Bette Davis was at the absolute peak of her "difficult woman" phase in 1942. She’d already won two Oscars and was basically the queen of the Warner Bros. lot. But then came In This Our Life, a movie that feels like a fever dream of Southern Gothic angst and surprisingly sharp social commentary. It’s a film that most people today only know because of the Davis-Olivia de Havilland rivalry, yet if you actually sit down and watch it, you’ll realize it’s doing things with race and morality that Hollywood wouldn’t touch again for years. Honestly, it’s a mess in some places, but it’s a fascinating, high-stakes mess.
The plot is pure soap opera on steroids. Davis plays Stanley Timberlake—yes, a woman named Stanley—who is a pathologically selfish socialite in Richmond, Virginia. She’s the kind of person who breathes drama. On the eve of her sister Roy’s (de Havilland) wedding, Stanley runs off with Roy’s husband, Peter. It’s scandalous. It’s cruel. And because this is a 1940s melodrama, it’s only the beginning of a spiral that involves drunk driving, manslaughter, and a brazen attempt to frame an innocent Black man for a crime he didn’t commit.
The Performance Everyone Remembers (and Some Hate)
Bette Davis didn't just act in In This Our Life; she devoured it. Director John Huston, fresh off the success of The Maltese Falcon, later admitted he didn't have much control over her. Davis wanted Stanley to be irredeemable. She wore her hair in a frantic, almost bird-like style and played the character with a twitchy, manic energy that borders on horror.
Compare that to Olivia de Havilland. Roy is the "good" sister, the one who suffers in silence and eventually finds a bit of backbone. The chemistry—or lack thereof—between the two stars is palpable. Legend has it they didn't get along, and you can see that friction on screen. It works. When Roy looks at Stanley with a mix of pity and disgust, you feel like de Havilland isn't acting. She’s just tired of Bette’s theatrics.
But here’s the thing: Davis was right to play it big. Stanley isn't a nuanced character. She’s a wrecking ball. The film needed that chaotic energy to offset the somewhat stiff pacing of the first act. Without Davis chewing the scenery, the movie might have just been another forgotten "woman’s picture" of the era. Instead, it’s a character study of a sociopath in silk.
Why In This Our Life Was Banned in Some Places
Wait. Banned? Yeah, seriously.
While the sisters' rivalry takes up the most screen time, the real heart of the film is a subplot involving Parry Clay, played by Ernest Anderson. Parry is a young Black man working for the Timberlake family who is studying to be a lawyer. When Stanley kills a child in a hit-and-run accident, she doesn't just flee the scene. She tells the police that Parry was the one driving her car.
✨ Don't miss: Why the Cast of Hold Your Breath 2024 Makes This Dust Bowl Horror Actually Work
This was 1942. The "Jim Crow" era was in full swing.
The film treats Parry with a level of dignity that was almost unheard of in Hollywood at the time. He isn't a caricature. He’s ambitious, intelligent, and a victim of a corrupt system. His mother, played by the legendary Hattie McDaniel, gives a performance that is leagues away from her "Mammy" role in Gone with the Wind. Here, she is a mother terrified for her son’s life, standing up to the white family she serves with a quiet, devastating power.
Because the film depicted racial prejudice so bluntly—and showed a white woman as a lying villain who would destroy a Black man’s life to save her own—the Office of Censorship actually banned the film for export to certain regions during the war. They were worried it would provide "anti-American" propaganda for the Axis powers. They didn't want the world seeing the reality of American racism. It’s a heavy legacy for a Bette Davis melodrama, but it’s why the film still carries weight today.
Breaking Down the Timberlake Family Dynamics
The Timberlakes are a family in decay. It’s a classic Southern trope.
- Asa Timberlake: The father, played by Frank Craven. He’s lost his fortune and his dignity, essentially becoming a ghost in his own home.
- Lavinia Timberlake: The mother, a hypochondriac who uses her "illness" to manipulate everyone around her. She clearly favors Stanley, which explains why Stanley is such a nightmare.
- Uncle William: The wealthy, predatory uncle (Charles Coburn) who enables Stanley’s worst impulses because he’s infatuated with her. It’s creepy. It’s supposed to be.
The environment is toxic. It’s no wonder Roy wants out and Stanley wants everything. The film does a great job of showing how "old money" families rot from the inside out when the money runs dry but the ego remains.
John Huston’s Direction: A Noir in Disguise?
John Huston wasn't a fan of this movie. He took the job as a favor and later called it "honest but not very good." He’s being too hard on himself.
🔗 Read more: Is Steven Weber Leaving Chicago Med? What Really Happened With Dean Archer
You can see the seeds of film noir all over In This Our Life. The way the shadows fall across Stanley’s face when she’s lying to the police, the rain-slicked streets during the accident scene—it’s moody as hell. Huston uses camera angles to make the Timberlake house feel claustrophobic, like a cage Stanley is trying to claw her way out of.
The pacing is a bit weird, though. The first half feels like a romantic drama about who is going to marry whom. Then, suddenly, it shifts gears into a legal thriller and a social justice manifesto. It’s jarring. You’ve got to stick with it through the slow parts to get to the real meat of the story.
The Problem With the Ending
No spoilers, but the ending of the film differs significantly from Ellen Glasgow’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The book is much darker and more philosophical about the cycle of inherited traits. The movie, hampered by the Hays Code, had to ensure that "sin" was punished.
The Production Code Administration was a nightmare for filmmakers back then. They couldn't let Stanley get away with her crimes, but the way they resolve her arc feels a bit too convenient. It’s a "The End" that satisfies the censors but leaves the audience feeling a little cheated out of a more complex resolution.
How to Watch It Today
If you’re looking to find In This Our Life, it’s usually available on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) or for rent on major digital platforms. It hasn't received the massive 4K restoration treatment that Casablanca or The Big Sleep got, which is a shame. The cinematography by Ernest Haller (who also shot Gone with the Wind) deserves to be seen in high definition.
When you watch it, keep an eye on the background characters. The way the servants and the "common people" react to Stanley’s presence tells you more about her character than her dialogue ever could. It’s a masterclass in visual storytelling, even if the script is sometimes a bit on the nose.
💡 You might also like: Is Heroes and Villains Legit? What You Need to Know Before Buying
Essential Context for New Viewers
To really appreciate the film, you have to understand 1942. America had just entered World War II. The country was trying to project an image of unity. This movie poked a hole in that image by showing that domestic "enemies"—bigotry, selfishness, and classism—were alive and well.
The fact that Bette Davis, the biggest star in the world, was willing to play such a loathsome person says a lot about her craft. She wasn't interested in being liked; she was interested in being real. Stanley Timberlake is one of the most realistic portrayals of a "Main Character Syndrome" sufferer in cinematic history.
Actionable Insights for Film Buffs
If you’re planning a deep dive into 1940s cinema or specifically Bette Davis’s filmography, here is how to approach In This Our Life:
- Watch for the Contrast: Pay attention to the lighting differences between scenes involving Stanley and scenes involving Roy. Stanley is often lit with high-contrast, harsh shadows (the "villain" lighting), while Roy is bathed in softer, more traditional "leading lady" light.
- Compare to the Novel: If you can, read Ellen Glasgow’s book first. The movie strips away a lot of the internal monologue, and seeing what was removed gives you a huge hint into what Hollywood was afraid of in the 40s.
- Spot the "Huston" Touches: Look for the long takes and the way characters move within the frame. John Huston loved "staging in depth," where something important is happening in the foreground and the background simultaneously.
- Research the "Parry Clay" Impact: Look up Ernest Anderson. He won a National Board of Review award for this role, which was a massive deal for a Black actor at the time. His performance is the "stealth" lead of the movie.
This isn't just a movie about a mean girl who steals her sister's husband. It's a snapshot of a turning point in American film where directors started to realize they could use melodrama to talk about things that actually mattered. It’s messy, it’s loud, and Bette Davis is probably doing too much, but In This Our Life remains a vital piece of film history that deserves a second look.
Start your viewing with the 1941 film The Little Foxes if you want a perfect double feature. It shows Davis playing another "villainous" role but with a completely different, much more restrained energy. Comparing the two will give you a full picture of her range during this era.