The Great Lie

The Great Lie, also known as The Big Lie ( Original title: The Great Lie), is an American film drama by Edmund Goulding from the year 1941 the screenplay based on the novel The Far Horizon by Polan Banks.. The film was premiered on April 5, 1941 in Littleton, New Hampshire. In Germany Great Lie was first shown on April 7, 1998 as a television premiere in the ARD.

Action

The concert pianist Sandra Kovak and the pilot Pete Van Allen married just decided. Pete's lawyer tells him that Sandra's divorce is not yet final and that their marriage was invalid. Pete, who has to realize that he does not love the domineering Sandra, flees - to win spacer - to Maryland to his longtime girlfriend Maggie Patterson. Maggie loves Pete sincere, but is worried about his drinking. Petes attempt to talk to Maggie about what happened the last time, fails because Maggie is deeply hurt by it withdraws. So Pete returns to Sandra without Maggie knows that Pete's marriage to Sandra is invalid. Sandra, who still assumes to be married to Pete, is informed by him that their marriage was invalid and must be repeated. He wants a week later, on the day on which Sandra's divorce became final and repeat the procedure. Sandra insists that she must give that day a concert in Philadelphia and could not be in New York. Pete waits until midnight on Sandra's return to New York. It does not appear. Without further ado, Pete married now but Maggie, who he actually loves.

Five days later, Pete is working for calls to Washington DC ordered, while Maggie in New York waiting for him. Here she learns that Sandra is expecting a child. Sandra intends to tie Pete with the help of the baby in and makes Maggie a corresponding declaration of war. Pete, who controls his machine through the Brazilian jungle, does not return from this flight. The aircraft will soon reported it missing, search operations are unsuccessful. Maggie proposes that Sandra's child and raise. In return, they will provide for Sandra's financial independence. The two women retire to the desert of Arizona and await the birth of the child. Sandra brings a son into the world and then return to their glittering world as a pianist back. Maggie goes with Pete junior back in her home and gives the baby as their own child.

A little later, Pete is found alive. His joy to his father, obviously. Maggie does not tell him who the real mother of the child. Sandra tries to regain access to Pete about the child and tells Maggie that Pete stay only because of the child with her. Once he knew the truth, he will forsake them and to her that he had always loved to come back. Then Maggie told Pete the truth. Pete is in the meantime, however, sure about his feelings for Maggie and makes a heavy heart the suggestion that Sandra could keep the child, but he remains in each case with Maggie. Then, Sandra decides to go and leaves the child with whom they can not do anything as before, in the care of Maggie's and Pete's.

Production and background

It is a production of Warner Bros.. Filming took place from late October to mid-December 1940 in California. Some scenes were filmed on location at the Warner Ranch in Calabasas and in the Mojave Desert near Victorville. The film had three different working titles: Far Horizon; Women of the World and January Heights.

The Great Lie ( The Great Lie ) was Bette Davis last in 1940 wacky film and her first film, which was released in 1941. In this film drama two women (Bette Davis and Mary Astor ) vying for the same man. The Davis plays the subtle Maggie and the Astor something wicked was only interested in her career, pianist Sandra. The role of Astor was originally designed so that it should only serve as a background figure to interfere with the purpose of the love between the two main characters (Bette Davis and George Brent). Bette Davis, however, was of Mary Astor's test shots so impressed that they not only this started that the Astor got the role, but also made ​​sure that the role of Astor its was adjusted in scope, so there are two almost equivalent women's roles are in the film. The commitment of the actress paid off in total and made the script better. When Mary Astor won the Oscar for her " brilliant exposition " of Sandra Kovaks she wrote this merit to a large part to the efforts of Davis. In addition to her she mentioned in her acceptance speech, the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and thanked for this.

While the flying scenes of George Brent, who had a pilot's license, were carried out themselves, the scenes in which Mary Astor played the piano, with his hands doubled for Norma Drury Boleslavsky were. In the background, Max Rabinovitch sat at the piano. In a Lux Radio Theatre broadcast from March 2, 1942 Brent and Astor appeared in their traditional roles. In a Lux Video Theatre adaptation of January 1957 Sterling, Catherine McLeod and Glenn Langan played the lead roles.

Reviews

" A mind-bending melodrama that acceptably thanks to a solid director and the outstanding play of the two leading ladies maintains despite its implausible plot. "

" Edmund Goulding turned this unusual melodrama about a bitter enmity woman whose broken figures do not come together at the end to create a harmonious happy ending. Mary Astor was honored for her convincing portrayal of Sandra 1942 with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. "

" Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was of the opinion that the scenes in which Miss Astor as Sandra Kovak in Arizona the baby expects and receives, " which are the best of the film by far. "Da" knistere " it and" sardonic humor " flashes on. "

Awards

1942 Mary Astor Award for her performance in this film with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

DVD Release

  • The Great Lie. Published by Warner Home Video on June 13, 2008. 103 minutes.
1941 in film Hal B. Wallis Henry Blanke Film score Ralph Dawson Grant Mitchell (actor) Calabasas, California Victorville, California Jan Sterling Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Sally, Irene and Mary Paris (1926 film) Love (1927 film) The Trespasser White Banners The Razor's Edge (1946 film) Nightmare Alley (film)
802090
de