All This, and Heaven Too (1940)
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83% of critics liked it
(6 reviews) -
81% of users liked it
(954 ratings)
An incredibly long but never dull adaptation of the Rachel Field best-seller, All This and Heaven Too was based on a once-notorious European scandal. Star Bette Davis, playing Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, is first seen as a French schoolteacher in a 19th century American seminary. When her… More An incredibly long but never dull adaptation of the Rachel Field best-seller, All This and Heaven Too was based on a once-notorious European scandal. Star Bette Davis, playing Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, is first seen as a French schoolteacher in a 19th century American seminary. When her supervisor, Reverend Henry Mortyn Field (Jeffrey Lynn), has questions to ask about her tainted past, Henriette relates her story in flashback. She had been hired by French duke De Praslin (Charles Boyer) to be the governess for his children. De Praslin's wife (Barbara O'Neil) was insanely jealous, so much so she inadvertently threw De Praslin and Henriette together. Henriette was willing to leave rather than cause more discord, but the influential wife vengefully refused to write a letter of recommendation (a bravura scene). Later, the impoverished Henriette was arrested as an accomplice in the murder of De Praslin's wife. The latter's position in French society stirred up volatile political ramifications, with Henriette innocently in the center of the storm. De Praslin committed suicide, exonerating Henriette on his deathbed, but she had already been condemned in the court of public opinion. Disgraced, she left for America to start life anew, which brings the story back to the present. Unable to continue running away from herself, Henriette confesses her past indiscretions to her students -- who promptly forgive her. Casey Robinson had a hell of a job adapting Rachel Field's cumbersome novel, but, by golly, he pulled it off. The performances in All This and Heaven Too are enhanced immeasurably by the lush Max Steiner musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Anatole Litvak
- Written By
- Rachel Field, Casey Robinson
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Classics
- In Theaters
- Jul 4, 1940 Wide
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Unfortunately, there are too many words and not enough music.
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Variety Staff, Variety
Heaven is film theatre at its best.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
It's a pretty long, gloomy haul, though lavishly mounted (with photography by Ernest Haller) and sensitively acted.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A classic of unrequited love.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The film was critically acclaimed but because of its overlong 143 minutes and grim story line, it was not the blockbuster the studio hoped for.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Bette Davis
as Henriette Deluzy Desportes
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Charles Boyer
as Duke De Praslin
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Jeffrey Lynn
as Reverend Henry Mortyn Field
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Barbara O'Neil
as Duchesse de Praslin
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Virginia Weidler
as Louise
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Helen Westley
as Mme. La Maire
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Walter Hampden
as Pasquier
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George Coulouris
as Charpentier
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Harry Davenport
as Pierre
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Montagu Love
as Marechal Sebastiani
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Janet Beecher
as Miss Haines
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June Lockhart
as Isabelle
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Ann E. Todd
as Berthe
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Richard Nichols
as Reynald
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Fritz Leiber
as Abbe Gallard
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Ian Keith
as Delangle
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Sibyl Harris
as Mlle. Maillard
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Edward Fielding
as Dr. Louis
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Mary Anderson
as Rebecca Jay
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Ann Gillis
as Emily Schuyler
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Peggy Stewart
as Helen Lexington
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Victor Kilian
as Gendarme
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Egon Brecher
as Doctor
- Virginia Brissac
- Georgia Caine
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Cora Sue Collins
as Louise de Rham
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Henry Daniell
as Broussais
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Claire Du Brey
as Nun
- Mary Forbes
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Brenda Sue Fowler
as Nun
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Betty Jane Graham
as Clara Parker
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Betty Jean Hainey
as Elizabeth Ward
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Creighton Hale
as Officer
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Marilyn Knowlden
as Marianna Van Horn
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Natalie Moorhead
as Lady
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Frank Reicher
as Police official
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Christian Rub
as Loti
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Ann Howard
as Isabelle Loullard
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Madge Crane
as Mme. Gauthier
- Anne Howard
