Davis is legendary for her quarrels with fellow leading ladies. She went two rounds with Miriam Hopkins and almost went two rounds with Joan Crawford before nudging her out of their second film. She also went to the mat with Faye Dunaway and Susan Hayward. However, at least two actresses had quite favorable working relationships with her. One was Olivia de Havilland, who worked with Davis several times, and another was Astor, who in this film got a showy, meaty role as a spoiled, unmitigated bitch who battles Davis for the love (and later, the child) of Brent. The film opens with aviator Brent and concert pianist Astor having partied for days following their quickie wedding. Once the booze has worn off, and after an eventful visit to his lawyer, Brent wonders if he's done the right thing and flies down to Davis' homestead. She is his first, and true, love, but her tendency towards nagging him about his drinking and his lifestyle had managed to wear him out. Eventually, a technicality renders Brent's marriage to Astor illegal, paving the way for Davis to get her man. However, Brent goes missing on one of his flights and a despondent Davis finds herself having to contend with Astor for an extended period of time. The fateful decision the two of them make (the "great lie" of the title) comes back to haunt Davis in the final reel with Astor making her life miserable, dangling entendres before her in a form of emotional blackmail. Davis, who'd been alternately portraying bad girls and suffering heroines in a string of prior films, chose to take the more earnest and genial role here. However, she generously aided in making Astor's showier role even more prominent than it originally had been, all for the good of the film. The fireworks between these ladies are remarkable with the sophisticated and shrewy Astor frequently baiting the comparatively naive and gentle Davis. (Note the way Davis' hats and clothing become more and more chic as the film progresses, reflecting her increasing assurance and self-esteem.) The women's animosity reaches a fever-pitch in one scene with Astor going berserk and up-ending a table! Davis is sometimes noted as dull in this film, but that's a far from accurate diagnosis. She rarely, if ever, phoned in a performance and her gears are always clearly turning here. She and Brent strike up more chemistry than in practically any other of their many film teamings and she offers up personality and amiability to spare. The audience is squarely in her corner by the end. Astor, sporting her astonishingly chic boyish haircut and wearing some striking gowns, is in rare form. She doesn't just play the piano, she PLAYS THE PIANO and brings a fiery determination to her role (which isn't devoid of charm either. Witness her playful scenes with Brent at the beginning.) Brent is more animated than in some of his other works, though it's really the ladies' show here. Also on hand is the ever-delightful and entertaining presence of McDaniel as Davis' staunchly-devoted maid. There's an odd sort of deep-south flavor to the Davis household (which is set in Maryland!) and which may offend audiences who disapprove of the stereotypical representation of blacks in classic film, but, in truth, McDaniel is so enjoyable and the young male soloist in one scene is so remarkable, it should be somewhat easier to digest as a result. This is the way things were in Hollywood then and all one can do is learn from it and try to glean something worthwhile from it. Director Goulding, having survived Davis and Miriam Hopkins in "The Old Maid" surely had an easier time of it here with the ladies getting on so famously, though Davis did rather take over, rewriting and embellishing the story as she deemed fit.
Review of The Great Lie
