The Sisters (1938)

Bookended by the 1904 and 1908 presidential elections, the story of three sisters: Louise (Bette Davis) marries a ne'er do well (Errol Flynn) who eventually deserts her, Helen (Anita Louise) who marries a rich man (Alan Hale) she doesn't love for the security it will give her and Grace (Jane Bryan) who must deal with her husband's (Dick Foran) infidelity. Based on the best selling novel by Myron Brinig and directed by Anatole Litvak (ANASTASIA). I've not read the source novel but I suspect the script was altered to favor the Davis and Flynn storyline (after all, they were the biggest stars in the cast) while the two other sisters are relegated to secondary status. It's a rather creaky soap opera with a tearjerker ending which was reshot after an unsatisfactory preview. The highlight of the film is a recreation of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake which while not as spectacular as SAN FRANCISCO (1936) is still imposing. As a Bette Davis fan, I enjoyed it but it's not really one of her better movies. The supporting cast is crammed with familiar character actors including Beulah Bondi, Donald Crisp, Patric Knowles, Lee Patrick, Henry Travers, Harry Davenport, Laura Hope Crews and Ian Hunter.