Jezebel

Audience Reviews

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Theodore R Mar 20, 2019 Beautiful, but shallow. Jezebel (1938) is William Wyler is about a toxic relationship and a manipulative Southern woman. Bette Davis is phenomenal as the young Jezebel named Julie Marsden. The film Jezebel suffers the same dated perspective of romanticizing the Southern Antebellum era pre-Civil War. Wyler's direction is a beautiful stylized version of the South, specifically New Orleans. Wyler brings long panning shots for dance sequences and tremendously suspenseful drama between families. Wyler takes the time to let emotions rise like tempers in Jezebel. The tensions between characters stew until they blow up into several arguments over a couple of key scenes. The complicated relationship is easy to hate Julie as a Jezebel type character. But, Bette Davis is so interesting and fun as the cruel, selfish, and manipulative lady. I do not like the use of slaves, the basic depiction of black characters, the ignorant Southern perspective, the hate on the abolitionist movement, the general air of over-aggrandizing Southern tradition. Jezebel features several flaws that make it feel quite dated. I cannot in good conscious ignore Jezebel's willingness to romanticize the era when white women could call on her slaves freely, while she plays with all the men in her life as if her struggles are the main issue going on at the time. The ridiculous use of Yellow Fever as some kind of side conflict is quite lazy writing and distracting to the main story line. Bette Davis is the main draw to Jezebel. Her deep starring eyes and petty flourishes of her lovely dresses culminate in a great performance. Davis knows how to look and act to draw all attention to her. She is captivating and commanding at all times. Henry Fonda is realistic as a Preston, man getting used by Davis. He is rather bland and feels so secondary to the other men in Jezebel. Maybe that's part of the problem in that all the supporting characters are simplistic compared to Bette Davis. George Brent's Buck character is charming, but horrendous once you realize he represents Southern pride and values. His shallow perspective is so easy to hate that I cannot say he deserves the sympathy he gets. Richard Cromwell is really good as Fonda's brother Ted. He is convincing as an indignant man taking umbrage with all insults to his family. Max Steiner's score is beautiful, but not as enchanting as Gone with the Wind or his Casablanca music. Overall, Jezebel is a worse version of Gone with the Wind, but it does engage you through Bette Davis' incredible acting. See more

Leia P Sep 3, 2018 I thought I had seen this one... Maybe another lost rating flixster? 1001 movies to see before you die. It was good, but not as good as many other Davis films. It does take on some important gender issues in the South. See more

Hermione S Oct 11, 2017 Jezebel is a movie that feels somewhat reminiscent of Gone with the Wind. It’s about a southern belle who is so spoiled and headstrong that she makes some terrible decisions in her love life. Bette Davis is superb in the lead role, and captures that prideful attitude that makes the entire movie work. The first half builds towards one scene that said so much without saying many words at all. Henry Fonda played that scene brilliantly, and you get to watch as Davis’ resolve is slowly broken down. Sadly, this climactic moment is so strong that it feels like the second half is struggling to live up to the potential of the beginning. It’s not like the rest of the movie is terrible, but it’s not quite as powerful. The story is one that ordinarily would frustrate me a lot, because it involves someone manipulating good people into terrible situations. Yet somehow I wasn’t bothered all that much, perhaps because the main character was regularly forced to see how dangerous her behavior can be. The conclusion of the movie was by far the worst aspect of Jezebel. It was terribly anticlimactic, and left me with an unresolved feeling. I think they completed the story they wanted to tell, but it wasn’t what I was seeking at all. Still, Jezebel is a good film with some great acting, so I’d probably recommend it to others. See more

Luke S Aug 2, 2017 Bette Davis brought me here, along with the reputation of the film as Davis's compensation for the missed role of Scarlett in 'Gone With the Wind'. In spite of it, Wyler's film stands on its own, as a fine drama whose strong main character transcends taboos in a heartrending way. Fully developed, Julie is painted as a Jezebel like woman throughout some very good scenes. But it truly is Davis's vigorous performance which makes the film above average. See more

Hermione G Jul 18, 2017 Jezebel is fascinating from a cinematic history perspective, but it's also a strong melodrama beyond the societal backdrops.

Hermione M Jun 23, 2017 One of Bette Davis' best!

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Jezebel

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