The Great Lie (1941)
#the great lie#the great lie 1941#bette davis#mary astor#old hollywood#my post#my gifs#okay so. i went back and forth on the order of these a lot but. please come with me see my vision!!#the point is. that she does understand!! bc she was kind of functioning as the father#(and yk. bc she and sandra are gay ofc.)#look at me shes getting in the way and waiting to hear that its over and theyre okay!!#so like. pete is like you can't possibly understand the affection and responsibility and like to an extent gratitude or something#that i feel for not just our child but also you specifically as the mother of my child.#and so like obvi the textual thing is maggies anxiety over the potential loss of that or it like transferring to sandra when pete finds out#BUT look if you open your eyes its also the all consuming weird feeling of like guilt and loss and longing because she knows it!!#she felt it for sandra!! and yeah so im also using the middle step of the doctor describing the behavior expected of a father and her#exhibiting it so completely!!! god this movie is sooooo me bait. and when i finish my fic of them!!!#things i specifically really wanted to capture here: bettes physicality in like little nervous/impatient ticks#so like her foot bouncing slightly where she's sitting or her bouncing back and forth a little against the column#also the abrupt ways she moves and pauses. i think thats kind of a bette thing in general but she does it a LOT as maggie#and i think its soooo good for like portraying instinct and hesitation (the other places you see it a lot i feel are in how she physically#approaches sandra at any point or extends physical comfort. its very good!!)#AND i also wanted to make sure i got her little glance to sandra when she goes to see her and the baby. okay thats all on my commentary.