Devotion

Based (very) loosely on real events, this is quite an entertaining tale of two strong willed Brontë women - Charlotte (Olivia de Havilland) and Emily (Ida Lupino) and of their enthusiasm for local curate "Nicholls" (the rather decent but insipid Paul Henreid) and for getting their wonderfully imaginative stories published. In that aspiration, they are joined by their sister Anne (Nancy Coleman) and all of this takes place as they must try and save their artist brother Bramwell (Arthur Kennedy) from a future at the bottom of a bottle. The cast and the writing deliver an engaging and authentic tale of family, a strong and close family that found itself struggling to satisfy the needs of its constituents - and as with many films set around this period, it demonstrates just how difficult it was for a woman to be given the opportunity to do just about anything that did not fit with her marital duties. There are a couple of scenes stolen by the avuncular Sydney Greenstreet's portrayal of William Makepeace Thackerey - whose "Vanity Fair" was contemporary with this timeframe - and by the end I felt I understood a little more of the complexities of this family and of the times. Well worth a watch.