The Old Maid (1939)
“Vividly, unforgettably, a woman's love starved soul is revealed. All those strange secrets she locks in her heart ... moments of rapture and of heartbreak ... longings that no man can fathom. Of these has the year's finest picture been woven!”
The lives of two cousins are complicated by the return of an ex-boyfriend and an illegitimate child.
The film establishes its central universe, introducing the protagonists into an escalating conflict. Directed by Edmund Goulding, this opening movement establishes high visual and thematic stakes that set the narrative journey into motion.
The protagonists navigate escalating complications, ethical dilemmas, and formidable challenges. Starring Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins, George Brent, the middle act intensifies dramatic momentum toward an inevitable turning point.
The dramatic arcs converge in a decisive climax, resolving interpersonal conflicts and delivering the auteur’s resonant thematic conclusion.
Bette Davis
as Charlotte Lovell
Miriam Hopkins
as Delia Lovell Ralston
George Brent
as Clem Spender
Donald Crisp
as Doctor Lanskell
Jane Bryan
as Clementina
Louise Fazenda
as Dora
James Stephenson
as Jim Ralston
Jerome Cowan
as Joe Ralston
William Lundigan
as Lanning Halsey
Cecilia Loftus
as Grandmother Lovell
Rand Brooks
as Jim
Janet Shaw
as DeeCinematographic negative, aspect ratios & laboratory mastering sheet
| Aspect Ratios | 2.39:1 |
|---|---|
| Camera Systems | Arri Alexa LF / Panavision Millennium DXL2 |
| Negative Format | 35mm / 65mm / Digital Master |
| Printed Film Format | 70mm / DCP Master |
| Sound Mix Formats | Dolby AtmosDTS:X5.1 Surround |
| Laboratory / VFX | Technicolor / Double Negative (DNEG) |
| Color Processing | Color (Rec.709 / DCI-P3 Mastering) |
| Official Runtime | 95 min |
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Weighted consensus from 100K+ verified global cinephile ratings
The pipe organ composition from Hans Zimmer at the edge of Gargantua is monumental. Nolan masterfully balances the vast coldness of relativistic astrophysics with the intimate, multidimensional bond of family. A transcendent achievement of cinema.
"Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Michael Caine reciting Dylan Thomas resonates throughout the entire odyssey. Pure cinematic grandeur.
