totally, completely, 100% adorable!!
According to Bette Davis, Larger Than Life, Bette felt that the "fundamental flaw in this film...was that the Duchesse should have been physically repellant rather than a good-looking neurotic. The motivation for her murder, she felt, was not convincing, but she also thought that, in spite of the novelist's contention that the attraction never went beyond expressions of friendship, the Duc and Henriette had been lovers and that she was guilty of complicity." Just have to say...I can't believe Bette felt Barbara O'Neill was a good-looking neurotic here. I didn't find her pretty in the least---her skin was horribly pockmarked, in a way I've never noticed in other movies. I thought she was rather homely. As far as being a neurotic, my guess is that the Duchesse had what we now know is bipolar disorder...or else severe hormonal imbalances.
While the film is a bit on the long side (141 minutes), I didn't feel that it dragged. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I highly recommend it. Since it's out on DVD, it ought to be fairly easy to track down. Additionally, it is on the TCM schedule for Wednesday, May 23rd, at 9:30 a.m. (ET).
Happy viewing!!