Mr. Skeffington (1944) User Reviews (111)

Who would want to marry this vain vacant creature?...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 4 July 2019]

... That would be Fanny Trellis, later Skeffington. She has all of these male admirers and yet she can't seem to talk about anything more interesting than her manicure. I mean, her looks won't last forever, right? Right. That is what this film is all about. Fanny has a brother, Trippy, that bests her in the "waste of flesh" department. He spends all of Fanny's and his inheritance, is forced to get a job, and is caught embezzling from his employer, Mr. Skeffington, who is smitten by Fanny. Why, I have no idea.

So forget the synopsis that says "Popular and beautiful Fanny Trellis is forced into a loveless marriage with an older man, Jewish banker Job Skeffington, in order to save her beloved brother Trippy from an embezzlement charge". That is not what happens. Job Skeffington tells Fanny he will give Trippy time to repay the debt, and then months go by and he hasn't brought the subject up again at all. When Fanny finds out that Job is the secret admirer who commissioned a painting of her, SHE pursues HIM for marriage - not that he is anything less than enthusiastic - and she does it ONLY to save her brother.

But then the weirdest thing happens. Trippy has been angry at Skeffington because HE stole from Skeffington and got caught. He is even angrier when he finds out Fanny married Job and rescued him and packs off to England to fight in WWI, which the US has not joined yet. So the Skeffington marriage limps along on four square wheels for a couple years. A daughter is born that has none of mom's looks and most fortunately, none of her lack of character. Then the notice comes that Trippy has died in the war, and now Fanny completely ices out Job. There is the eventual divorce. Mom packs off little Fanny to live with her father so as to be able to maintain her active dating life without a reminder of how old she actually is.

And then comes the day when Fanny contracts diphtheria while out on a sailing outing with a beau twenty years her junior. And diphtheria is no beauty treatment. Post diphtheria Fanny is balding, wrinkled, and matronly figured. I have no idea how diphtheria gives you osteoporosis, but from her posture, that's what happened. And now Fanny finds out what exactly she has in male interest and personal character without her beauty - zip, zilch, nada.

Maybe this is a pretty conventional story, but Bette Davis is really great as Fanny. The makeup and fashion department have to be given credit here too. Ironically, Bette Davis was a knockout in her 20s and early 30s, but her looks fell apart in record time. She was already going downhill by the time this film was made, in 1944. Yet she truly looks mid to early 20s in the first part of the film. And she truly looks 45-55 in the last part of the film.

WWII is brought into the plot of this film in a sideways sort of way, and it is refreshing to see a film made during wartime that does not get oppressively patriotic. Claude Rains excels as the used and abused financial wizard Job Skeffington. He is endearing as the loving father and the rejected husband. And yet he is not overly melodramatic. In fact he injects quite a bit of subtle humor into the role. Honorable mention to Walter Abel as George Trellis, Fanny's and Trippy's cousin, who must have gotten down on his knees every night and thanked his lucky stars that in spite of common grandparents, he has nothing in common with either of his cousins.

Highly recommended.

Davis and Rains make magic once again!

[Elizabeth-328 · 9/10 · 23 May 1999]

This is a great movie. Bette Davis and Claude Rains are magnificent together, just as they were in "Now, Voyager" two years before. Bette Davis stars as Fanny Skeffington, whose self-absorption leads to the destruction of her devoted husband, Job (Claude Rains). Fanny continues to entertain her beaux, despite her marriage to Job. After a few years, Job decides to leave, knowing that Fanny only married him for his money. This is a true act of love on his part. So Fanny floats through life without a care in the world, and her admirers left and right.

After many years, Fanny contracts diphtheria and is on the brink of death. She recovers, but begins to look not only her age, but many years older. In a desperate attempt to reassure herself of her youth and beauty, Fanny invites all of her old boyfriends to a party at her house. They all, as she puts it, "recoil" from her, because she is no longer beautiful. Fanny feels abandoned and lonely.

But then, fate lends its hand. Fanny's cousin, George, tells her that Job has returned. He has been in a concentration camp, and is not in good shape. He wants to see Fanny. Fanny however, doesn't want Job to see what's become of her. But with much pleading from George, she agrees to see him. When she reaches Job, she discovers that he is blind. So no matter how she looks, Job will always love her, and remember her for the beauty she had. But Fanny realizes that looks are not important, because of what Job said many years before: "A woman is beautiful only when she is loved".

"Mr. Skeffington" is a classic. It can be a little long at some parts, but it's worthwhile to see. It also features excellent performances by Walter Abel, George Coulouris, and Marjorie Riordan. I gave this movie a 9/10.

Excellent Warner Brothers meller!

[jgepperson · 9/10 · 12 February 2005]

"Mr. Skeffington" is one of the great Hollywood melodramas. Bette Davis has the showy role in this epic story of a troubled relationship, but it's Claude Rains as her Jewish husband who jerks the tears. Bette is all mannerisms and makeup - and there's nothing wrong with that! - but Rains gives a subtle, weighty performance that anchors the movie.

This is Warner Brothers at its most elegant. The Franz Waxman score is superb and the way he punctuates Bette's eye-blinking is hilarious.

The magnificent singer/actress Dolores Gray made her first film appearance in this film as a 1920s speakeasy chanteuse. Bette acknowledges what a beautiful voice she has in a moment that hasn't really anything to do with the scene, but the divine Dolores deserves the comment. In case you don't know who she is, check out her own film career 10 years later in her MGM films such as "It's Always Fair Weather."

Bette's aging makeup presages her work in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"

You won't want to miss "Mr. Skeffington." Bette's flamboyance and Rains' gravitas make this film totally enjoyable.

Very, very worthwhile

[axsmashcrushallthree · 10/10 · 21 March 2007]

This truly lavish melodrama really knocked me out. I simply did not find any significant weaknesses to this film, at least none of which others have alluded. Films of this type can easily become maudlin, insignificant, and flat. However, "Mr. Skeffington" is the result of a set of elements that are incorporated vibrantly. The film simply has a grand sweep to it, lifting it high above many others of this genre.

The staging and sets (in conjunction with Ory-Kelly's costumes) are as good as any movie that I've seen, along the lines of "Gone With the Wind", "Citizen Kane", "Gigi", or "Long Day's Journey into Night". The use of silence and spaciousness, along with noise and density, is brilliantly carried out and is extremely well-balanced by the characters' non-verbal responses to each other. It's hard to describe without providing details of given scenes - I would suggest that you watch it with this perspective and see what you think.

Speaking of scenes, length is the common enemy of films of this type, but not here - each scene plays out like a shining entity that still provides momentum and underpinning for the entire story. I counted at least 12 very memorable scenes. Humor is added strategically to most scenes to balance the starkness of the story and is nicely understated to avoid a sense of camp. Director Vincent Sherman has polished each scene like a diamond, and the effect is very powerful. The scenes really do stand on their own almost like a set of montages.

Bette Davis' performance is decidedly affected as she plays Fanny as a young girl, but the pure talent and visual power of this actress makes one believe that she is truly the beauty that she is supposed to be. Notice how her movements and responsiveness reinforce the sense of someone almost 15 years younger than herself. While others have complained about the makeup of the older Fanny in portraying her change in age, I found that the makeup perfectly embodied the older Fanny because Davis plays the character so consistently to her advanced age. I would place this performance in Bette Davis' top tier, along with "Now, Voyager", "The Little Foxes", and "All About Eve".

Claude Rains plays the title character with restraint, integrity, and great love for Fanny, but the sense of pathos that he communicates really helps to give the movie a lot of power. The other acting performances are uniformly excellent, particularly Walter Abel as Cousin George. Without the strength of Abel's characterization, this would have been a far weaker movie.

Franz Waxman's score has been criticized by some as being extravagant and overly dramatic to the point of being startling. I really enjoyed it - Waxman incorporates a lush late romantic style that has a stronger "classical-music" feel than other scores for movies of this type, which tend to emphasize strings as accompaniment. The result is a feeling of complexity which shades the story along with the other elements.

This is easily Vincent Sherman's best work, one of Ernest Haller's best, and one of the best melodramas that I have seen. 10 out of 10.

Misplaced Values

[bkoganbing · 10/10 · 27 November 2007]

Bette Davis and Richard Waring are the Trellis siblings, an old name and dwindling money. They also have the snobbery that comes from having a name that goes back to the 17th century in terms of residence on the North American continent. Both their lives get forever intertwined with that of Claude Rains, Mr. Skeffington.

Fanny Trellis Skeffington is one of Bette Davis's best screen performances. She's a shallow woman who is a great beauty and enjoys all the flattery that a stream of men give her. Waring to keep up with his lifestyle goes to work for investment banker Skeffington and winds up embezzling a considerable sum of money.

Rains is ready to prosecute, but Davis intercedes and marries Rains who is as entranced as everyone else is with her beauty. They have one rocky marriage that produces a daughter, Majorie Riordan, but little else in the way of happiness for either.

If Mr. Skeffington has a fault it's that Rains is sometimes just to good to be true. For what he put up with, if he were a Christian, he'd be a candidate for sainthood.

Another thing I like about Mr. Skeffington is that it does tackle the issue of anti-Semitism head-on. Waring is a Jew hater as are many of Davis's upper crust admirers. Rains keeps a cheerful look on his face, but because he's that brilliant an actor, you can see the pain registering.

Mr. Skeffington was nominated for two Academy Awards. Bette Davis got one of her nominations for Best Actress, but lost to Ingrid Bergman for Gaslight. And Rains was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but he lost to Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way.

Warner Brothers gave Davis a great group of supporting players and among the ones I like are Dorothy Peterson as her loyal maid, George Coulouris as a psychiatrist who gave her some words of wisdom like a Dutch Uncle, and Walter Abel as her wise cousin who is the catalyst for some positive change in her in the end.

Mr. Skeffington is Bette Davis at her best and always finds a place in the top 10 of her screen roles.

Another Amazing Role for Bette Davis

[inoldhollywood · 7 August 2005]

After "Now Voyager" this is my favorite film of Davis. If you see the short subject on this film, the director said Davis loved a challenge and she took on the role of the "too pretty" Fanny Trellis because she felt she could "pull it off"... and in my humble opinion, she did that very well indeed. Some say she had a "pretentious" and "irritating" character, it is indeed the character of Fanny Trellis who is both pretentious and irritating. That is built into the character herself. I had a relative who behaved just as she did in this film. Davis especially reminded me of this aunt of mine when she visits Mr. Skeffington in his office when war is declared. She was artificially fragile, overly made-up, and oh too charming. Davis was brilliant in her portrayal of Fanny as the spoiled, fussy, prissy young woman who the "men" really go after.... but unlike today where most men are after physical attributes, it is Fanny's charm and her apparent wealth they are also attracted to. In reality, her character has none of these things.... it is an illusion, just as her life is an illusion. I think she did a marvelous job in a demanding and difficult role. The film also has one of the most remarkable music scores on film. Every scene is perfectly synchronized by Franz Waxman's magnificent score.

Unrealistic at times, but a rewarding melodrama nonetheless

[FilmOtaku · 7/10 · 28 April 2005]

I have discovered as I have gotten older and have watched hundreds of classic film that for those of us who mock the people who watch soap operas or read romance novels, we have the classic melodrama to fall back on. More meaty but nevertheless still over the top, melodramas feed a craving for escapism without having to resort to bodice-ripper books or films or worse, the Lifetime Movie Network. "Mr. Skeffington", directed by Vincent Sherman and starring the incomparable Bette Davis and the always-charming Claude Rains, is one of those good, solid melodramas.

With a setting that begins during the inception of World War I and ends after World War II, "Mr. Skeffington" introduces us first to Fanny Trellis (Davis), the most sought-after debutante in New York who has so many suitors that she routinely has at least four men wooing her and proposing at a time. On the night of a big party she and her brother Trippy are hosting, a man named Job Skeffington (Rains) comes to the door asking to speak with Trippy. Trippy is an employee at Skeffington's bank, and after he refuses to see him, Fanny and her cousin George (Abel) arrange to talk to him. It turns out that Trippy has been swindling Skeffington, who is planning on talking to the District Attorney regarding the matter. George and Fanny convince him to wait, and Fanny, ever confident, avers that she will be receiving flowers from him the very next day. When no flowers arrive, curious, she goes to visit Skeffington at the office, and over the next several months a romance develops. When they suddenly marry, she breaks the hearts of her suitors as well as Trippy, who sees Skeffington as a constant reminder of what a mess he has made of his life, so he enlists in the army and goes off to the war in Europe. Over the next couple of decades, through various scenarios, we see the intense love that Skeffington has for Fanny, and the complete ambivalence she has for him, particularly when she gives birth to their only child, a daughter also named Fanny. The couple lives together but live their separate lives and have their flings until Fanny decides to sue Skeffington for divorce on grounds of adultery. He decides to take his daughter and travel to Europe where WWII has not yet begun, and in the meantime, Fanny is jet setting and dating men half her age because she has managed to keep her beauty. When the war begins and her now grown daughter comes home because of the persecution of Jews, Fanny's world begins to crumble. She develops diphtheria and while she comes out of it, the disease has wreaked havoc on her appearance and she now doesn't look 20 years younger than her real age, but more like 10 years older, a fact that shocks everyone who knows her. When she decides to try to gain her confidence back by hosting a party and inviting her former suitors, she is saddened when she realizes that they are all recoiling in horror when they see her, and has to endure the cattiness of their wives. The final blow to her ego comes when her daughter announces that she is marrying the young man that Fanny was seeing before she became ill, and is moving across the country. Fanny, realizing that she is alone, becomes despondent, until George shows up at her house, telling her that Skeffington is back from Europe and waiting for her. It is only then that she realizes that she does have a purpose in life, and that she always did love him, it just took a swift kick in the bustle to realize it.

"Mr. Skeffington" clocks in at two and a half hours, and the summary is only part of the entire storyline. There is a lot of plot to digest in that period of time, but Davis and Rains are the perfect choices for their roles. The film was made in 1944, when Davis was in her mid-30's, but she still looked stunning, as opposed to the makeup job they did on her for the later years (they made 50 years old look like 75) which was an eerie premonition of her role 20 years later in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" I always chuckle when someone is deemed to be "the most beautiful woman" or "the most wanted woman" because in reality you're kind of wondering what you're not seeing there, but with melodrama you do have to give a little leeway. Okay, in this case, a lot leeway. Claude Rains, one of my very favorite actors of all time, gave another fantastic performance as the cuckolded and heartbroken Skeffington. He always gives an element of reality with a touch of elegance that makes him very endearing. As stated earlier, the film is a bit long, but there were not a lot of pacing issues because the film carried itself from segment to segment relatively seamlessly.

Another in a long list of wonderful melodramas, "Mr. Skeffington" is a very good classic film that I fear has been forgotten throughout the years. Its performances and adequately compelling story are enough to recommend it to classic film lovers, particularly those who are fans of Bette Davis or Claude Rains. Since I fit into all three of those categories, I give the film a firm 7/10.

--Shelly

politically ahead of its time

[OpWo45 · 10/10 · 5 February 2006]

So many folks have written about the magnificent performances and story line, I don't want to re-iterate, but I do want to speak to the amazingly ahead of its time subject matter of interfaith (and at the time considered interracial) marriage. I can only think of a very few films of the era or shortly thereafter that spoke to the topic. I am old enough to remember when Jews, Asians and Latino's were considered people of "color." Many country clubs were "restricted" and the subject of interfaith relationships in the media almost always portrayed a "doomed" picture.

Kudo's to the brilliance and prescience of the makers of this film to bravely go where few dared at the time.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall........

[jem132 · 7/10 · 30 March 2008]

More good drama from Warners with Bette Davis and Claude Rains. These two shared a terrific screen rapport, and MR SKEFFINGTON is perhaps the best example of their playing together.

Davis stars as Fanny Trellis, an extremely vain woman who values her looks above everything else. She does car fore her brother Trippy (Richard Waring) though, and marries the rich Claude Rains in order to help him financially. Rains is completely in love with Davis, and silently, lovingly, waits in the background hoping that Davis will some day feel the same way about him.

Rains is just brilliant in his role, he's the one we remember even if he does disappear from the film for about 45 minutes. His scene with his screen daughter is probably the most emotional moment I can think of that Rains played- bar, perhaps, realising his love for cool blonde wife Ann Todd is "of the romantic kind" in Lean's THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS. Davis is fascinating as Fanny Trellis in a role that Davis normally didn't gravitate towards. Davis, even if she isn't possessed with Vivien Leigh-like looks, makes us truly believe that she is indeed the belle of the ball through her feminine, flighty mannerisms, soft vocal tone and vacuous giggling at her many admirers. She's a woman who lives a life of delusion, and there are very few moments on film so honest as the talking-to the older Fanny (who has lost her looks and is plastered in make-up) gets from a psychiatrist! Walter Abel gives great support, solid as a rock, as Fanny's cousin. Richard Waring, however, is a different matter altogether. His acting is quite bad and when he does act, he overacts. Davis' devotion to her brother Waring is made to seem ridiculous, and Fanny stupid, by Waring's portrayal. This has the effect of shifting more audience sympathy onto Rains, which I don't think is quite the effect the scriptwriters were hoping for.

The film covers a lot of ground, taking in WW1, the roaring 20s (Bette in flapper dress) and the rise of Hitler in Europe through the 30's. It's a long haul, yet it's worth it for Rains and Davis. Love is truly blind (metaphorically and literally) in this film, and you want to kick Davis for not realising the deep, abiding love of her husband. However, the ending is quite satisfying as Fanny Trellis finally learns that "A woman is only ever truly beautiful when she is loved". Amen to that.

The Patience of Job

[theowinthrop · 8/10 · 17 March 2005]

"Mr. Skeffington" is one of Bette Davis' best performances, and the best of the four teaming with Claude Rains ("Now Voyager" does not have as many sequences with both of them sharing scenes as "Skeffington"). It is the story of a silly, vain woman who marries a man for his money, and to protect her brother. She fails to protect her brother, but she does find that the man she married is a better man than she deserves.

It is also an over-the-years tale, beginning about 1914, and involving World War I, prohibition, the rise of Nazism and anti-Semitism, and ending in World War II. Job Skeffington is a successful stock dealer and banker on Wall Street, and he is a rarity: he's Jewish. Somehow he hires Fanny Trellis's brother Trippy, who returns the favor by embezzling some funds. As Fanny and Trippy are socialites they are used to their friends covering up for their errors. But Job can't simply allow this, because the money doesn't belong to him but to his customers. When he approaches Fanny (gently - he just wants Trippy to return the money) Fanny pulls out her stops to entice him. It works and they marry. Job puts the money back himself. But Trippy is an anti-Semite, and is furious that Fanny sold herself to that Jew. He leaves in high anger. Later Fanny hopes that he will return after he gets it out of his system, but Trippy is killed in the war. Although it is not Job's fault, Fanny does not quite forgive him for that.

She becomes more and more outspokenly unfaithful, much to Job's chagrin and pain. Eventually it leads to a divorce. They have a young daughter who lives mostly with Job, and only joins Fanny later. But that is after a shock hits Fanny's self-image...and sets the stage for a final reconciliation with Job.

All the performances in the film, Davis, Rains, Richard Waring, Walter Abel, Jerome Cowan, are excellent. But one of my favorites is the unexpected comic turn of George Coulouris as the popular psychologist, Dr. Byles. Coulouris usually was a humorless schemer in movies and television, but could rise to the occasion in comedy (witness his progressively increasing irritation as Walter Parkes Thatcher in "Citizen Kane"). Here he is ready to leave on a long planned, much needed vacation, when Fanny barges in to unload her misery and woe without so much as a scheduled appointment. By only showing the clock in the background to show the length she takes away from the boiling Dr. Byles, one is ready for the inevitable conclusion - when the good Doctor tells her off. And he is the first person to do so in the movie.

Self-Destructive Vanity

[nycritic · 6/10 · 25 November 2005]

The only reason I can think of as to why Bette Davis chose to star in this movie is that she would be able to not only tackle another unsympathetic (but not villainous) role and in the second half of the film, age credibly as her character sinks into the results of her shallowness.

MR. SKEFFINGTON is an odd title for this movie, since for the most it is about Fanny Trellis (played by Bette Davis) who's in every frame of the film where nothing of relevance happens for a time, other than seeing her with suitor after suitor, looking striking, and neglecting her husband Mr. Skeffington (Claude Rains). The movie falters in giving Davis' character so much screen time because her character is for the most part, too eccentric and just too brittle to warrant that amount of attention, but Davis was a huge actress at the time and Oscar nominated year after year. She was obviously at a position to ask and be given unto her, and in creating the stage for her character's downfall, she occupies so much screen time and does little more than pout, preen, and talk about "bone structure" which is essential for a woman to maintain her beauty. It can be irritating at times, but the story does have a payoff and a moral and it unveils itself, such as her wrinkles towards the end of the film.

This is a reverse NOW VOYAGER. Fanny Skeffington elicits no sympathy even when her inner ugliness surfaces late in the movie at a dinner party thrown to her former lovers, now married to women who see he for what she is: a shell of her former self. Davis, it seems, in aging her character, gave us a preview of what she would look like twenty years later in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? It could also be noted that the way she forces us to look into her diphtheria-ravaged face was a way of her acting her subconscious disdain towards prettier actresses and by doing so, cement her own status as an Actress Capable of Big Roles. While all that is good, it can be too much at times, and for the most part, MR SKEFFINGTON spends too much time in the conceit that a vain woman, aged beyond her years, will be brought to her knees and her senses, especially when her long neglected husband is the only person who will love her for herself. If it weren't for the solid support that Davis gets from Claude Rains and Marjorie Riordan, this would be a nearly insufferable movie.

Love is blind

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 19 June 2005]

Watching "Mr. Skeffington" again, after not having seen the film for a while, one thing comes perfectly clear, the adage about love being blind never made more sense than what we witness Job Skeffington feel for his wife Fanny. His was a love like no other one; knowing she did not love him, he spent a lifetime to love her unconditionally until he loses his vision and can't see her dear face, which by that time is not the same as the young beauty he fell in love with and married.

Vincent Sherman's direction of this film, based on Elizabeth Von Armin's novel, makes it a classic that endures the passing of time. Sure, it's pure melodrama, but as a film, "Mr. Skeffington" makes perfect sense because of its timeless story. It helps too that the black and white cinematography by Ernest Haller is in pristine condition. The music score one hears in the background by Franz Waxman enhances the movie.

Bette Davis and Claude Rains had an easy way to compliment one another's work. It comes as no surprise these two actors made a tremendous contribution to the finished product as they are the only reason for watching the film. Bette Davis, with her enormous and expressive eyes is at the center of the story; a society beauty that was much in demand in her youth, sees her good looks fade as she ages in front of our eyes.

Claude Rains is the generous man who falls in love with Fanny, even though her brother has swindled money from his firm in order to keep living in the style the Trellis family has been used to. Mr. Skeffington being Jewish has to endure all the prejudice directed at him.

The supporting cast is excellent. Walter Abel, Marjorie Riordan, John Alexander, and the rest do a good ensemble job backing the principals.

"Mr. Skeffington" will delight all viewers.

A woman is only beautiful if she is loved...the story of a very vain woman.

[cgvsluis · 7/10 · 17 May 2022]

This is an epic tale that spans two world wars. It primarily takes place in New York City and involves the previously very wealthy Trellis family with siblings Trippy and Fanny (Bette Davis). Unfortunately, Trippy has lost the family's great generational fortune and the creditors are unaware...so still giving out credit to the siblings. Now Trippy has basically stolen $25,000 at his trading job...his boss Mr. Skeffington(Claude Raines) pays them a visit as a courtesy to let him know he has been found out. Fortunately, Fanny is a great beauty and every eligible bachelor in town wants to marry her. This is their saving grace as Fanny marries the very wealthy Mr. Skeffington (problems solved). Instead of appeasing Trippy this marriage angers him, which breaks Fanny's heart.

The wise Job Skeffington tells Fanny that "A woman is beautiful when she is loved". This becomes very prophetic...and in the end the only "happy ending" that is possible for a vain woman when her looks are gone is to be with a blind man who doesn't know it!

Amazing acting, great sets (the Trellis family home is spectacular!), and wonderful costuming. There was a lot of attention to historical detail...including the lighting! (It was wonderful to see a slag lamp featured at the justice of the peace.) It was painful to watch a woman manipulate men and marry a man she didn't love...but a great film nevertheless. I would recommend this to any classic film lover, and fans of either Claude Raines or Bette Davis.

A complete mess

[rgberg · 3/10 · 17 June 2005]

I really wanted to like this movie. I often enjoy the old WB "women's films". This one looked promising, with some lovely moments in the beginning, but then just fell apart. First, it's way too long. The ridiculous story, though melodramatic, is just not meaty enough for 2.5 hours. As someone else noted, Davis's transformation takes all of 5 minutes of screen time. Then there's Bette Davis's performance. I've never seen anything quite like it. I don't know why she felt that she had to shriek all her lines, but whatever her reasons, the results were initially oddly amusing, but ultimately just irritating. What was she thinking? What was the Academy thinking when she was nominated for an Oscar? Claude Rains somehow maintains his dignity, though the final scenes of his return are just plain ridiculous. I was embarrassed for all concerned.

Watching this movie made me grow up. Great movie!

[nastypuppy · 10 November 2004]

I think this is one of Bette Davis' best roles ever. I have always been the "beautiful one' in my family also, getting all the attention, neglecting (but still loving my child). This movie is timeless, especially today in our youth worshiping society. It should be required watching for all young teenage girls. The moral is: beauty fades but true love lasts forever. A cliché? Sure, but so what! I cry each time I see this film. It hits me close to home, I always secretly wondered if my daughter would be as beautiful if not more beautiful than me. Mr. Skeffington (played by Claude Rains) is too good to be true, no man would tolerate such rejection from his wife. How did she get pregnant? Also, all the men she constantly entertained in their home! Thats something that didn't make sense to me but the good outweighs the bad in this movie. I know Franny Skeffington was shallow, but what about all those around her? Once her youth & beauty had faded, not only did her so-called admirers & friends disappear but they were so cold & callous about it. This movie woke me up like a slap in the face. I make it a point to try not to look in the mirror more than 3 times a day. :) But I used to sleep with a mirror next to my bed just like Franny did. All women thrive on compliments, etc. But I pity Franny not for losing her beauty, but for losing her innocence. How ironic it was for her to get a children's disease in order to grow up. Having to be told by a therapist that she was old & her only hope was to go back to her husband. The ending was truly inspired! Another movie that has a similar message about beauty & love is "The Enchanted Cottage" (1945) All in all this is a realistic portrayal of a selfish, shallow person and it takes one to know one.............

Brava Davis!

[antoniocassone2013 · 10/10 · 26 May 2022]

I saw this movie many years ago, but was able to see it again recently and actually it is one of her best performances. She first comes off so lady like and as you get deeper in to the story, the layers come off. There are also a lot of 'aww shucks' comedic parts to it that you wouldn't normally see in her films. So good! Then, I had an 'ah-ha' moment. The core of this film is a woman coming to terms with her own vanity and aging. Davis portrayed this so flawlessly. Man, she was so ahead of her time. For real. What a performance!

Brilliantly executed tale with remarkable political insight

[Michael-110 · 9/10 · 25 October 1999]

Mr. Skeffington is remarkable for its time because it candidly deals with the subject of anti-semitism. Skeffington is a successful Jewish stockbroker who rose from the slums. Fanny Trellis came from aristocratic wealth but is now broke. Their marriage of convenience outrages Fanny's blueblooded family and relatives. The film contains a candid treatment of marital disintegration and mutual infidelity followed by a typical N.Y. fault-based divorce (in which both parties are at fault but the husband allows a default divorce to proceed). Fanny gladly gives up custody of her daughter so that she can maintain her liberated lifestyle; little Fanny is responsibly raised by her father (who schleps her off to Germany). There is also a painful scene in which father and daughter agree to stay together in which the father warns her that by staying with him she will be treated as Jewish and will confront discrimination, especially in Germany. All of this was quite unusual for films of the time. Of course, the film was made in 1944 when anti-Nazi themes were permissible, but even then it was rare to see even reasonably candid treatment of divorce and child custody issues and rarer yet to see anti-semitism.

Mr Skeffington review

[JoeytheBrit · 7/10 · 25 April 2020]

Difficult to believe Bette Davis as a magnetic beauty who entrances every man who crosses her path, especially with that irritating voice, but otherwise this is a prime example of a glossy melodrama from Hollywood's golden age. Polished and entertaining, even though Bette's suitors are nearly all portrayed as buffoons.

Not to be missed...

[MarieGabrielle · 9/10 · 10 May 2007]

Bette at her best, (and most cruel) Mr. Skeffington is a movie I had at first avoided watching as it seemed like a comedy of manners or a "period film" frozen in time. Not the case at all. Not only is this a brilliant theme (especially for 1944) But it is also well worth watching for Claude Rains, as the be-trodden Skeffington, and Davis as his narcissistic wife.

It starts out with Davis marrying Skeffington to help her brother out with some debts. They were from an aristocratic, albeit now broke family. Skeffington is a wealthy stockbroker who marries Fanny. He also happens to be Jewish, and after the marriage fades, takes his daughter to Germany, although he still seems to love Fanny in some sense.

Fanny is impervious to any real affection turned her way. She is narcissistic and wants only more and more attention from younger and younger men. There are some amusing scenes as she flirts with handsome MGM extra Johnny Mitchell, who is surprised when he meets her 20 year old daughter (Davis coyly states; ..."she looks tall for her age"...) The expressions are priceless, and lines delivered with expertise as only Davis can. Finally Franny is struck with diphtheria. She returns from the hospital looking much older. The makeup used was somewhat of a surprise; the dramatic change makes Franny isolate herself, and she starts to hallucinate that Job (Rains) is watching her.

She finally visits a psychiatrist, well portrayed by George Coulouris. He is amusing as he looks at her with disdain, and tells her to pick up and get back to her husband. At any rate, this is an enjoyable and unusual film from 1944. 9/10.

Rains is Excellent

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 29 October 2013]

I'm a big fan of Claude Rains and Mr. Skeffington is one of his best performances. Every time he is on screen he steals the movie. The same cannot be said for the miscast Bette Davis. I'm not just talking about the obvious: that her character is supposed to be a great beauty and Bette, attractive in her own way, is no great beauty. She attempts to portray an unsympathetic character sympathetically but I'm not convinced she makes it work. Fanny is a vain unlikeable woman and the ending to this film...well let's just say I was left wanting for something more. I enjoyed the movie but not as much as I expected to. Claude Rains makes anything better so check it out for him. Bette Davis does her best but this is not one of my favorite roles of hers. However, hardcore Bette fans will probably enjoy this one far more than the average viewer.

It is a great way to spend 145 minutes

[valeriemom2002 · 10/10 · 1 June 2006]

Some of the best movies came from the 1940's. I always watch a movie when it is a 1940 movie. This one was one of the best, with the characters and the theme. The main characters seemed to be perfectly matched to the actors. The characteristics of the people in the movie were crystal clear...good and less that good. I really got into the movie and have seen it five times, and see something new each time. I'll watch it again when it comes on TV. I was entranced with Claude Rains, as I have been with each of his portrayals in other movies. Bette Davis is always the STAR, and the supporting figures showed more personality that usual. All in all, it was a great way to spend a couple hours.

The Patience of Job Skeffington

[wes-connors · 7/10 · 26 November 2008]

Desirable, flirtatious Bette Davis (as Fanny Trellis) fends off many male admirers; daily, they arrive at her posh New York estate, to repeatedly propose marriage. Vain, selfish, and very attractive; Ms. Davis prefers to string her suitors along. During one cocktail hour gathering, Davis discovers her ne'er-do-well brother Richard Waring (as Trippy Trellis) has been embezzling funds from Jewish banker Claude Rains (as Job Skeffington). To shield her beloved brother from prosecution, Davis endeavors to wed the ultra-wealthy Mr. Rains. Rains, like most men, has worshiped Davis from afar; but, she is unable to change her coquettish lifestyle.

"The most difficult aspect of the character Fanny was (that) she was a famous beauty of her day," Davis observed, "I was far from being beautiful."

Yet, Davis, with her strength of personality and acting prowess, pulls off the role; she is, as always, a great one to watch. Rains also performs well; but, his is more of a supporting character, despite being the title role. Walter Abel (as George Trellis) gets a lot of good camera time, also. And, George Coulouris is exceptional, as Davis' astute psychoanalyst. "Mr. Skeffington" is a relatively long film, in its "restored" length. Davis and Rains were nominated for "Academy Awards" in the "Best Actress" and "Supporting Actor" categories. The film might have been cited for its decade spanning make-up work, if the category had existed back then.

******* Mr. Skeffington (1944) Vincent Sherman ~ Bette Davis, Claude Rains, Walter Abel

A Woman is Beautiful Only When She is Loved

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 15 October 2005]

In 1914, in New York, Fanny Trellis (Bette Davis) is a shallow futile selfish woman surrounded by suitors and without any other preoccupation but her beauty. Her brother Trippy Trellis (Richard Waring) wasted the fortune of the family. When he fakes business in stock market and embezzles US$ 24,000.00 commission from the Skeffington Bank, the wealthy Job Skeffington goes to Trellis' house to charge the amount back and meets Fanny. He falls in love for Fanny and she marries him to save Trippy. Fanny gets pregnant, but her selfishness destroys their marriage and they divorce. Many years later, when Fanny has diphtheria and loses her beauty, she realizes that a woman is beautiful only when she is loved.

"Mr. Skeffington" is a good melodramatic love story, silly and dated in many parts, but also very beautiful and touching. The story about a selfish woman that is only concerned with her beauty and does not learn how to grow-up and age has many memorable scenes, mostly because of the performance of Bette Davis and the make-up of the actors and actresses. In the present days, it can be clearly seem that the story shows also a quite incestuous relationship between Fanny and Trippy. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Vaidade" ("Vain")

A woman... is beautiful... only when... she... is loved

[marcslope · 6/10 · 1 March 2016]

So huffs Bette Davis, in a high affected voice, as the shallow Mrs. of Claude Rains' stately Jewish banker, as she realizes--too late!--that she has a responsibility to the good man who genuinely loves her. Based on a story by "Elizabeth," whoever that was, this is a luxe Warners melodrama designed to show off Bette. She's good, but doesn't show a great deal of range here, hampered by a screenplay that limits her to vain and stupid. It's also not entirely credible that her face would be the one that enraptures all of New York from approximately 1914 to 1935, and the picture's severely hampered by a musical score--by Franz Waxman, whom I usually like--that underlines everything and removes whatever subtlety there might have been. The glory of the film is Rains, who artfully underplays, and some fun supporting actors turn up--John Alexander, George Colouris, even Dolores Gray in one plot-unrelated bit. The Warners trappings are lush, and Vincent Sherman's direction is a little slow, but that's not a bad choice for this soapy material.

Voice Register Theory

[RodReels-2 · 4/10 · 6 July 2002]

I have a new theory about Bette Davis movies. When she speaks in that low, husky, smoke-induced voice register, I love the movie (All About Eve, The Letter, All This and Heaven Too). When she speaks in her high voice register (Of Human Bondage, Mr. Skeffington) I grow weary of her character and start to dislike the whole film as a result. I'll try out my theory on some more Davis films, but for now, it works. I watched this because I knew she had been Oscar-nominated for it. But I'm not so sure what Hollywood must have been thinking. It's another example of rewarding the high-minded nature of a film's subject matter rather than the actual merit of the subject's handling. Her character is so unlikeable throughout the movie that when in the final scene she is reciting her husband's mantra that no woman is so beautiful as when she is loved, you can't help but want to scream at the screen, "Oh yea, how about when she tries to love in return." Yes, this is pure soap, but it's not helped any by Bette's squeaky high voice. Sorry I sat through this one.