Still no Black Swan. This is another from my Bette Davis box set. I have to say, it's one of the better ones. Bette plays a nightclub "hostess" working for a gangster who carves up her face after she turns state's evidence. Humphrey Bogart is the DA trying to put the gangster away.
I'm pretty sure this was the only movie they made together, which is probably a good thing. Their acting styles seem really similar to me, and it's hard to decide which of the two to watch when they're on screen together.
At the beginning of the movie, there's a big disclaimer that the story is fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely accidental. Now that's standard boilerplate for films nowadays; in fact, you can find it buried in the end credits on pretty much everything. But this was big letters right up front, which always makes me suspicious.
So, sure enough, it's based on the story of Thomas Dewey, the Manhattan DA who convicted Lucky Luciano based on the testimony of several prostitutes and madams. Boardwalk Empire fans will know Lucky as having kind of a weakness for the fairer sex so it's not too surprising that he was brought down by a couple of skirts.
The movie stands up pretty well, better than I thought it would, and the costumes are gorgeous Orry-Kelly creations.
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