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Old Acquaintance

Play trailer Poster for Old Acquaintance Released Nov 27, 1943 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Kit Marlowe (Bette Davis) is an author whose work is critically acclaimed, yet it has not helped her achieve financial success. Her friend Millie Drake (Miriam Hopkins), however, has developed a knack for writing best-selling trashy novels. After eight years of marriage, Millie's long suffering husband, Preston (John Loder), shocks her by asking for a divorce. When Millie learns that her husband has been secretly in love with Kit the whole time, a feud develops between the women.
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Old Acquaintance

Critics Reviews

View All (3) Critics Reviews
Elena de la Torre Cine-Mundial [Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins] are a true gift. [Full review in Spanish] Sep 10, 2019 Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm ...a bit of a slow boil, but this 1943 melodrama eventually bubbles over with Bette Davis literally trying to shake some sense into Miriam Hopkins. Rated: 3/4 Aug 30, 2012 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Crowd pleasing women's pic. Rated: C+ Oct 12, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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william d Above average chick flick. Miriam Hopkins overacts, Gig Young underacts, and Bette Davis is right on the money as usual. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review joe m "Old Acquaintance" is an enjoyable if overwrought pairing of Miriam Hopkins and Bette Davis as childhood friends who go on to be kind of 'frenemies' over twenty years of ups and downs. The characters they play are both successful writers, with Davis' Kit Marlowe the cerebral one and Hopkins' Millie Drake churning out pulp bestsellers. The whole plot is rather contrived and has elements of "The Old Maid" with Bette being so noble and, in this instance, Hopkins being an almost cartoonish drama queen and hysteric. Hopkins performance really is too much. All in all, still an ok film. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Scarlet O'hara took the heroine role in "Gone With the Wind." That was 1939, the heart of the Depression, when the country needed a story about holding on to your backbone - even if it meant being a bitch. In 1943's "Old Acquaintance," we get the story in reverse. Miriam Hopkins plays Millie, a cartoonish Scarlet-type bitch who trashes her friend, her husband and her own daughter. But it's Bette Davis, as Kit, Millie's friend, who comes off the heroine. Kit's in love with Millie's husband and he with her but, despite his advances, she won't even think about betraying her old acquaintance because, at its heart, this is a story about allies in the days when the Allies were all that mattered. The US was embroiled in WW II and the film's primary audience was the all-American female, sacrificing herself during war, just like Kit. Without this historical context, the movie could be seen as a strained ode to sainthood. Oh, alright. Even knowing the context, it's still strained in places. Still, the nuanced writing and Davis's restrained acting conjure up a fascinating, original character I would very much like to have known. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Good flick with Bette at her best. The only problem is why a smart person like Kit would stay friends with an idiot like Millie. If Hopkins wasn’t so ridiculously over the top, it may have been more enduring and relatable. But as high camp Hollywood classic, its a great watch. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/26/19 Full Review ashley h Old Acquaintance is a distance. It is about old friends Kit Marlowe and Millie Drake adopt contrasting lifestyles. Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow places. Vincent Sherman did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama and romance. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Just watched this old Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins film from 1943, and what a gem it is! Based on a play by John Van Druten, it's a story of a lifelong friendship, both writers. Funny, touching, and always entertaining. Bette Davis, is one of my favorite actresses, second only to Meryl Streep. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Old Acquaintance

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Movie Info

Synopsis Kit Marlowe (Bette Davis) is an author whose work is critically acclaimed, yet it has not helped her achieve financial success. Her friend Millie Drake (Miriam Hopkins), however, has developed a knack for writing best-selling trashy novels. After eight years of marriage, Millie's long suffering husband, Preston (John Loder), shocks her by asking for a divorce. When Millie learns that her husband has been secretly in love with Kit the whole time, a feud develops between the women.
Director
Vincent Sherman
Producer
Henry Blanke
Screenwriter
John Van Druten, Lenore J. Coffee
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Warner Bros.
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 27, 1943, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 21, 2016
Runtime
1h 50m
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