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Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins shine in this Warner Bros. melodrama, "The Old Maid" released in 1939, a banner year for Davis at the studio. This was one of four very fine films she did that year, making her the reigning queen of the studio. In this one, Davis and Hopkins are cousins in the 1800's. Hopkins rejects her beau (George Brent) to marry into a wealthy family, the Ralstons. Davis has the hots for Brent (one of her frequent co-stars during this period) and gets pregnant with his baby. However, he goes off to fight the Civil War and is killed. At a time when being an unwed mother was not an option, Davis agrees to move in with Hopkins, now a widow with two children of her own. The child, Tina (Jane Bryan) grows up knowing she is a foundling, but always calls Hopkins "mummy." Davis does not let on she is Tina's mother, but rather an aunt; this fills her with resentment, and into a bitter old maid, hence the title of the picture.

The movie is pure soap opera, for sure, but the interplay between Davis and Hopkins is fascinating to watch. Davis has the showier part, but Hopkins more than holds her own. Off screen, Davis had an affair with Hopkin's husband, director Anatole Litvak, and now the two had to star together in a film! One can only imagine what went on between them on the set of this, but both give fine performances. Even Davis herself, much later in life, stated Hopkins was a superb actress and she always had to be on her toes as her co-star. There are some fine supporting performances, notably from Jane Bryan as Tina and the always under-rated Donald Crisp as a friend of the family and doctor. But this is Hopkins and Davis' show, and they do not disappoint.

I discovered this nice little film thanks to Turner Classic Movies. "Our Modern Maiden" released in 1929, was presumably a follow-up to the successful "Our Dancing Daughters" made the year before, which made Joan Crawford a star. In this film, Crawford is engaged to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (whom she married in real life too around this time). The two have a "modern" relationship, where they seem to flirt with others and party a lot with the country club set. Crawford wants to secure her boyfriend a job in Paris, so she puts the make on a wealthy businessman (Rod La Roque) who has all the right connections. While this is going on, Anita Page (who was also in "Our Dancing Daughters" with Crawford) is madly in love with Fairbanks. The two flirt, go places together, and we find out at the end the two have produced a child; this right after Fairbanks and Crawford get married! Crawford gets to be the self-sacrificing one, something that would be a common theme throughout her long film career.

The best thing about this film is Crawford herself; she is so young and pretty here, and her vivacious eyes light up the screen. Fairbanks is young and handsome, as is the entire cast. The film hearkens back to a different time and place in Hollywood. This film is silent with some sound effects, but sound films were already being made. Just a year later, silent pictures would be dead. But thank God for film, and Turner Classic Movies for bringing them to us.