Deception (1946)

Synopsis:

Concert pianist Christine Radcliffe (Bette Davis) finds out that her presumably dead boyfriend, cellist Karel Novak (Paul Henreid, Now, Voyager), is alive. Christine wants to pick up where she and Karel left off and they get married quickly. Christine is, however, currently the lover of famous composer Alexander Hollenius (Claude Rains, Mr. Skeffington), a fact that she wants to keep from Karel.

Reaction & Thoughts:

“Extraordinary how people try to keep their little secrets…”

Kitschy, irresistibly overheated melodrama coated in postwar malaise. Directed by Irving Rapper (Now, Voyager and The Corn is Green), Deception is a deliciously high-pitched and very entertaining quasi-noir.

Today, the film’s premise — a woman with a wealthy sugar-daddy — seems like much ado about nothing. It isn’t as if she was cheating on her boyfriend. She thought the guy was dead, and needing financial support, she found a rich lover. Not a great moral choice, but nothing terribly bad either. The husband is a bit of a creep anyway so I secretly wished the lady had ended up with the rich lover.

Dated narrative elements aside, this is a really fun mash-up of classic noir and women’s pictures. Deception is based on a 1927 French play by Louis Verneuil. The play had a successful run on Broadway. Interestingly, it’s a two-character play and the third main character, the rich lover, is constantly mentioned but never makes an appearance. The screenplay by John Collier and Joseph Than added the character of the lover.

Bette Davis always said that the only good thing about the movie was Claude Rains’s performance. She was so impressed with her co-star’s work that she asked Warner Bros. to bill Rains above the title. Although I think Davis undervalued the film somewhat, I agree with her that Rains is unforgettable.

Rains benefited greatly from playing the best written part in the movie. He is matched scene-for-scene by Davis. Paul Henried is, unfortunately, overshadowed by his dynamic co-stars. There is one scene in particular that shows Rains’s genius. He, Davis and Henreid are having dinner at a restaurant and Rains proceeds, passive-aggressively, to destroy Henreid’s confidence. It’s an absolutely wonderful scene.

Deception was shot by Ernie Haller (Jezebel and All This, and Heaven Too) in gorgeous chiaroscuro fashion. The super-chic sets were designed by celebrated production designer Anton Grot (Juarez and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex).

The fantastic score, by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (The Adventures of Robin Hood and Kings Row), is the icing on the cake. Deception is about musicians so music is an integral part of the movie. Austrian-born composer and conductor Korngold wrote some lovely compositions specifically for the movie.

Conclusions & Final Thoughts:

This was a troubled production. The film quickly went over-budget. Deception was a modest hit, but Bette Davis was never happy with the final result. It’s nothing to be ashamed of; this is a really fun melodrama about very elegant people behaving inelegantly. P.S. Deception was deftly parodied in Carl Reiner’s 1982 satire Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. B&W, 110 minutes, Not Rated.