MovieChat Forums > Mr. Skeffington (1944) Discussion > Nature of beauty

Nature of beauty

posted 15 years ago by cdunbar-3
3 replies | jump to latest

Those who "act" beautiful are often perceived as beautiful. Bette Davis succeeds in this regard in many films, if not entirely convincingly in this one. Even today the unlikeliest women are perceived to be beauties because they present themselves boldly and with the utmost confidence. One of my favorite vintage films on the subject of beauty is "The Enchanted Cottage", although the attractive leads Robert Montgomery and Dorothy McGuire are not as homely as they should be. It's entirely different in tone from "Mr. Skeffington", yet sends a similiar message, that the artificial definition of beauty is unimportant but love makes all things beautiful. It's entertaining how this theme is explored in different Hollywood films. I would enjoy hearing from others on their favorite films in this category.

[–] cnicknz 15 years ago

It was Robert Young in The Enchanted Cottage, not Robert Montgomery. The Mirror Has Two Faces also explores the subject of how the media standardizes the public's perception of female beauty.

[–] cdunbar-3 15 years ago

Thanks for catching my error, cnicknz. I try to be accurate & missed that.

[–] Just_Opinions 14 years ago

Are you a female? I could sorta see women thinking that way but men are way too shallow and are driven solely by their eyes. Now any individual might fall for a a girl who's not that attractive when they get to know them because they are charming or have a great personality but when judging people you don't know, it all comes down to looks for all men (at least every man I've ever known). I don't mean to sound obnoxious or crude but am dealing with the issue as honestly as I can.

As for Bette Davis, as a general consensus, I think the majority of men would judge her as "not ugly" or "average" at best. Now any particular individual may find her genuinely beautiful while some may find her utterly unattractive. I wouldn't go that far but I don't think she is pretty at all. I think it entirely inappropriate to cast Davis in a role in which every man is falling at her feet. The premise is entirely ridiculous. People NEVER behave that way with woman that are supposedly THAT gorgeous, let alone one that is so obviously not.

As for Davis' acting, I think she overacts in every movie I've seen of hers (which is about 10) except for 'All About Eve' which she was very good in, precisely because she didn't succumb to her normal overacting tendencies. Just my opinion.