Review of The Great Lie (1941) by Elliott F — 07 May 2011
Sandra Kovak (Mary Astor, in an excellent Oscar-winning role) is a famous concert pianist who elopes with Pete Van Allen (George Brent), but she later discovers that their marriage is invalid because her divorce with her ex-husband was prolonged and she and Pete are not technically married.
Pete sees this as an opportunity to visit his old flame, Maggie Patterson (Bette Davis). A vicious love triangle forms between the three. Throw in Pete's presumed death, his resurrection, and an illegitimate baby who is living with somebody other than his birth mother, and you have a well made soap opera of a film.
Edmund Goulding directs this sudsy drama, but Davis and Astor elevate the tired, cliche-filled plot to unimaginable heights. Worth seeing, if only for the performances.
This review of The Great Lie (1941) was written by Elliott F on 07 May 2011.
The Great Lie has generally received positive reviews.
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