Jezebel is a 1938 American romantic drama film released by Warner Bros. Pictures and directed by William Wyler. It stars Bette Davis and Henry Fonda, with George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Donald Crisp, Fay Bainter, Richard Cromwell, Henry O'Neill, and Spring Byington in supporting roles.
The screenplay was adapted by Clements Ripley, Abem Finkel, and John Huston from the 1933 play by Owen Davis Sr. The film tells the story of Julie Marsden, a headstrong, young woman during the Antebellum period whose actions cost her Preston Dillard, the man she loves.
In 2009, Jezebel was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant and recommended for preservation. but David O. Selznick never seriously considered her for it. Jezebel was her second win for the Academy Award for Best Actress after winning for Dangerous three years earlier. Warner Bros. Pictures originally sought to cast Cary Grant for the role of Preston Dillard, but the studio balked at his salary demand of $75,000 and cast Henry Fonda.
Reception
thumb|right|Bette Davis in the titular role
Contemporary reviews were generally positive and praised Davis' performance, but some found her character Julie's redemption at the end of the film to be unconvincing.
The movie premiered at the Radio City Music Hall, and Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times wrote that the film "would have been considerably more effective...if its heroine had remained unregenerate to the end. Miss Davis can be malignant when she chooses, and it is a shame to temper that gift for feminine spite...It is still an interesting film, though, in spite of our sniffs at its climax."
Variety reported that the film was "not without its charm" and "even completely captivating" at times, but found it detracting that the main character "suddenly metamorphoses into a figure of noble sacrifice and complete contriteness" and described the ending as "rather suspended and confusing."
The Film Daily called it "a really outstanding screen triumph for Bette Davis. She plays an emotional role that calls for running the gamut of emotions, and she handles the part with consummate artistry."
Harrison's Reports called it "Powerful dramatic entertainment...It is not what one would call cheerful entertainment, and may not appeal to the rank and file, but it should please those who like good acting."
John Mosher of The New Yorker wrote, "Something went wrong with Jezebel, possibly nothing more than the plot, and all its rich dressing-up can't make it alive...no scene quite comes off, and at the end, when the she-devil suddenly turns into a saint and a martyr, one isn't even interested. This Jezebel just seems daffy."
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10.
Accolades
thumb|right|Bette Davis in Jezebel
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Recipient
! scope="col"| Result
! scope="col"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="5"| Academy Awards
| Outstanding Production
| Warner Bros.
|
| align="center" rowspan="5"|
|-
| Best Actress
| Bette Davis
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Fay Bainter
|
|-
| Best Cinematography
| Ernest Haller
|
|-
| Best Scoring
| Max Steiner
|
|-
! scope="row"| National Board of Review Awards
| Top Ten Films
| rowspan="2"| Jezebel
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row"| National Film Preservation Board
| National Film Registry
|
| align="center"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Venice International Film Festival
| Mussolini Cup (Best Foreign Film)
| rowspan="2"| William Wyler
|
| align="center" rowspan="2"|
|-
| Special Recommendation
|
|}
In 2002, the film ranked 79 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions.
See also
- List of American films of 1938
References
Bibliography
External links
- Jezebel at AllMovie
- Jezebel essay by Gabriel Miller on the National Film Registry
- Jezebel review and information in cosmopolis.ch