Where this film really falls down is the casting of Paul Henreid. I couldn't see his Reverand Nicholls as a man who would arouse passion in two women and inspire them to write great novels stemming from their love for him. In fact, Henreid is such a dead fish as an actor that Bette Davis' "Now, Voyager" doesn't work for me either because he was cast as the love of her life. His being in that role made the story too far fetched to buy into, despite Davis' bravura performance.
This film is loosely based on the lives of the Bronte family's literary sisters, Emily, Charlotte, and Ann (Ann is the least known of the authors, therefore only a very minor character in the film), and their alcoholic brother Branwell. Good performances by Olivia de Havilland and Ida Lupino (especially Lupino) as Charlotte and Emily Bronte. Really, it's Lupino's performance that gives the film its only weight and depth.
This film is loosely based on the lives of the Bronte family's literary sisters, Emily, Charlotte, and Ann (Ann is the least known of the authors, therefore only a very minor character in the film), and their alcoholic brother Branwell. Good performances by Olivia de Havilland and Ida Lupino (especially Lupino) as Charlotte and Emily Bronte. Really, it's Lupino's performance that gives the film its only weight and depth.