This is not a good Valentine's Day film which is exactly why I picked it.
Bette Davis shines in the ensemble cast as the greedy, manipulative Regina Hubbard Giddens, an heiress in the dying traditional south.
Along with her stupid, equally greedy brothers, Oscar and Ben (Carl Benton Reid and Charles Dingle), they form a pack to invest in a cotton factory which will export cheap labor and be bad for the environment but she must ask her ill husband, Horace (Herbert Marshall) for the money.
Horace is everything Regina is not, kind, caring and considerate and refuses to invest, despite Regina's constant pleadings but Regina's nephew, Leo (Dan Duryea) steals bonds from Horace's safe deposit box and uses those to fulfill the investment promise.
The best scene comes toward the end as the third act really allows Davis to shine. Her husband has discovered the theft and has informed Regina that he is cutting her out of his ill and when his heart starts acting up, she just stares him down and doesn't run to get his heart medicine. He dies later that night.
So Regina has what she wants, vast wealth but she's alone and afraid. Her daughter, Alexandra (the great Teresa Wright) has left, gone off to finally explore the world, leaving a bitter Regina to her own devices.
Sure, this film is dated as the only minorities are servants, though Addie (Jessie Grayson) is probably the wisest character in the film (except for maybe Horace) and the plot is basic but the film is filled with brilliant performances. Yet, the characters meander without a true purpose and Aunt Birdie (Patricia Collinge) is too weak to leave Oscar, who is abusive. I just hope that Alexandra, who leaves, can manage to have a happy future despite her wretched upbringing. One can only wonder what Horace ever saw in Regina. It is also a shame that these people have nothing else to think about other than money and getting more money. Evil is bred in that family but it is most dominate in Regina. Grade: B+
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