Jezebel

1938

1h 43m

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

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Drama

Romance

In 1850s Louisiana, the willfulness of a tempestuous Southern belle threatens to destroy all who care for her.

Directors

William Wyler

Writers

John Huston(screenplay by)

Robert Buckner(screenplay by)

Clements Ripley(screenplay by)

Stars

Bette Davis

Henry Fonda

George Brent

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Top cast

Julie Marsden

Preston Dillard

Buck Cantrell

Amy Bradford Dillard

Dr. Livingstone

Aunt Belle Massey

Ted Dillard

General Theopholus Bogardus

Mrs. Kendrick

Jean La Cour

Huger

Zette

Molly Allen

Stephanie Kendrick

Uncle Cato

Dick Allen

Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson

Gros Bat

Matthew Beard

Ti Bat

Directors

William Wyler

Writers

John Huston(screenplay by)

Robert Buckner(screenplay by)

Clements Ripley(screenplay by)

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Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

This starts off really strongly with the arrival, on horseback, of the feisty "Miss Julie" (Bette Davis). She is the rather proud orphaned daughter of a wealthy southern family whom everyone wants to know and be seen with - even if she is a bit of a pain in the neck. It's "Dill" (a rather charmless Henry Fonda) who is the front runner for her rather vain affections but he is no push-over. Her desire to inappropriately wear a red gown to a formal ball initially elicits his reluctant support as he escorts her, but then the ensuing fallout ensures he flees leaving her alone and determined - to get him back. The onset of the plague forces her to flee to their plantation and he ends up there too - but with a significant complication. With her normally ordered life all askew, "Miss Julie" has to think, perhaps for the first time, not just about herself. I'm afraid, though that this film was just bit too much of a soap for me. Though Davis has loads of beans at the outset, the story rather manoeuvres us into a rather predictably sentimental cul-de-sac that's slightly cluttered up by the rather obnoxiously cocky "Buck" (George Brent). Donald Crisp and Spring Byington provide a bit of ballast now and again, but I just found this all rather disappointingly flighty and thin. A frustrated love story, yes - but I just needed much more of our original "Jezebel" and less of what her character became. I saw this very recently on a big screen and it is still, despite my reservations, a fine example of thoroughly well presented and opulent cinema with a star who very much owns the screen.

Geronimo196709 Oct, 2023