Jezebel, 1938 (Grade B-)

Director William Wyler 

Awards?:  Yes, Best Actress, plus Best Supporting Actress Academy Awards, plus other nominations. Also on AFI Top 100 Films 

CAST: Bette Davis; Henry Fonda; George Brent; Spring Byington; Fay Bainter; Jack Norton; Donald Crisp; Richard Cromwell; Margaret Lindsey; John Litel; Irving Pichel; Henry O'Neill. Georgia Caine

sez says: I am not sure how we missed this one before-It is a powerful study of selfishness and pride destroying a woman's life. Davis plays a beautiful, wealthy, headstrong young southern woman (early 19th century--pre civil war setting) who goes against social convention, to annoy her fiance who has annoyed her (she wears a red dress to the ball--instead of a white dress as all young unmarried women are suppose to).  She thereby loses the man she love (Fonda) --and spends a year in hopeful morning that he will retunr to her. When he does we find he has married another.   What won't she do to get him back?

This has plenty of grist for any feminist to tear into--about the ways a woman's life is depicted. About the fantasy of romantic love. About stupid competitions between women.  The racism in the story is also worthy of discussion -- Fonda does ask the butler to have a drink with him --but the happy black children singing and dancing are hard to take. But it is precisely becasue it give so much opportunity to talk about t tthat it makes it an especially worthwhile movie.  I am glad I saw it--eve though much of the story is really appalling --And it is well made, well acted, etc.