All This, and Heaven Too (1940) on Netflix
Approved19402h 21mDramaRomance
Henriette Deluzy-Desportes becomes governess to the Duc de Praslin's four children in Paris. The marriage is cold, and the Duchesse resents anyone who comes near her husband.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb7.4/105,960 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes83%
Trailer
Plot summary
The Duc de Praslin, a peer under King Louis-Philippe, lives in Paris in the final years of the Orleans monarchy. His marriage to the erratic Duchesse has gone cold, and he remains in the house only for their four children. Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, a Frenchwoman, is hired to teach those children, and her warmth draws the young ones and their father to her. She nurses the Duchesse's little son through a dangerous illness, and the mistress of the house, jealous of anyone close to her husband, turns against her. The Duchesse drives the governess out and refuses her the letter of recommendation she needs to find another position.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about All This, and Heaven Too (1940)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Rachel Field's novel, the source of the film, was based on the true story of her great-aunt Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, a French governess who fell in love with her employer, the Duc de Praslin. When his wife was murdered, Deluzy-Desportes was implicated, and the scandal fed the turmoil before the 1848 revolution that deposed King Louis Philippe I.
- According to producer David Lewis, Bette Davis was reluctant to play the lead and wanted the part of the Duchesse instead, but she changed her mind.
- Judith Anderson was set to play the Duchesse but accepted an MGM contract instead, so Barbara O'Neil was given the part.
