FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

utgard14 Bette Davis believed her true love Paul Henreid was killed in battle. When he returns, their romance is rekindled But during the time he was believed dead, Bette had become involved with composer Claude Rains. Claude's not very happy losing her to Henreid. So Bette must take steps to ensure he doesn't ruin their happiness.Paul Henreid is the weak link in this dynamic trio of stars. But, to be fair, he doesn't have the juiciest part. Bette is at her soap operatic best here, serving up her role with a hefty side of ham. Claude Rains owns every scene he's in. Like Bette, the man knew his way around a melodramatic role. Unlike Bette (usually), Rains could keep from going over-the-top. He's a better actor, quite frankly. But stars like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford aren't beloved for their realistic acting. People like them for their enjoyable excesses. They were the precursors to the television soap opera stars that would come decades later.Wonderful sets and costumes, filmed beautifully. Glamorous production from Warner Bros. Loved the Erich Wolfgang Korngold score, as well as the other classical pieces featured. It's a fine melodrama with touches of film noir. Great performances from Davis and Rains. Fans of both will enjoy this one.

krocheav What can you say about something this flabbergasting? If your film preferences run toward the preposterous, camp, or 'silliest plots', then this is assuredly for you! Warner Bros gave it the full treatment, Production values ~ Performers ~ Photography ~ Music, all first quality and all wrapped up in unbelievable mush. Korngold's lush music score certainly deserved a better vehicle than this crazy story. Oscar winning Photographer Ernst Haller, known for superb work in "Gone With the Wind", Jezebel", and two of my cinematic favorites: "Humoresque" and The Glass Menagerie" (among many)...with 'Deception', he works brilliantly alongside stylish English born Director Irving Rapper ~ together they give this way over-wrought story a great look, at times saving it, but never completely.It also looks as if home educated screenwriter John Collier, was well aware this story, based on Louis Verneuil's 'Monsieur Lamberthier' from the 1920s, was by this time, heading out of date. Collier, being a writer known for his slightly bizarre fantasy stories and poetry, must have been torn between treating it as black comedy (Verneuil was known for his comedies) or melodrama of the most strained kind.Claude Rains, while always impressive, must have been born for this role. His flamboyant turns are quite astounding to watch. It's easy to imagine him at home, chuckling out loud while reading such lines from his script. Take a close look at his characters 'abode', even Royalty could look out of place in this remarkable 'museum'. While the main leads are certainly excellent, it's his picture all the way. Don't watch if you want serious, classic 40's drama. If you're after unintentional laughs or simply good performances, then this could work quite well for you....The TCM print screened in Australia was fair only.

Kim Harris Deception, made in 1946, reunited Bette Davis with Paul Heinreid and Claude Rains (Now Voyager) and was directed by Irving Rapper. It is a slow burn; building tension gradually throughout the film until the drama at the end. Bette Davis and Paul Heinreid are both good and reliable with Heinreid convincing as the war damaged European cellist. Davis is good at an emotional level but her performances are rarely flawless and she goes over the top occasionally. She also never entirely convinces as a pianist and artiste - perhaps deliberately. In this film it is Claude Rains who steals the show as the jealous jilted lover, building on the quiet and implacable menace while entertaining. The excruciatingly frustrating scene in the restaurant before the audition is a tour de force. The print on the DVD is a luminous black and white example of that era and great to look at, even on the small screen. Sit back and accept it for what it is, a classic 1940s movie.

sdave7596 "Deception" released in 1946, is a mildly entertaining film that has some top-notch stars. Bette Davis stars again with Claude Rains and Paul Henried. The three principle actors had previously starred together four years earlier in "Now Voyager" a superior film to this one. This was the fourth film Davis and Rains did together, and their last. In this film, Davis plays a pianist who finds an old love, played by Henried, a cellist. Rains plays an arrogant symphony conductor. The film centers around the world of music, of the classical variety. Davis and Henried marry in the film, much to the dismay of Rains, who was Davis' mentor and lover. It all gets somewhat complicated, with the arrogant Rains playing games with the two other stars, or is he? One is never sure whether he is out to destroy the career of the up and coming Henried out of jealousy or is he just playing his usual obnoxious games. Davis has never told her new husband about the true nature her relationship with Rains, although he seems to always suspect it. Davis and Rains have it out at the end, and the film ends rather strangely as well. "Deception" starts out rather flat and dull, does manage to pick up steam, but certainly does not live up to the standard of prior films of Bette Davis. It is a pity the film also lost money upon its release, for it gives Claude Rains one of the finest performances of his career. Paul Henried is also in fine form. Ms. Davis seems to take a bit of a backseat here to let the others actors shine, whether intentional or not. This was the beginning of the end for Davis at Warner Brothers, as her next few films would be flops and she would leave the studio by 1950. But what a run she had there!