Tuesday, November 10, 2009

8 comments:

notanotherblog said...

"I'm beggin fo your fogiveness." Fierce woman she is.

Paul Outlaw said...

Oh, Miss Julie...

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one who thinks Davis was really fantastic as Miss Julie?
I know JEZEBEL was deemed a consolation prize for her since she lost the much desired Scarlett O'Hara role...
but William Wyler was such a great director...and he used to direct her (yes!) greatly (LITTLE FOXES anyone?)...
even if my fav Davis perfs are still OF HUMAN BONDAGE, LITTLE FOXES and ALL ABOUT EVE...of the two ones rewarded by the Academy, IMHO this one is by far the better...

mirko

NATHANIEL R said...

you're not the only one. I think she's fabulous in JEZEBEL... so if it was only a consolation prize at least it was a great performance that accidentally won

Daniel said...

I think the idea that Davis got the role in Jezebel as a consolation is a myth. The production schedules don't line up for it to be true as Leigh wasn't even cast until 1938, the year in which Jezebel was released. I'm fairly certain part of the reason Davis wasn't considered for the role, in fact, was because they felt she had already played Scarlett O'Hara in... Jezebel.

Anyways, Davis is top-notch and just flat out amazing in this movie. She's so good in the ball scene, conveying every feeling without any words, using her body language, mannerisms, and her Bette Davis eyes. I also love her in the film's final moments on the staircase.

Hilary Swank said...

I honestly think Jezebel is Bette Davis best performance.

Notas Sobre Creación Cultural e Imaginarios Sociales said...

Daniel's right, I heard somewhere that Warner used this movie to show Selznick how great Bette looked in period clothes and how good her Southern accent was. In fact I've always considered "Jezebel" the greatest audition tape in history.
But let's be honest Davis wouldn't have worked as Scarlett O'Hara.
good for her that she's so brilliant as Julie.
G-d she was so wicked she even made me see the red in that dress.

Robert said...

Jezebel is my third favorite film of all time, behind Rosemary's Baby and Gin Gwai (The Eye). Why? Bette Davis. Pure perfection in that role. I honestly think it's her best performance this side of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

It makes me sick that so many refer to Jezebel as the black and white Gone with the Wind. Get your heads straight, people: Gone with the Wind is the technicolor Jezebel, and don't you forget it!