''A Stolen Life'' is a 1946 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

starring

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

, who also produced it. The film, based on the 1935 novel ''A Stolen Life'' by Karel Josef Benes, was directed by

Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt (15 April 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a Jewish film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt. He trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film director in 1924, wi ...

. Among the supporting cast are

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

, Dane Clark,

Peggy Knudsen Margaret Ann "Peggy" Knudsen (April 22, 1923 – July 11, 1980) was an American character actress. Early life She was born Margaret Ann Knudsen in Duluth, Minnesota. Her father was Conrad Knudsen, Duluth's fire chief. Her ancestors were Irish a ...

Charlie Ruggles Charles Sherman Ruggles (February 8, 1886 – December 23, 1970) was an American comic character actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films, often in mild-mannered and comic roles. He was also the e ...

, and

Bruce Bennett Bruce Bennett (born Harold Herman Brix, also credited Herman Brix; May 19, 1906February 24, 2007) was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both intercol ...

. It is a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sam ...

of the 1939 British film '' Stolen Life'' starring

Elisabeth Bergner Elisabeth Bergner (22 August 1897 – 12 May 1986) was an Austrian-British actress. Primarily a stage actress, her career flourished in Berlin and Paris before she moved to London to work in films. Her signature role was Gemma Jones in '' Esca ...

and

Michael Redgrave Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Mourning Becomes Elec ...

. It was nominated for Best Special Effects (

William C. McGann William C. McGannHe listed himself as "William M. Mcgann" in the World War I draft (April 15, 1893 – November 15, 1977) was an American film director. He directed more than 50 films between 1930 and 1942. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl ...

; Special Audible Effects by Nathan Levinson) at the 19th Academy Awards, but lost to

Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to: * ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward * ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play * ''Blithe Spirit'' (2020 film), a British-American comedy film based on th ...

. The second time Davis played twin sisters was in '' Dead Ringer'' (1964).

Plot

Kate Bosworth (

) is a sincere, demure artist who misses her boat to an island off

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

, where she intends to meet her twin sister Patricia (also

Davis Davis may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Davis (Antarctica) * Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) * Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land Canada * Davis, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community * Davis Strait, between Nunavut and Gre ...

) and her cousin Freddie (

). She persuades Bill Emerson (

) to take her home in his boat. Later, their relationship grows while she paints a portrait of Eben Folger (

Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky'' (1938), and '' The Westerner ...

), the old lighthouse keeper, and Kate falls very much in love. Her sister Pat, a flamboyant, man-hungry manipulator, fools Bill when she first meets him by pretending to be Kate. Pat then pursues him on a trip out of town, and when they return, they announce to Kate their intention to marry. A heartbroken Kate focuses on her work with a rude but very talented artist named Karnock ( Dane Clark), but rejects his romantic overtures. Bill eventually goes to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

, allowing Kate to spend some time with her sister, whom she hasn't seen since the marriage. When the two go sailing, a sudden storm washes Pat overboard and she drowns, her sister inadvertently seizing her wedding ring while trying to save her. Kate passes out and is washed ashore in the boat. When she regains consciousness, she is mistaken for Pat. Bill is about to return, so Kate decides to assume her late sister's identity. To her surprise, she learns that Bill is angry at Pat for her many affairs and in no mood to continue the marriage. Cousin Freddie has guessed the truth and insists that Kate must reveal to Bill her real identity. When she does, Bill realizes that Kate is the one he truly loves.

Cast

as Kate and Patricia Bosworth *

as Bill Emerson * Dane Clark as Karnock *

as Eben Folger *

as Freddie Linley *

as Jack R. Talbot *

as Diedre *

Esther Dale Esther Dale (November 10, 1885 – July 23, 1961) was an American actress of the stage and screen. Early years Dale was born in Beaufort, South Carolina. She attended Leland and Gray Seminary in Townshend, Vermont. In Berlin, Germany, she stu ...

as Mrs. Johnson *

Clara Blandick Clara Blandick (born Clara Blanchard Dickey; June 4, 1876 – April 15, 1962) was an American character, film, stage and theater actress. She played Aunt Em in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). As a character actress, sh ...

as Martha * Joan Winfield as Lucy *

Jack Mower Jack Mower (September 5, 1890 – January 6, 1965) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 520 films between 1914 and 1965. He was born in Honolulu and died in Hollywood. After studying at Punahou College, in Honolulu, Mower moved ...

as George (uncredited) *

Leo White Leo White (November 10, 1882 – September 20, 1948), Leo Weiss, was a German-born British-American film and stage actor who appeared as a character actor in many Charlie Chaplin films. Biography Born in Germany, White grew up in England where ...

as Waiter (uncredited)

Box office

According to Warner Bros. records, the film earned $3,222,000 domestically and $1,563,000 foreign.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stolen Life, A 1946 drama films 1946 films American drama films American black-and-white films American remakes of British films Films scored by Max Steiner Films directed by Curtis Bernhardt Films set in Massachusetts Films about twin sisters Warner Bros. films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films