Mr. Skeffington

Fanny Trellis is the most sought-after woman in New York society and treats her beauty as capital. When her brother embezzles money, she marries the wealthy businessman Job Skeffington to save her family. She does not love him and does not hide it. Years pass, the beauty goes, and Fanny is left with what remains. Vincent Sherman adapted Elizabeth von Arnim's 1940 novel. Skeffington being Jewish runs constantly underneath the film: how he is treated, how far the tolerance extended to him actually reaches, and what is happening in Europe entering the story. For a Hollywood film made in 1944, coming this close to that subject was unusual. Bette Davis plays Fanny and Claude Rains plays Skeffington. The film received two Oscar nominations, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, and Ingrid Bergman won that year for Gaslight. Who it's for: Viewers who like Bette Davis, classic Hollywood melodrama, and woman-centred period narratives. Who it's not for: The ageing makeup and the final resolution are too theatrical. It runs long and the pace drops in the second half.