L'anima e il volto

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.

Wealthy New England artist Bette Davis (as Kate Bosworth) emerges late from her star vehicle, and misses the boat taking her to visit her cousin, the distinguished Charlie Ruggles (as Freddie Linley). Handsome young Glenn Ford (as Bill Emerson) happens by, and Ms. Davis bums a ride in his dinghy. The two pick up Mr. Ford's crusty lighthouse keeper, Walter Brennan (as Eben Folger). On the verge of spinsterhood, Davis is clearly attracted to Ford, and arranges to paint Mr. Brennan's portrait - but, she really wants to show Ford her etchings. Later, cocky Dane Clark (as Karnock) intrudes.

You can definitely sense some subtext and symbolism in this picture…

And, you can't go wrong with Bette Davis melodramatically falling in love amidst crisp direction by Curtis Bernhardt, beautiful black-and-white photography by Ernest Haller and Sol Polito, a sweet soundtrack by Max Steiner, and the crew at Warner Bros. Throw in the fact that Bette Davis (also as Patricia "Pat" Bosworth) plays her own slutty sister, and you've struck movie gold. Expect, of course, the titular "A Stolen Life" as the evil Davis moves to steals her sister's man. Assisted by special effects wizardry from Willard Van Enger and Russell Collings, both Davis and Davis are terrific in their roles.

******** A Stolen Life (7/6/46) Curtis Bernhardt ~ Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Dane Clark, Walter Brennan

I was surprised that I liked this movie as much as I did. As an artist and someone who has worked with machinery, I found the budding relationship between artist Kate and lighthouse engineer Bill easy-going and authentic, plus I loved the scenes of sailing, boating, and the lighthouse in fog on a rocky island. I'm glad I stumbled upon it on broadcast TV one late night. The message that we should be true to ourselves was very hopeful. No movie plot with one actress playing identical twins will ever be plausible, but it makes for good fiction and is an interesting illustration of the actors' ability to stretch into unusual roles.

The subject is not really new.In her last film "Two-Faced woman" ,Greta Garbo played "twins" (but actually there was only one woman) with different personalities.More interesting was Siodak's "the dark mirror" where Davis' good friend Olivia de Havilland played twin sisters too,one of whom was suspected of murder.

Twins were certainly trendy at the time since ,the very same year as De Havilland,Davis tried her hand at the subject,not in a thriller,but in a melodrama.Davis was as subtle an actress to portray two different women.One of them is an artist ,a romantic loyal woman ;the other one is a real bitch,who steals her sister's boyfriend (Glenn Ford).

There are scenes with an "accursed " anarchist artist who becomes Kate's teacher cause he thinks her painting is lousy.The reason,he says ,is that she was never a real woman (like sister Patricia ,maybe?)Those scenes with Karnock are mostly filler,and the film becomes interesting again when Kate pretends to be Patricia,although these scenes show more than a distant resemblance with "Two-faced woman" by Cukor.

Not a major Davis movie,but interesting for her numerous fans.

Bette Davis is Kate and her twin Pat in "A Stolen Life," a 1946 film which also stars Glenn Ford, Walter Brennan, Charles Ruggles, and Dane Clark. We first see Davis as the artist Kate visiting the family's New England cottage (these people have homes everywhere). There she meets the drop-dead gorgeous lighthouse man Bill (Ford, in his first role after the war). She falls hard. Then we find out she has a twin sister who is much less reserved, sexier, and who goes after what she wants. On her way to a lunch date, Pat sees Bill, who mistakes her for Kate. One look at him, and she's ready to play along. But really, who could blame her? That day, Bill finds out that Kate is a twin, and that Pat turns him on - while he's only fond of Kate. Nature takes its course, and guess which Bette gets left out.

This is a very entertaining movie with Davis creating two different characters. In the very beginning, you don't know Davis has a twin. She returns home and enters her room with the light off, and her sister starts talking to her from the other side of the room - with a perkier voice, so not even that gives it away. Slowly, we realize they're identical twins, and that she hasn't let Bill into the house because her sister is a man magnet.

Glenn Ford is one film away from big stardom in "A Stolen Life" --next, he would romance Rita Hayworth in "Gilda." At 30, he was stunningly handsome with the easygoing, gentle, and sweet manner that would hold him in good stead for the next 45 years. Truly an ideal leading man. He and Davis get excellent support from Charles Ruggles, in a nice performance as the girls' cousin, and Walter Brennan, Ford's irascible lighthouse boss. Dane Clark's role is somewhat troublesome. In the John Garfield vein, he plays a rough, temperamental artist who teaches Kate to paint better and becomes interested in her, but his role drops off. The entire role could have been cut.

Davis was 37 when she made this film, which she produced herself. With three years left on her contract, it was sadly her last hit at Warners. Deservedly so, because she is terrific in the dual roles. She would repeat this device later on in her career with "Dead Ringer," and some of the plot points are reminiscent of that film.

Wonderfully entertaining and a must for Davis and Ford fans.