StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

mark.waltz This highly underrated drama has seemed to have lost its way along with the many court documents filed in the case of the Gaylord family. Whuile the story seems to wallow in the melodramatic structure of soap operas, it is interesting, not only for its outstanding leading lady (Barbara Stanwyck) but its view of the family traditions of honor and the sometimes seemingly hypocritical lives of those in the public eye. This could be influenced by any number of celebrity poor little rich girls, from Barbara Hutton to Doris Duke, with the Gaylord family obviously influential in New York society like the wealthy Astors were around the same time. Young Ms. Gaylord (Mary Thomas) is first seen with her widowed father who is going off to fight in World War I, and the strength of her character dissolves when she realizes her legacy. As 25 years go by, she turns into a force to be reckoned with. Stanwyck, one of the greatest powerhouses of the golden age of Hollywood, delivers a performance that covers all emotions-toughness, vulnerability, humor, and even sexiness. Once again, she is paired with George Brent, the man making claims against the estate. Geraldine Fitzgerald and Nancy Coleman give strong performances as her sisters, with the wonderful Donald Crisp in great support as the family retainer. A great deal of the detail is shown with everything that wealthy families like this go through in estate court, creating law books based on their probate case, and being utilized by law students in their studies. While the narrative gets a bit overwrought by sudden revelations that pop up out of nowhere, it is unique in its storytelling even if at times it does seem to be rambling all over the place. Overshadowed possibly because of Warner Brothers' two other soap operas of 1942 ("Now Voyager" and "King's Row"), "The Gay Sisters" is certainly better than their other "sister soap", "In This Our Life", in which Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland played two sisters, one irredeemably bad and the other oh-so-sweetly good. Each of the sisters has their own distinctive personality, although it is made very clear who is boss when Barbara Stanwyck is on screen. The music department and photography of the Warner Brothers production team made sure that every detail was outstanding, and the artistic look of the film is breathtaking. The storyline is romantic and filled with conflict. It is certainly no different than what producer Ross Hunter and director Douglas Sirk would do with the series of soaps they made at Universal with such leading ladies as Stanwyck, Jane Wyman, Lana Turner and Susan Hayward. The film is also noteworthy as the major debut of Gig Young who liked his on-screen character's name so much that he utilized it for his professional name.

edwagreen Donald Woods tells the oldest of his 3 daughters never to sell the land-in land there is value! This is not "Gone With the Wind" in any sense of those famous words.There is too much going on here. After feuding with George Brent for half the film, we suddenly learn that they were once married and in a one-night stand, a child was produced.If that isn't enough, Gig Young got his stage name from this film by playing a character by the name of Gig Young! Well, after all, they shoot horses, don't they?It is never fully realized which sister Young goes to the tempestuous Geraldine Fitzgerald, who proved her nastiness once again and the usual benign Nancy Coleman.Barbara Stanwyck plays the hard-boiled eldest of the 3 sisters, but in reality, she is anything but. She tries to do the ultimate in the end by giving the child up to dad, George Brent, but you know where that will come to.Gene Lockhart, as a family attorney, showed that he had some devil in him, by embezzling family funds and Donald Crisp showed his meddle as an understanding but extremely competent attorney.

bailodhia This was probably one of the most well-made films of the 40's - Warner Bros. at the very height of their style. The photography by Sol Polito is arguably his finest achievement - gorgeous compositions and lighting with delicate shadowing. Max Steiner contributes one of his most complex and beautiful scores - the epitome of his classical leit motif method. The music adds great emotion and excitement to the plot and is exquisite and memorable. It's interesting to note that the same production team that made this movie went right on to make "Now, Voyager" later that year - a fine film which won honors and awards and went down as a historical favorite, ciefly because it starred Bette Davis. IN my opinion, "The Gay Sisters" is a much better film - better made in all departments, and more interesting, complex and enjoyable. A most unusual film which entertains those who take it for what it is, rather than project their own modern creative sensibilities or their advanced and demanding standards of hyper-critical perfection. Each thing has to be judged in it's own time reference and for what it is trying to achieve on its own terms. Most of the complaints I've read in these reviews are so childish and totally missing the point. If you're hungry for a perfect filet mignon, don't go to the bakery counter and start whining and complaining about the fluff pastry. The art of film criticism is truly lost on a large segment of the population. Sorry folks - maybe if this movie had had a score by the Rolling Stones and a hundred intricate and soul searching subplots, you'd all be gleefully gratified. I'll take an old movie without modern intellectual pretensions an day of the week!

Bob F. When you have three fine actresses like Barbara Stanwyck, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Nancy Coleman, plus an intelligent script, and a good director, you have a very watchable movie. What makes the film particularly good is, that it concentrates on lives of each of the three sisters. Yes, it is a chick flick, but as a man, I found it quite engaging. The one weakness of the film, is George Brent, he lacks sexuality. But, the important point is, that it is an interesting story line, with complexity, and sophistication.