The Great Lie 1941

     This is a soap opera drama.  Sandra Kovak and Peter Van Allen elope to get married.  They throw a large party in Sandra’s apartment after their marriage.  The next day Pete finds out their marriage isn’t valid because Sandra’s divorce comes through the next week.  Pete isn’t sure what he’s going to do.  He travels to see Maggie Patterson.  Pete and Maggie have been engaged off and on several times.  Pete returns to Sandra but he tells her their marriage isn’t legal and he doesn’t want to get married again.  He flies back again to see Sandra and they get married.  Pete talks to Sandra about his plan to fly for the government.  She is all for his plan if this is what he wants.  Pete leaves for a trip to South America and his plane crashes.

     In the period this movie was filmed a lot of occurrences were scandals but they wouldn’t be today!!  I don’t want to give too much of the story away!!  Astor is very sure of herself but Davis wavers in her courage.   3 ½* (I liked this movie)

108 min, Drama directed by Edmund Goulding with Bette Davis, George Brent, Mary Astor, Lucile Watson, Hattie McDaniel, Grant Mitchell, Jerome Cowan, Charles Trowbridge, Thurston Hall, Russell Hicks, Virginia Brissac.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, 71% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, TCM Leonard Maltin 3* out of 4*, average user rating 4.5* out of 5*, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 60 reviews, Three Movie Buffs 3* out of 4*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Victorville, Mojave Desert, Calabasas and Burbank, California.  Mary Astor won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.  Davis and Astor originally thought the script was not very good.  They worked together to rewrite everything.  Astor suggested her hair be cut short because rolling and styling was taking too long.  George Brent was a licensed pilot and he did his own landings.  The plane is a Stinson Model 10 Voyager and over 1,000 variations of this plane were built starting in 1931.   Astor is an accomplished pianist but she mimed playing the piano.  In close-ups, Norma Drury’s hands are seen on the piano.