ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO

 Not one of Bette's better vehicles, (she's noble in this one), but a reasonably entertaining 'women's picture' nevertheless. "All this, and Heaven Too" was based on Rachel Field's bestseller and Bette is the French governess in 19th century Paris who falls in love with her employer, the Duc de Praslin, (Charles Boyer, being equally noble), but only because he's married to a shrew, (Barbara O'Neill, going wildly over-the-top and getting Oscar-nominated for her efforts). Of course, their 'non-affair' leads to scandal and Bette is ostracized by all and sundry.

It's a typically sumptuous Warner Brothers' production of the time full of familiar contract players like Harry Davenport, Walter Hampden, Montague Love, Henry Daniell, George Coulouris and that supercilious brat Virginia Weidler as well as an obnoxious tyke called Richard Nichols as the child who survives diphtheria thanks to Bette's nursing care. It also seems to go on forever; well, for two hours and twenty minutes actually making me wonder why nobody thought of that old adage, 'less is more'. A huge hit at the time, it was even nominated for Best Picture but then, of course, so was "Love Story".