La voleuse

I found the first half of the picture dragged for me, with a lot of dark shadows, and meandering scenes at the light house. Once the story picked up, and the "evil" twins goes over the side of the boat, then I knew I was in for some good old fashioned Bette Davis fun. I was very impressed with the creation of the "twins." For 1946, I found the scenes quite convincing, and wondered how they did that. The sets were fabulous, I'd take any of those houses, but thought the costumes were somewhat lacking. No, "Now, Voyager" stunning outfits for sure. Glenn Ford was fine, and very young, however I didn't care for the struggling artist side story. I would like to have seen much more of Kate trying to pass herself off as Pat, for that was the fun part of the film for me.

Bette Davis is reason enough to see any film and was always worth watching regardless of what the material was like, although she had a lot of great material in her career she did have some that was not worthy of her talent or gave her not enough to work from. She had a fair share of magnificent performances and was seldom bad. Have always been fond of Max Steiner, Glenn Ford was always watchable and Walter Brennan was always a pleasure (especially in the curmudgeonly kind of roles).

'A Stolen Life' doesn't see either at their absolute best. None of them come off too badly at all, with Davis of course coming off best, though all did work that was a lot better and stuck in the mind much more. Is 'A Stolen Life' worth the look? Yes it is and namely if one is a fan of Davis and wants to see as many films of hers as possible or wants to see everything left to see of hers (the case with me). Is it an essential? To me, it wasn't quite and could have been better than it was.

The best thing about 'A Stolen Life' is Davis, who is absolutely marvellous in her not-easy-to-pull-off dual role that she brings a lot of authority and pathos to. She is helped too by some of the best use of trick photography on film, expert use of split-screen. It is a very nicely filmed and made film, the interiors and the eerie lighting really standing out. Steiner's music score brings out a lot of emotion without going too overboard, well it is Steiner overall so that wasn't a surprise.

Script mostly is thought-provoking and when 'A Stolen Life' picks up in the second half, with the Kate's deception subplot, it is very entertaining. The cast generally do quite well, though nobody is properly up to Davis' level. Brennan comes closest tied with charming Charles Ruggles. Was slightly more mixed on Ford, although slightly uncharacteristically gormless he does quite well with what he has.

Conversely, 'A Stolen Life' does take a little too long to get started and the first part meanders. It can be a bit silly and the ending is sappy and too convenient.

Dane Clark's performance is also very weak, he has a role that one really questions the point of and he injects very little personality to it.

All in all, decent if not mind-blowing. See it for Davis. 7/10

I have lost count of how many times I've watched this wonderful film. Each time I get something from it and i believe it is Bette Davis best work - which is a big statement ! Viewers will be hypnotised by Bette's amazing performance and the filmography is truly amazing. To watch this film through modern eyes, you often find yourself trying to work out how the director and editor managed to get away with the 'two bette' film sequences. This is no evidence of 'lines' in the film, or murky backgrounds and if you didn't know it was the same women, you would really think they were twins. The story line is terrific, Glenn Ford (very young) fits the role perfectly and Dane Clark's performance is very direct and well played. There really is something for everyone in this film and a must watch.

Bette Davis is at her best in "A Stolen Life" playing the most satisfactory characters in the decade of the forties. The mere idea of showing Ms. Davis on the same frame with herself must have presented a challenge for the director, Curtis Bernhardt. We can't think of any other actress that could have pulled this off with the elegance and the good instinct that Bette Davis brought to the project.

The mere fact of playing two women so different from one another must have been what inspired Ms. Davis to take the dual role, which proved to be one of her most popular on the screen. The good Kate is sweet and unassuming, while Patricia, the identical twin sister, is vain, envious and shallow. In taking Bill away from Kate, Patricia doesn't change her way of life, something that pains Bill, as he has second thoughts about the mistake he made in marrying the wrong woman.

The film will delight all Bette Davis fans because they will get two Bettes for the price of one. Ms. Davis' trademark movements and those expressive eyes are seen throughout the film. Glenn Ford proved to be the right kind of leading man because he always projected an honesty and an integrity little seen in other actors of his generation. Both actors make the movie work in unexpected ways.

The supporting cast is also interesting. Walter Brennan, Dane Clark, Charles Ruggles, and the rest are perfect in the background. The musical score by Max Steiner plays well with the action in the film. The excellent cinematography of Ernest Haller and Sol Polito adds another layer to the movie.

Curtis Bernhardt directed with flair and made "A Stolen Life" a film in which to cherish for the great performances he got from Bette Davis and Glenn Ford.

Twin Sisters played by Bette Davis both have the hots for Glenn Ford although why I'm not sure. He's not a terribly ambitious fellow, wants nothing more in life than to be a lighthouse keeper, maybe succeed Walter Brennan as head lighthouse keeper when Brennan moves on.

Bad Bette is a selfish spoiled brat who traps Glenn into marriage simply to spite good Bette. Then both sisters are out sailing and a sudden storm, much like the one that swamped the S.S. Minow succeeds in drowning one of the sisters. You have to watch the film to decide which one.

A Stolen Life is a Bette Davis triumph. It's not easy for any player to do multiple roles in any film. For that alone fans of Bette Davis should make this a must see melodrama. Additionally the special effects with the storm are quite well done.

Glenn Ford got a big career boost just in co-starring with Bette Davis, it was a break from doing the potboilers he was doing at Columbia. Dane Clark plays a truculent artist in the best tradition of a John Garfield wannabe.

The twins gimmick makes the film worth seeing. Bette was in a post war career slump from The Corn is Green until she left Warner Brothers and did All About Eve with 20th Century Fox. A Stolen Life is not the worst film she did during that period and she's got some good moments. But it isn't Now Voyager or Dark Victory or The Little Foxes.