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Summary: This is a movie that will never be out of date.
Review: This movie is as important, and pertinent as it was when it was made. The theme of greed and how destructive it can be is timeless. Bette is absolutley spellbinding as the cool, and calculating Regina. She dominates the screen and mesmorizes you with her power and restraint. The movie is paced wonderfully and directed with artistry by William Wyler. Herbert Marshall & Teresa Wright are particularly wonderful in there supporting roles. This movie is not about her need to kill her husband as one reviewer mentioned, it is about the "little foxes that spoil the vine" the people who eat up the earth and others that sit around and watch 'em do it. Are you gonna just sit around and watch? That's the question this movie ultimately asks.
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Summary: BETTE DAVIS IS STELLAR...
Review: This movie revolves around the greed of a trio of siblings, Regina, Ben, and Oscar, circa 1900 in the South. Regina wants in on a business venture with her conniving brothers, but needs the money, a great deal of money, from her ailing and estranged husband, Horace, in order to get it on the deal.There is clearly no love lost between Regina and Horace, who have a rather naive, grown daughter, Alexandra, who is definitely daddy's little girl. Ben is single, and Oscar is married to Birdie, a woman whom he married soley for her family's position in Southern society, and who well into her marriage shows all the earmarks of a person who is unloved, unwanted, and despised. She has been driven to drink. Oscar and Birdie have a grown son named Leo, so craven and despicable that even his own mother cannot abide him. The movie shows the state of the relationships among the family members and the level to which the siblings go in trying to get the business deal going. They will stop at nothing in order to achieve their goal. They will lie, cheat, steal, and yes, even, kill, if it is necessary to attain their immediate goal. They will even try to best each other in the making of the deal. Their greed knows no bounds. Bette Davis is magnificent as the greedy Regina, who is obsessed with getting the money she needs, and cares not a whit whom she sacrifices in her efforts to get that money. Her performance is controlled and remarkable, as she makes her implacable will clear to all those with whom she comes in contact. She does, however, almost have the film stolen from her by the outstanding performance by Carl Benton Reid, who plays her shrewd and conniving brother, Ben, as well as by Patricia Collinge, who plays the role of the hapless and alcoholic Birdie. She plays Birdie with such sensitivity and pathos that she breaks your heart. Birdie's role in the family is clearly spelled out in the dinner scene with the siblings' erstwhile business partner, as well as in the scene where the siblings toast to their own success and pointedly refrain from including her. Teresa Wright and Dan Duryea each give credible performances as the grown children, who are each used as pawns by their respective parents in their efforts to lock in on the business deal they each so desire. Regina uses her daughter, Alexandra, to lure her sickly husband back home, so she can nag him to death about the money she needs for her business venture. Oscar uses his son, Leo, to steal money from Horace's safety deposit box, located in the bank in which Leo works, to ensure that the deal will go through. Herbert Marshall is excellent as the Regina's husband, a true southern gentleman, who believes in honor and fair play and resists Regina's attempts to ensnare him in her siblings' questionable scheme. The film is based upon Lillian Hellman's play, and Ms. Hellman herself wrote the screenplay, which is brilliant. The dialogue is wonderful, crisp, sharp, and biting. Film great, William Wyler, directed this unforgettable film, which garnered nine Academy Award nominations in 1941. The film is a must see movie for every Bette Davis fan and for lovers of great, classic films.
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Summary: little fox, great actress
Review: two thumbs up for mother goddam, miss davis shows us in this classical b/w movie what acting is about.
her face expressions are these only to be found with the greatest stars of the cinema.
although the story itself is slow, the bitchiness of the sister at the beginning of the 20th century is performed outrageously by BD. an absolute "must have" DVD for the Bette Davis and "strong women in cinema" fans
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Summary: NEGLECTED MASTERPIECE....
Review: William Wyler's film of Lillian Hellman's play is a fine old example of masterful filmmaking. Scripted by Hellman, it tells of the ultimate greedy Southern clan circa 1900. Thankfully most of the leading players came from the play with the exception of Bette Davis who assumed the role of Regina---originally played by Tallulah Bankhead---and she is magnificent. Regina is embroiled with her brothers in a greedy and corrupt get-rich-quick scheme to open a cotten mill and needs the final third of the money to come from her ailing husband (a grand Herbert Marshall) who is opposed to the plan with good reason: he's honest and sensible. The brothers are cold, evil and despicable. But Regina is all that and more---she's smarter and greedier. Since Marshall won't give her the money, she withholds his heart medicine and allows him to die knowing she'll get the money now that he's dead. This is an unforgettable scene and there are many in this outstanding film. In contrast to the evil characters, there's Teresa Wright in her film debut as Alexandra---Regina's daughter---who represents innocence and hope and the marvelous Patricia Collinge (from the play) as the sweet, alcoholic and abused sister-in-law Birdie who represents the painful trampling of gentility by corruption and greed. Her performance is heartbreakingly good. Beautiful b&w photography and the recreation of small town Southern life are right on target here. And Davis is at her best as the wicked Regina. She performs feats of acting magic that no other actress could have accomplished in this role. "The Little Foxes" is a must see and a vintage classic that garnered 9 Oscar nominations for 1941. It deserved every one of them. Excellent DVD treatment from MGM as well. A collector's item.
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