JEZEBEL [1938 / 2019] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release]
The Greatest Actress of the Screen . . . in the Greatest Romance of the South!
In this 1938 classic, Bette Davis stars in her Academy Award® winning role as the beautiful, charming, ruthless Southern belle who scandalizes New Orleans society — destroying the men who love her — a vixen who earns the name Jezebel.
Julie Marsden [Bette Davis] has a place in New Orleans society and a man who adores her, Preston Dillard [Henry Fonda], but she scandalizes society and her beau when she insists on wearing a stunning red gown to a ball that requires ladies to be dressed in white. Julie Marsden's headstrong action begins a chain of events that will reveal both her raw viciousness and the profound depth of her love and sacrifice for the man she lost.
Fay Bainter also grabbed an Oscar for "Best Supporting Actress," and the film, itself, was nominated for "Best Picture."
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1938 National Board of Review, USA: Win: NBR Award for Top Ten Film. 1938 Venice Film Festival: Win: Special Recommendation for William Wyler for its overall artistic contribution. Nominated: Mussolini Cup for Best Foreign Film for William Wyler. 1939 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Actress in a Leading Role for Bette Davis. Win: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Fay Bainter. Nominated: Best Picture. Nominated: Best Cinematography for Ernest Haller. Nominated: Best Music Scoring for Max Steiner.
FILM FACT No.2: The film ‘JEZEBEL’ is based on a 1933 stage play. Tallulah Bankhead was originally slated for the stage role, but fell severely ill during rehearsals and was replaced by Miriam Hopkins. The Turner Classic Movies Database states that the film was offered as compensation for Bette Davis after failing to win the part of Scarlett O'Hara in ‘Gone with the Wind.’ Despite a radio poll showing Bette Davis as the audiences favourite for the role, David O. Selznick never seriously considered Bette Davis for the part. Bette Davis received her second Best Actress Oscar win after winning for the film ‘Dangerous’ three years earlier, this win established Bette Davis as a leading lady from this point on.
Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Donald Crisp, Fay Bainter, Richard Cromwell, Henry O'Neill, Spring Byington, John Litel, Gordon Oliver, Janet Shaw, Theresa Harris, Margaret Early, Irving Pichel, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Matthew 'Stymie' Beard, Lew Payton, George Renevant, Trevor Bardette (uncredited), Al Bridge (uncredited), Maurice Brierre (uncredited), Daisy Bufford (uncredited), Frederick Burton (uncredited), Georgia Caine (uncredited), Davison Clark (uncredited), Ann Codee (uncredited), Frank Darien (uncredited), Suzanne Dulier (uncredited), Mary Field (uncredited), Jack George (uncredited), Jesse Graves (uncredited), George Guhl (uncredited), John Harron (uncredited), Stuart Holmes (uncredited), Dolores Hurlic (uncredited), Philip Hurlic (uncredited), Fred Lawrence (uncredited), Sam McDaniel (uncredited), Edward McWade (uncredited), Louis Mercier (uncredited), Charles Middleton (uncredited), Jack Norton (uncredited), Tony Paton (uncredited), Cliff Saum (uncredited), George Sorel (uncredited), Amzie Strickland (uncredited), Jacques Vanaire (uncredited) and Charles Wagenheim (uncredited)
Director: William Wyler
Producers: Hal B. Wallis (uncredited), Henry Blanke (uncredited) and William Wyler (uncredited)
Screenplay: Abem Finkel (screenplay), Clements Ripley (screenplay), John Huston (screenplay), Owen Davis (from the play), Louis F. Edelman (contributor to treatment) (uncredited) and Robert Buckner (contributor to screenplay construction) (uncredited)
Composer: Max Steiner
Cinematography: Ernest Haller, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 104 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘JEZEBEL’ [1938] Here we find Julie Marsden [Bette Davis] who is a beautiful Southern belle, but she isn’t as reserved and submissive as most of the women in her social circle. Julie Marsden is a very feisty and independent young lady, which of course gets her a lot of attention and most of it winds up as negative. For instance, when a special social ball is held and the women are asked to wear white, Julie Marsden arrives in a crimson gown.
This catches all the eyes of those in attendance, but not all are amused by her actions. Even her fiancé Preston Dillard [Henry Fonda] isn’t always taken with her choices, especially since she often tries to spark a jealous streak in him. Julie Marsden’s intentions are not to cause him pain, just to show her strength as a woman, but she often drives a wedge between them. When Julie Marsden tests him one too many times, Preston Dillard leaves town and Marsden is left alone.
Preston Dillard had been insecure about himself all the while, but she had pushed him too much, so he had to leave. This crushes Julie Marsden to no end, filling her with remorse and a sense of loss, to the extent that she changes her outlook on life. Preston Dillard returns about a year later, but he is now married and Julie Marsden is shocked, but not ready to give up her man. As Julie Marsden orchestrates a plan that plays off everything she can think of, can she manage to win back her true love?
This film features an excellent performance from Bette Davis, one that earned her the Best Actress Oscar in fact. This film is often compared and contrasted with the film ‘Gone with the Wind,’ as both were made around the same time and both feature tales of Southern style romance. Sadly the film ‘JEXEBEL’ is often lost and over shadowed by the other film, which is such a shame. Because Bette Davis is on fire here and burns throughout her scenes in the film, but Bette Davis performance isn’t the lone one with a standout performance.
Henry Fonda also gives a terrific performance as her love interest, George Brent is on his game, and Fay Bainter also won an Oscar for her work in the film. But the rest of the cast is just as superb and with William Wyler in the director’s chair, you know his input and direction will be top notch.
While Bette Davis was ‘between’ marriages at the time of their tryst, William Wyler was – decidedly – wed to his second wife, Margaret Tallichet, to whom he would remain married for the rest of his life. In her biography, Bette Davis infamously described William Wyler as “the one that got away” and there on again/off again flagrante delicto, continuing through two more pictures together; ‘The Letter’ [1940] and ‘The Little Foxes’ [1941].
Evidently, by the mid-1970’s all of this pent-up acrimony abated and Bette Davis, with clear-eyed fond recollection for those early years in both their careers, publicly cited William Wyler as the finest director for whom she had ever worked. The proof is in the pictures; and William Wyler’s seemingly effortless light touch, with a result of a lot of sternly situated dictation that often resulted in hurt feelings and endless retakes to get everything just right. “I can honestly say that he trained me to be a far, far better actress,” Bette Davis told Merv Griffin in 1972, “I would have jumped in the Hudson River if he had told me to…he really started the whole basic “star” part of my career. One felt very secure with Willy.”
‘JEZEBEL’ is an excoriating story about feminine ferocity with Davis typifying to perfection this dangerous ‘hell cat,’ where Bette Davis exudes a sort of malevolent treachery against any shred of what ‘then’ passed for common decency. And yet, she does so with an underlying, purposeful and deep-seeded need to belong to someone. Only in the picture’s middle act does Bette Davis allows Julie Marsden’s tiara to slip just a little, as she succumbs to an all-consuming depression, though not necessarily repenting for her sins. Julie Marsden is like the thief – not particularly sorrowful she stole, but bitterly disappointed she was caught.
Both artistically and financially, ‘JEZEBEL’ achieved Jack Warner’s fondest ambitions as a top-flight entertainment. Despite ongoing problems, Bette Davis was well compensated for the Scarlett snub, by taking home Oscar’s little gold guy for Best Actress. Fay Bainter also had good reason to smile on Oscar night – winning Best Supporting Actress. Sadly William Wyler was not even nominated for Best Director is an obscenity in Oscar lore – one of many, I might add. The list of bridesmaids in Academy history is long and distinguished; arguably, even more so than any comprehensive list of its winners. So, William Wyler was in very good company indeed.
The film ‘JEZEBEL’ also offers ample visuals to soak in the atmosphere also, thanks to lavish costumes and production design values. These elements help create a sense of immersion and Southern atmosphere, which is very important in a film of this calibre. So overall, this film has it all, a great cast, skilled direction, well-crafted storyline, and terrific production values. So all in all, I did enjoy this Bette Davis film and I can easily give this Warner Archival Collection Blu-ray release a solid recommendation.
JEZEBEL MUSIC TRACK LIST
RAISE A RUCKUS (uncredited) (Traditional) [Sung by Bette Davis and Servants]
Etude in E Op.10 No.3 (1829-1832) (uncredited) (Written by Frédéric Chopin) [Played on piano by Fay Bainter]
PRETTY QUADROON (uncredited) (Music and Lyrics by Nat Vincent and Fred Howard) [Sung by Chorus and used as background]
GWINE TO RUNE ALL NIGHT (De Camptown Races) (1850) (uncredited) (Music by Stephen Foster) [Played at Belle's party]
BEAUTIFUL DREAMER (1862) (uncredited) (Music by Stephen Foster) [Sung and hummed by Bette Davis]
An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314 (1867) (uncredited) (Music by Johann Strauss)
WALTZ (uncredited) (Music by Max Steiner) [Played during Olympus Ball scene and often in the score] [Danced by Henry Fonda with Bette Davis and other couples]
OH, SHOO MY LOVE (uncredited) (Composer unknown) [Sung by the Servants]
Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents us the film ‘JEZEBEL’ in a totally amazing 1080p Black-and- White image which really shows off all the amazing sumptuous sets and costumes of the period the film is set in. The restoration work has been a great success, as this transfer is totally a vast improvement over the previous inferior DVD release. The print is so much cleaner this time around. The reduced grain and debris allow for a much crisper, more refined visual presence that is sure to delight the Bette Davis fans. The image is more detailed and shows much more depth and I found the contrast to very well balanced, and never too dark or overly light. This print again is a welcome improvement with the Warner Archive Collection elite level of restorations and the film still looks very good with this Blu-ray edition and you would have thought the film had been shot in the 21st century.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Archive Collection brings us the film ‘JEZEBEL’ with just one 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio experience. The audio elements have also been restored, and are much cleaner than previous releases. I did not notice much audio distortion, but there is a touch of harshness at certain parts of the film. The rest of the audio mix is really up to par, with no serious issues to mention in the end. The sound effects and dialogue seem very clear and aside from some minor harshness, the audio does not let you down and always come across in fine form and at a proper balance. So well done Warner Archive Collection for making the presentation on this classic Bette Davis film a real winner in the audio department.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary by Film Historian Jeanine Basinger: Here we are introduced to Film Historian Jeanine Basinger who is going offer an informative and well balanced audio commentary about this magnificent produced 1938 film entitled ‘JEZEBEL’ who Bette Davis won her second Oscar as best actress of the year and Fay Bainter also won for best supporting actress for this film and the actual film was nominated three awards for best picture, best music and best cinematography. Jeanine Basinger says that the film ‘JEZEBEL’ has always been referred to as Bette Davis’s version of ‘Gone With The Wind’ and it was Bette Davis’s little pay off for not being cast as Scarlett O’Hara, which Bette Davis was desperate to get that part in the film and Jeanine Basinger says that this is what you will see with Bette Davis’s performance in the film, which is a much more than pale imitation of ‘Gone With The Wind,’ and Jeanine Basinger says it deserves to be appreciated in its own right, which I totally agree. Jeanine Basinger points out at the start of the film, where it shows you that you are in New Orleans in 1852 and comments on the magnificent detail of a street in New Orleans with the tracking shot, and especially showing you the massive amount of money spent on the set to give you that realistic view of New Orleans in that period. As the film progresses, it shows you that everyone has to focus on the rules of the game in the city of New Orleans, in pointing out what is proper behaviour and what is not proper behaviour. We next move onto Julie Marsden’s party and points out the realistic cobbled stones outside the mansion, especially as the guests start arriving and Jeanine Basinger points out and describes individual actors we get to view and the roles they appear in the film, especially Fay Bainter and noting many of the primary actors, though Stymie Beard and Eddie Anderson oddly do not get mentioned, and what roles they have appeared in different films and television and also analysing scenes for their production design, wardrobe, and direction. Then finally Bette Davis arrives home on her favourite horse and makes a grand entrance to her own party and does not care a jot she is not properly dressed for the occasion with her riding outfit and showing us why Bette Davis was a great screen presence, and of course we see the other guests being very disgusted in showing their disproval because Julie was defying convention in front of the stuffy and snooty upper class residents of New Orleans, and of course Jezebel loves to be the centre of attention. Jeanine Basinger points out that henry Fonda was not their first choice for the main character, as other male actors were asked to appear as Preston, but all had to turn the offer down due to other commitments and of course a stroke of genius to have Henry Fonda for that part and being the opposite character to Bette Davis’s character and as we view throughout the film they were perfect against each other, where Bette Davis’s character is a supporter of the Deep South and its rules and regulations, whereas Henry Fonda’s character is a supporter of the North’s more liberal outlook and especially the abolition of slavery, and warns people that massive changes are on their way, which they of course do not like what he says to them. As we get to the scene where Bette Davis is getting ready for the Olympus Ball and Jeanine Basinger points out her scandalous red dress and to show people that she does not care about convention, drinking toddies, going to the bank where Preston works, that do not allow women into the bank, and we see Julie pit men against each other and uses Buck to get back at Preston and everything has been skilfully woven together, in great detail, even though at the time of viewing the film we do not realise we are being set up, but of course is helped by the brilliant screenplay. As we get to around the 38 minutes part of the film, we get the words appear One Year Later, which in other films we would have had an intermission and helps to steer the film in a totally different direction and of course the onslaught of Yellow Fever that grips New Orleans. Jeanine Basinger talks at this point about the director William Wyler, who was born in Germany and of course when he arrived in America as a young man, English was not his native language and at the age of 20 made his first film and went onto makes some of the biggest box office hits later on in his life and especially with some of the top Hollywood actors and of course went onto win lots of awards, and Bette Davis loved William Wyler as a director and was the only one who could control her and Bette Davis had a short romance with William Wyler while he directed ‘JEZEBEL.’ When we see Jezebel finally meet Preston after a year’s absence and eventually are introduced to Preston’s new wife, which of course the atmosphere turns icy, especially Jezebel cannot accept this situation and is shocked and then reverts to her old self. Well at that point Jeanine Basinger comments on the actress Fay Bainter’s performance, which is exactly right for the moment when standing next to Bette Davis, who commented about this actress, that Fay Bainter was truly a great star, especially performing on the American stage, and especially playing the character of Auntie Bell, and especially her performance in the film ‘JEZEBEL’ was an enormous contributing factor to the believability of the picture as a whole and my [Bette Davis] performance in particular, where Julie would never have been as greater success for me [Bette Davis] without her [Fay Bainter]. Jeanine Basinger makes great praise about the composer Max Steiner, who did the jungle drums for the original film ‘King Kong,’ and of course composed the music for ‘JEZEBEL’ which is used at the right moments in the film, and Max Steiner knows where to weave it in at the appropriate moment and knows where to stop it, and also knows how to create themes. Max Steiner also composed the music for ‘Gone With The Wind,’ ‘Casablanca,’ ‘Now Voyager,’ ‘Mildred Pierce,’ ‘The Big Sleep,’ ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.’ According to Jeanine Basinger, feels Max Steiner is amazing and very important figure in the history of motion pictured composed music. Jeanine Basinger also informs us that Warner Bros. allotted Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars to the budget of ‘JEZEBEL’ and was a considerable sum of money for the day, even though the film went over budget, and it eventually cost well over a $1,000,000 and certainly got there monies worth, even though it went over schedule by 28 days, and made Jack Warner go crazy. As we get to part of the film when Yellow Fever hits New Orleans, here is where the film takes an intensely dramatic scenario, where the lighting is very dark, and at the same time very beautiful to the eye, and we see new Orleans completely transformed from the more sedate scenes we saw earlier in the film, and director William Wyler has a firm command on the film, and that is why this director knows how to get the best quality out of the film, and that is why the director has won so many awards for his professional outlook. When we get to see Bette Davis in the swamp scene in the film, this was built on the Warner Bros. film lot at great expense, as it was worth it, as it looks so realistic and very atmospheric, especially with excellent shades of darkness and greys, and here we see Jezebel sacrifice herself to help Preston who people assume he has Yellow Fever and at the same time we see Jezebel suddenly takes a dramatic turn in her life to show her new outlook on life and a better person for it, who has now been reformed, and we see Jezebel and Preston off the Leper Colony, and the end of the film. This was a truly great film, and one the Hollywood studio system could produce, that was a satisfying entertainment, well-acted, beautifully directed and impeccably produced and Jeanine Basinger in giving a nice overview of this period in Warner Bros. history. Jeanine Basinger sums up that it was a pleasure to talk about this film, as Jeanine Basinger was fascinating to listen to and was full of fascinating information about the film ‘JEZEBEL’ and you will have a totally fascinating and very informative enjoyment and definitely gets a five star rating from me.
Special Feature: JEZEBEL: Legend of the South [2006] [1080p] [1.37:1] [23:57] Here we get to view a comprehensive, stylishly produced featurette that chronicles the film’s production history and evaluates its various technical elements through stills, film clips, and analyses by an army of film historians. The piece also looks at the South’s stringent codes and indigenous subculture and how the movie had to be true to both the period in which the picture takes place and the ideals of its contemporary audience to be a success. Considerable time is spent dissecting the genius of director William Wyler and assessing the contributions of the film’s stars, but examinations of Ernest Haller’s cinematography, Orry-Kelly’s costumes, and Max Steiner’s composed film music that also enhances our appreciation of the brilliant film ‘JEZEBEL’ and the meticulous attention to detail that distinguishes it from other films of this genre about the Deep South in America. You also get to view lots of clips from the film to highlight the etiquette you had to adhere to in the Deep South of America in the 1850s, but of course the character Jezebel want to defy convention the stuffy etiquette of the 1850s. We find out that JEZEBEL was originally a Broadway play in 1933 and was not a success and only ran for 33 performances and Warner bros. was able to attain the play for very little money, and the executives felt the part was ideal for the actress Bette Davis, in being a feisty character and they felt the part of Jezebel was the ideal character for Bette Davis. To complete the ensemble for this very important film and to give Bette Davis a standout performance, they acquired the director William Wyler, as they knew he would bring out the atmosphere of the Deep South really realistic in the 1805s, despite filming went over schedule for 28 days, because William Wyler cared about making a top quality film. But to enhance the image of the film even more, they insisted that the very professional Warner Bros. Cinematographer Ernest Haller and also the brilliant film music composer Max Steiner. When the film was finished, Warner Bros. decided to have a Press Review at their Warner Bros. cinema in Hollywood Blvd. and the film was very well received and Warner Bros. knew they had a Box Office success on their hands, and people flocked to see the film and was a massive crowd pleaser. So all in all, this special feature is well worth viewing, as it gives you an in-depth look at the brilliant ‘JEZEBEL’ Warner Bros. film. Contributors include: Jeanine Basinger [Professor of Film Studies at Wesleyan University], Rick Jewell [USC Film Professional], Alain Silver [Film Historian], Rudy Behlmer [Film Historian], James Ursini [Film Historian], Dr. Drew Casper [USC Film Professor], David Wyler [William Wyler’s son] and John Mauceri [Conductor].
Special Feature: Warner Bros. Vintage Musical Short: Melody Masters: Jimmy Dorsey And His Orchestra [1938] [1080p] [1.37:1] [9:13] In a nightclub setting, Jimmy Dorsey And His Orchestra, with two of his vocalists, perform four of the group's best known songs and includes Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra, Bob Eberly (Singer), Evelyn Oaks (Singer), Jimmy Dorsey (Bandleader /Alto Saxophone / Clarinet) and Ray McKinley (Drums) (uncredited). Filmed in Black-and-White.
Special Feature: Warner Bros. Classic Cartoon: Daffy Duck in Hollywood [1938] [1080p] [1.37:1] [8:04] ‘Daffy Duck in Hollywood’ is a 1938 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Tex Avery, and the last of three shorts he would direct with Daffy Duck. The short was his sixth overall appearance, and his third cartoon in Technicolor. The plot is set at Wonder Pictures Studio ("If it's a good picture — it's a WONDER!"), where producer I.M. Stupendous orders one of his directors, Von Hamburger, to rush the latest motion picture through the pipeline. Daffy Duck goes to Hollywood to become an actor and he screws with the director and makes his own very crazy movie. Now he is excellent here per usual as he is once again unhinged and I loved how he made fun of everyone and got them all frustrated. I also really liked the director who is a parody of Josef von Sternberg. We get again a Katharine Hepburn impersonation and that is unfortunate and the movie that Daffy made is mostly hazily put together and that is the hook. But it does contain one great segment and that is the one in which a fat lady wins a beauty pageant. That was totally hilarious. ‘Daffy Duck in Hollywood’ is certainly very funny with a couple of amazing scenes. So all in all you will have a great deal of fun viewing this Warner Bros. Classic Cartoon.
Special Feature: PROMO/TEASER “Rambling 'Round the Hollywood Studio with the Candid Cameraman” [1938] [1080p] [1.37:1] [1:45] Rarely-seen short promo-teaser that features the actress Bette Davis discussing her character in the film ‘JEZEBEL’ with an unknown interviewer on the Warner Bros. studio lot, and it was so nice to see a very relaxed Bette Davis, who was off to see the latest rushes in the projection room for the film ‘JEZEBEL,’ but obviously the executives would not allow us to see what was viewed, instead we get to view the Theatrical Trailer instead and suddenly ends abruptly without warning.
Theatrical Trailer [1938] [480i / 1080i] [1.37:1] [1:57] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘JEZEBEL.’ Sadly the quality of the print varies throughout the trailer.
Finally, in the film ‘JEZEBEL’ we get plenty of politics, the rise of abolitionists, contrasting values between the North and South and of course leading toward the contentions of the impending Civil War, We also get plenty of plantation life, and old-fashioned customs that contribute to personal tragedies and of course leading to chiefly with a profound gun duel. All that and more are in the film ‘JEZEBEL,’ but is Bette Davies as Julie Marsden who struggles with relationship problems and losses that carry the most impact in the film. Even the historical backdrop – primarily with the paranoia, the death and the destruction from the yellow jack epidemic, are no match for Bette Davis’ fiery persona. The story might not hold its relevance over the years, but there is an undeniable and redemptive superb acting quality, even for the ambiguous finale of the film, which is once again made even grander with Bette Davis’ overwhelming star power. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
