A 1940 drama captured a scandalous, unconsummated love affair that helped topple a monarchy.
In short: The 1940 film All This, and Heaven Too dramatized the true story of Henriette Deluzy-Desportes, a French governess whose forbidden romance with her employer, the Duc de Praslin, sparked a scandal that helped destabilize the French monarchy. It remains a fascinating study of a high-stakes, entirely unconsummated love affair.
Based on the 1938 novel by Rachel Field, the film recounts the life of the author's great-aunt, Henriette Deluzy-Desportes. As a governess in Paris during the final years of the Orleans monarchy, Deluzy-Desportes navigated a volatile household. Her employer, the Duc de Praslin, was trapped in a miserable marriage with a temperamental wife. While the governess earned the affection of the Duc and his children, she drew the intense jealousy of the Duchesse, who eventually forced her out of the home.
The situation reached a breaking point when the Duchesse refused to provide a recommendation for the governess and fabricated deceptive letters instead. Enraged, the Duc murdered his wife. Because he was a peer, his case was shielded from standard legal scrutiny. Fearing that admitting his love for Deluzy-Desportes would lead his fellow nobles to frame her as an accomplice, the Duc chose to take poison rather than confess. His death ultimately cleared the governess of suspicion, allowing her to emigrate to the United States.
Producer David Lewis was drawn to the project by the unique tension of a romance that never physically touched. Despite Bette Davis's initial reluctance to play the lead, she eventually starred alongside Charles Boyer, who was paid $100,000 for his role. While the film was an expensive production and not as commercially successful as the team's previous collaboration, Dark Victory, it received strong critical praise. Critics noted its emotional weight and lavish production, though some found the nursery-focused scenes slowed the pacing of the underlying historical drama.
The scandal surrounding the case was not merely a personal tragedy; it contributed to the political turmoil that led to the French Revolution of 1848 and the deposition of King Louis Philippe I. By the time the film premiered at Radio City Music Hall, it was recognized as a heavy, tear-laden drama that successfully transported audiences into the manners and customs of 19th-century Paris.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: All This, and Heaven Too
- Also: Wikidata — All This, and Heaven Too · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — All This and Heaven Too · CC0
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