113. Jezebel (1938)

Directed By William Wyler

Synopsis

Julie is a southern belle and a devious one. She tries to make Henry Fonda jealous and he tells her to stuff it. Comes back married. Bette Davis is mightily miffed, throws herself at some hick gentleman, who gets shot by Henry Fonda's brother. Henry Fonda gets yellow fever, oh noes! Bette decides to go with him to a leper's island to help him recover. Slut! (that's The End in Swedish).

Review

Here's a great Bette Davis vehicle. Davis is actually quite impressive here, I never thought she was pretty in fact I always found her to be quite ugly, but by golly she does have screen presence. There's something innefable about these screen divas, just that star-factor in there somewhere.

This is a very impressive display by Bette Davis, she acts her ass off through this, making a convincing portrayal of a damaged but emotionally complex woman. Actually you have little sympathy for Bette for most of the film, you just feel that she is purposefully creating problems for all that surround them, by the end however you start to think if she actually meant for the problems to happen or was just being strong-willed in a horrible society.

The South, usually so idealised in these films doesn't come across all that nice, the white society of New Orleans is petty and bound by an imbecilic code of conduct not to speak of loving slavery. Of course slavery is shown as a really great thing with all the black people just happy in their place... something which would be even more obvious in Gone With The Wind, which would see the light the following year. The sets here are amazing as are the costumes and Henry Fonda is a great actor... but not as good as Bette Davis who deservedly got an Oscar for this. So get it at Amazon UK or US.

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Some argue the film was developed as a vehicle for Bette Davis after she failed to win the part of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. However, the movie was filmed and released before the part of Scarlett was even cast in 1939. In fact, the character of a Civil War debutante that Davis played harmed her chances of landing the Gone With the Wind role, because it was felt she had already played the Scarlett character the year before.

In 2006, Film historian Jeanine Basinger recorded a comprehensive scene by scene commentary as part of the re-issued DVD of the film.

In her commentary about Davis, Basinger relates that this film is distinctive in the realm of women's pictures because of Orry-Kelly's brilliant costume designs for the actress.

Basinger states that the viewer is compelled to watch Davis in four stylings in particular: the riding crop/outfit in the beginning of the film, the scandalous scarlet red dress at the Olympus Ball, the virginal white dress she wears when she attempts to woo back Henry Fonda, and finally the cape at the end of the film she dons when she must go to help care for Fonda.

Basinger states that this was the performance at the height of Davis's career and that Jezebel is the quitessential American "woman's" film.

*cough* bollocks *cough*

Here you go, a little montage about the red dress: