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Actors: Bette Davis, Claude Rains
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Mr. Skeffington |
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Bette Davis stars as Ms. Fannie Trellis, a charming beauty who has multiple suitors at any given time. She enjoys the avid attentions of constant marriage proposals and a lavish lifestyle. That is, she lived a lavish lifestyle until her spendthrift brother falsifies orders at his company and gets caught. His boss, Mr. Jobe Skeffington (Claude Raines), stops by the Trellis home as he is on his way to see the district attorney. He immediately falls prey to Miss Fannie's charms. Before long he forgives her brother's debt and proposes marriage. Fannie is glad to accept knowing Mr. Skeffington is rich beyond belief.
Jobe adores Fannie but she does not reciprocate his affections. In fact, she refuses to give up her flirtatious playing even after she is married and has a child. Jobe just wants her to be happy and doesn't mind terribly much because he knows that Fannie is his wife and no one else's.
Jobe pacifies himself by doting on his daughter for as long as he can but eventually loneliness overtakes him. He begins to spend time with his new “secretaries” until one evening he gets caught. Fannie is outraged at his behavior and promptly files for divorce. The divorce is granted and Skeffington is generous with Fannie giving her half of his fortune. He then leaves for Europe with their daughter, little Fannie.
When the Nazis invade Germany, little Fannie is sent home but Jobe stays on. Eventually they lose contact with him not knowing what happened. Not long after, Big Fannie gets Diphtheria and her beauty is ravaged by the illness. The suitors stop coming and she is left with only her servants and her daughter. The two Fannies never really got along and young Fannie decides to marry before long.
The older Fannie realizes now that she is now utterly alone and aging quickly. She also realizes that her former husband was really the only man that ever loved her. She begins to have illusions of seeing him everywhere. But are they really illusions?
--Talea, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Mr. Skeffington |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1900-1920's
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kind of romance:
- boatload of casual sex without love
Lover is...
- totally uninterested
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- simply wealthy
Age:
- long lived adults
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- obsessed
- deluded
- wild
Hair color?
- blonde
Body type
- (woman) skinny
Events of movie makes character more...
- sensitive
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average build
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- general circumstances
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 90%-100%
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- California
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- concerned
Check here if B&W
Yes
Any profanity?
- None
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Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Talea
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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