Myron Brinig's novel becomes curious Warner Bros. vehicle for Errol Flynn and a very demure Bette Davis, playing a young couple in 1904 Montana who elope and settle in San Francisco. Davis' younger sisters find husbands too, but Bette suffers the most as her husband (established as a drinker early on) neglects her, comes home soused, causes her enough stress to lose their baby, and eventually hops a steam-ship to Singapore. The wobbly-thin, sentimental material gets goosed by some good acting, yet the film never arises above the standard "woman's picture" level. Bette, wearing aprons over tidy dresses and beaming with wifely pride, is hardly the same girl audiences saw in "Jezebel" that same year; she's obviously an actress of great magnitude, yet she's reigned in too tightly here (and the masochistic role of Louise doesn't offer her much, anyway). Boyish Flynn manages a sensitive on-screen duet with Davis, although this union isn't an entirely convincing one. OK production (including an earthquake sequence), several enjoyable supporting performances and bits of knuckle-biting melodrama. **1/2 from ****
Review of The Sisters
