Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

GManfred ...Of Claude Rains' character in this picture. As has been stated, he is an older guy who loses out on Bette Davis to a younger guy. The younger guy is Paul Henreid playing a WWII survivor, thought dead by Davis. When she spots him at a concert in NYC years later, the handwriting is on the wall for Rains.The mise en scene is the world of classical music, about which I know little but which sounds, uh, classical in several pieces played during the film. Henreid plays a cellist, so the pieces for the cello leave me out completely. Rains is a master composer, a genius referred to by his last name, Hollenius, thereby cementing his genius label. Not only is he a genius, he is a vengeful genius.One does not often encounter such a high level of acting as that found in "Deception", and it elevates the film above the ordinary. All three principals are outstanding, especially Rains, whose performance towers over the other two. It is a character study and a straight drama. Speaking for myself I was not aware of any elements of 'noir', but if you are a fan of good acting, "Deception" is for you, as it is exceptional in this department.

blitzebill I'll dispense with the details of the plot and move directly to Mr. Rains' performance as Hollenius the composer in this musico-melodrama.This is his show although Davis and Henreid attempt to hold their own in this film.His flair for manipulation and deception, hence the title, dominates the film. He does a great job of it, driving everyone crazy with his shenanigans and jealousy.The cinematography is well done and the story's setting in the world of post-WW II classical/modern music is interesting.I noted that early on, for instance, as Henreid finished a performance, audience members asked him who his favorite living composer was..."Sibelius...or Shostakovich...?" No mention of Aaron Copland or the many other composers alive at the time.Hollenius' work as a composer was a curious mix of tonal, traditional and slightly atonal influences, attempting to display "modern" music but watered down to keep the audience and us interested.The mimicking of the piano and cello performances by all three actors was fairly well done.I found it quite interesting too that both Davis and Rains were not "starving artists" like Henreid. Opulent apartments and lifestyles for piano teachers and composers were not common, but these two were well-off in an even garish sense.This was not the reality of the time in the music world.I'd recommend this film if you're a Rains or Davis fan. Henreid was not used for his full potential.

dougdoepke Keeping audience interest with just three players over a two hour time presents a real challenge. But the pro's at Warner Bros. manage to do it, in spades. Of course, it helps having two of the most dominating performers of the time, Davis and Rains, as leads. Watching them play off one another is a real histrionic treat. In fact, was there ever a more detestable egotist than Rains' arrogant composer, Hollenius. His high-falootin' vocabulary just oozes civilized mayhem. Watching him slyly sabotage Novak's (Henreid) career out of jealousy over Christine (Davis) amounts to a brilliant piece of scripting and acting. Then too, he makes that high- class dinner from heck more unnerving than a pop quiz on rocket science. From now on, I'm sticking to tuna on rye.Actually Davis has one of her more sympathetic roles. True, she deceives poor Novak about her affair with Hollenius, but it's to spare him more agony after the horrors of WWII. And when she has finally had enough of Hollenius' abusive manipulations, she understandably puts a hole in him, while he takes a symbolic tumble down the stairs. I was hoping she'd let the tyrant have all six rounds, but I guess that would cross a criminal line barring her from eventual redemption. Anyway, it appears the movie's moral is that there are deceptions and there are deceptions. Christine's are not intended to harm, whereas Hollenius's are, and likely that's why the movie ends as it does.The production is slickly mounted, worthy of Hollywood's so-called Golden Age. The furnishings, costuming, and set design create just the right high-class ambiance. Watching these well upholstered people glide between gilded rooms is a tour most of us never get outside of the movies. Plus, it's a perfect setting for big shark Hollenius to forage in. My only gripe is with poor Gribble (Abbott). Did they have to telegraph his fall guy status with a comical name like 'Gribble'.Anyway, this is a Rains showcase, showing why an actor doesn't have to be physically big to dominate the screen, even when the formidable Davis is on the same screen.

Kim Harris Deception, made in 1946, reunited Bette Davis with Paul Heinreid and Claude Rains (Now Voyager) and was directed by Irving Rapper. It is a slow burn; building tension gradually throughout the film until the drama at the end. Bette Davis and Paul Heinreid are both good and reliable with Heinreid convincing as the war damaged European cellist. Davis is good at an emotional level but her performances are rarely flawless and she goes over the top occasionally. She also never entirely convinces as a pianist and artiste - perhaps deliberately. In this film it is Claude Rains who steals the show as the jealous jilted lover, building on the quiet and implacable menace while entertaining. The excruciatingly frustrating scene in the restaurant before the audition is a tour de force. The print on the DVD is a luminous black and white example of that era and great to look at, even on the small screen. Sit back and accept it for what it is, a classic 1940s movie.