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Jezebel

Jezebel

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Features:
  • Black & White
  • Closed-captioned


Description:

Bette Davis won her second Best Actress Oscar for her showcase role in this sumptuous southern costume melodrama, which was released in 1938 in response to the phenomenal popularity of Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind. (It would take another full year for the famous film adaptation of Mitchell's novel to be released.) The setting is New Orleans in 1862, and Davis plays Julie, an egocentric southern belle who's used to getting her way. Henry Fonda plays the equally selfish banker who breaks off their engagement, prompting Julie to a variety of futile schemes to win him back. Gracefully directed by William Wyler, the film won Oscars for Davis and Fay Bainter (for Best Supporting Actress), and was nominated for Best Picture, Music Score, and Cinematography. Highlights include the lavish ball scene where unmarried ladies dressed in traditional white are horrified by Julie's scandalous red dress, and Fonda's subsequent pleasure upon witnessing Julie's humiliation. An absorbing period melodrama, this film was ultimately overshadowed by Gone with the Wind, but it remains a classic in its own right thanks to Wyler and his remarkable cast. --Jeff Shannon
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