With a few more wrinkles and blacker circles under the eyes, Bette Davis has returned to the screen. She recaptures all the reckless will-power from her role in All About Eve and every malicious intent and tortured-expression from The Little Foxes days. Injected into a murder intrigue, these attributes would be formidable, except for one fact. Her movie personality, which has been geared to a virtuoso performance, does not quite reveal its unique psychological assets in a double lead, especially in this murder story.

Sharing the psychopathic spotlight with Gary Merrill, Miss Davis spends most of the film trying to kill him by one subtle means or another. After each attempt, Merrill stumbles back and tries to win her love. Although the plot is extremely complex, it is plausible and fast-moving. Merrill's tendencies towards action and violence are well balanced against Miss Davis' scheming and inner force.

Camera technique and setting contribute greatly to the tension in Another Man's Poison. All the action is confined to an English manor and the surrounding moors. One shot of Miss Davis (rejected by her lover and abandoned by Merrill) standing alone in the huge manor is particularly impressive. The dialogue is good all the way and frequently comical. Miss Davis continues to speak her thoughts in her inimitable blunt fashion: "I killed my husband because I hated him."

As in all murder stories, Justice must find a way. In this case, however, Justice does injustice to the story. Merrill drinks poison which Miss Davis failed to use for suicide, and a veterinary unknowingly gives the same poison to her to revive her from a fainting spell. I suspect that this was arranged so that Bette could give her best hysterical laugh at the end of the film.

In most respects, however, Another Man's Poison is good entertainment. My only complaint is that it does not live up to the high-pitched drama and impact of Miss Davis' previous productions.

Also on the bill is Gaslight Follies, which shows delightful sketches of old-timers like Marie Dressler, Mack Sennett, Rudolph Valentino, Lionel Barrymore, Two-gun William S. Hart, and a host of really beautiful female stars from the twenties.