Jezebel (1938)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Owen Davis (play)
Clements Ripley (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 March 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A Fearless Feminine Creature with a heart full of love !

Plot:

A haughty headstrong Southern Belle in Antebellum Louisiana loses her fiance due to her stubborn vanity and pride and vows to get him back.

Plot Keywords:

Southern Belle | South | Epidemic | Yellow Fever | Louisiana

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Julie
Henry Fonda	...	Preston Dillard
George Brent	...	Buck Cantrell
Margaret Lindsay	...	Amy
Donald Crisp	...	Dr. Livingstone
Fay Bainter	...	Aunt Belle
Richard Cromwell	...	Ted
Henry O'Neill	...	General Bogardus
Spring Byington	...	Mrs. Kendrick
John Litel	...	Jean La Cour
Gordon Oliver	...	Dick Allen
Janet Shaw	...	Molly Allen
Theresa Harris	...	Zette
Margaret Early	...	Stephanie Kendrick
Irving Pichel	...	Huger

Runtime:

104 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:TV-PG | Sweden:15 | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #3915)

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Has been called a black-and-white version of Gone with the Wind (1939), which was in its pre-production stages at the time.

Goofs:

Continuity: Early in the film, Preston storms up to Julie's bedroom and knocks hard on her door several times with his cane. The head of the cane seemingly leaves numerous dents in the wood. When Julie finally opens the door (inward into the bedroom), the dents have disappeared.

Quotes:

Dr. Livingstone: You might be interested in a bit of news I got today... Preston Dillard's coming back. Arrives Friday on the packet
Aunt Belle: What brings him?
Dr. Livingstone: This yellow fever business. We two started together on what 'oughta be done about it. Now its busted loose he's comin' back
Aunt Belle: It's high time. I suspect I know Julie like nobody ever will. Every crook and cranny of her
Dr. Livingstone: You 'oughta miss Belle, she's more like you than you ever where
Aunt Belle: Maybe I'll love her most when she's meanest, because I know thats when shes lovin' most.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nancy Drew (2007)

Soundtrack:

Jezebel

Wonderfully directed, superbly acted by Davis and Bainter

Bette Davis is at her best in this 1800s Southern melodrama in which her attempts to snag a married ex-love (Henry Fonda) end in tragedy. Storywise this is nothing new, and there are way too many scenes were people talk endlessly about Southern manners. Also seeing all the black slaves so happy and singing is a bit hard to take. But the direction by William Wyler is excellent. He directs in a way that makes you part of the action (especially in the ball sequence and a duel at the end). Best of all is Davis. Her performance is superb--when she's on screen you can't take your eyes off her. She won a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar for this. Also Fay Bainter is excellent as her long-suffering aunt--she won Best Supporting Actress. All the acting is good except for Henry Fonda--he's so stiff and dull--what does Davis want with him? One last complaint--it's not in color. I know there are two reasons for this: 1) the expense and 2) they did tests and Davis looked horrible in color (think about it--how many color movies did she make?). Still, the non-stop compliments about the red dress at the beginning are annoying--the dress looks black! Still, this is worth seeing for Davis, Bainter and the direction.