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The Little Foxes (William Wyler 1941)
I've seen this three times now. It's one of Bette Davis' top rated films.
Bette Davis' make up! Very effective at defining her icy cold character. Perc Westmore was her personal makeup artist. The Westmore family has been doing makeup in Hollywood since the start of films. The Westmore name appear on countless films, including many of the noms here, so I thought I pay them some justly deserved credit.
Bette's makeup is quite effective at making her unattractive and harsh looking!....And if you think that's just the way she looked in 1941, check out the photo of her from 2 years earlier in Jezebel, where she played another southern belle.
Bette Davis is amazing here, she could have played her character large, loud and colorful...she often did, but she was no ham and knew what type of performance would best support the film. I'm a huge fan of Miss Davis and I've seen over 40 of her films. She's always amazing.
My favorite characters were:
Patricia Collinge/Birdie (the mom from Shadow Of A Doubt)...Hers was the most heart breaking character and most importantly she's the mirror that shows us the suffering the 'little foxes' inflicts on those around them. Her character worked well as a warning to what might befall Teresea Wright, if she doesn't get away from her mom and change her ways.
Jessica Grayson/Addie who played the head house servant. Films like The Little Foxes and Gone With the Wind gave black actors a chance to play more substantial roles and develop real characters on screen, than they always would have had. I liked Addie she's just about the only sensible character in the movie and she's not afraid to speak her mind or sass Bette Davis! I loved the line when she's washing Zan's (Teresa Wright) hair:
The Little Foxes (William Wyler 1941)
Director: William Wyler
Writer: Lillian Hellman
Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright, Dan Duryea
Genre: Drama, Romance
About: A rich southern family, the Hubbards, who plot, scheme and cheat to get wealthy.
Writer: Lillian Hellman
Cast: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright, Dan Duryea
Genre: Drama, Romance
About: A rich southern family, the Hubbards, who plot, scheme and cheat to get wealthy.
Bette Davis' make up! Very effective at defining her icy cold character. Perc Westmore was her personal makeup artist. The Westmore family has been doing makeup in Hollywood since the start of films. The Westmore name appear on countless films, including many of the noms here, so I thought I pay them some justly deserved credit.
Bette's makeup is quite effective at making her unattractive and harsh looking!....And if you think that's just the way she looked in 1941, check out the photo of her from 2 years earlier in Jezebel, where she played another southern belle.
Bette Davis is amazing here, she could have played her character large, loud and colorful...she often did, but she was no ham and knew what type of performance would best support the film. I'm a huge fan of Miss Davis and I've seen over 40 of her films. She's always amazing.
My favorite characters were:
Patricia Collinge/Birdie (the mom from Shadow Of A Doubt)...Hers was the most heart breaking character and most importantly she's the mirror that shows us the suffering the 'little foxes' inflicts on those around them. Her character worked well as a warning to what might befall Teresea Wright, if she doesn't get away from her mom and change her ways.
Jessica Grayson/Addie who played the head house servant. Films like The Little Foxes and Gone With the Wind gave black actors a chance to play more substantial roles and develop real characters on screen, than they always would have had. I liked Addie she's just about the only sensible character in the movie and she's not afraid to speak her mind or sass Bette Davis! I loved the line when she's washing Zan's (Teresa Wright) hair:
Addie: Hold still, Zan.You had pretty hair when you was little.
You was a mighty pretty little girl.
Zan: Addie, will anybody think I'm pretty now?
Addie: Someday some fool of a man will, I reckon.
Seems there's always somebody for somebody.
But you'll do, baby. You're too young to worry
about such things.
But for me, the standout character, the character that made this movie is Dan Duryea. This was Dan's first movie and launched a very successful career as a character actor, later he had his own TV show. Much like James Dean did, Dan Duryea packs little extras into his acting, like putting a cigar into his mouth and dropping it back in the box when no ones watching. Or fidgeting about. I loved his little roll around the living room in the wheel chair, very naughty. One of my favorite scenes is the shaving scene with him and his dad. You was a mighty pretty little girl.
Zan: Addie, will anybody think I'm pretty now?
Addie: Someday some fool of a man will, I reckon.
Seems there's always somebody for somebody.
But you'll do, baby. You're too young to worry
about such things.