Popular reviews

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  Review by Marian ★★★½ 2

  bette davis' eyes are the reason i'm a lesbian

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  Review by Paul Elliott ★★★★½

  Directed by William Wyler from an adapted 1933 Broadway play by Owen Davis Sr, Jezebel may not be the first film brought to mind featuring Bette Davis, but her portrayal as Julie Marsden is one of her most significant leading accomplishments and one for which she attained her second, and last, Best Actress Academy Award. Bette Davis submerges herself in her character, illustrating narcissistic and arrogant behaviour which brings about her unhappiness yet nonetheless protects some favourable characteristics.

  It's a well-paced historical epic which incorporates outstanding production design together with multiple premium performances, and it's equally worried about the uncertainty of a headstrong woman in a patriarchal society as it is about the harshly logical manner in which the hierarchy attempts to attain its retribution. Comparisons with Gone With the Wind are unavoidable, and while that's a better film overall, Jezebel holds as being more historically sensitive and is a captivating story which features a memorable leading character.

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  Review by cassandra ★★★★★

  There will never be another Bette Davis.

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  Review by b rad ★★★★ 2

  Forever connected with Gone With The Wind, this antebellum set film shares not just the time and place gone by of that great epic, but a similarly three dimensional anti-heroine who the audience has a complicated relationship with through the film. There's also a sense of ambiguity towards the ending that you rarely see in such elegant, old-fashioned films that makes for tantalising viewing.

  It's a bit light on the major ideas - it doesn't lie about slavery like GWTW, but despite the handful of black speaking parts the film avoids the issue as if it were the contagious yellow fever that surfaces in the second half. What it is though is a star vehicle for Bette Davis who absolutely…

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  Review by Sam Van Hallgren ★★★★½ 8

  This movie is a lot.

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  I'm not saying we needed a racist movie about how the south lost its soul in the years before the Civil War, but goddamn we've got one so we might as well watch it.

  In the Movies About America seminar that I will never actually teach, we'll spend at least three weeks on this movie.

  Doesn't hurt that it's brilliantly directed by Wyler with a God-level Bette Davis performance.

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  Review by Jerry McGlothlin ★★ 13

  More like Je💤ebel.

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  Review by {Todd} ★★★

  "This is 1852 darling...1852... not the dark ages" - Julie
  AND
  "I like my convictions undiluted... same as I like my bourbon" -Buck

  -Wyler Ranked: boxd.it/doND8

  Those eyes... damn!

  Bette Davis is fucking incredible in this movie. I mean she is really fantastic, and dynamic, and emotional, and strong... she is fucking perfect. Let's also get out of the way that this is an engaging core story with interesting emotional stakes. William Wyler's direction is quite wonderful and the sets and costumes are magnificent. By most standards, as I understand them, this is a very successful movie. But also this film is kind of racist. Despite it being a drama, every couple of minutes they had to have a black…

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  Review by Scarlett Worthington ★★★½ 1

  A historical set piece with some of the most brilliantly dramatic performances of its time, Jezebel dazzles as an old Hollywood classic! 

  Bette Davis’ Julie Marsden is what I would describe as a historical performance. To have a film of the 30s present to us such a headstrong woman, demonstrates a film very much a head of its time and I absolutely love it for that. Davis takes this role strongly by the reins and rides it right until the end. Although the story is both interesting and engaging, this is a film you come out of remembering the performances as a pose to the intricacies of the narrative. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that Jezebel isn’t superbly directed which it…

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  Review by Rhianne Chao ★★★★

  bette davis could do scarlett o’hara but vivien leigh could never do julie marsden.

  despite outdated perceptions of the antebellum south, this entire film was visually stunning and bette had captivating screen presence.

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  Review by reed 🎥 ★★★½

  This movie would be so much better if Bette Davis was onscreen for its full runtime. I hate the irresponsible portrayal of the antebellum south but it’s definitely a sweeping epic from a beautiful age of Hollywood. Also, this was set during the yellow fever outbreak and I saw several scenes of people wearing masks 😉

  Best Actress Oscar Winners - Ranked

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  Review by Wesley Stenzel ★★★ 2

  Bette Davis is as good as they say in the lead role — each gesture conveys so much about the character, and every facial expression reveals so much about her motives, thought processes, and emotions. The surrounding movie, unfortunately, is not in the same ball park as this performance. Aside from the wild final twenty minutes, the story and characters just aren’t particularly compelling, especially given the poor depiction of Black antebellum Southerners.

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  Review by B E R T ★★★★ 1

  I declare!!!

  Alright, we really getting into the good stuff now. I’ve been looking forward to getting to this film, widely considered one of Bette’s best, and it didn’t disappoint. Bette is electric, she plays the tempestuous spoilt bitch to perfection. So fabulously southern and catty and mean, I live. Truly one of the best bitchy mean girl performances ever, Regina George could never. Her accent had me living. Bette won the Best Actress Oscar and quite rightly so. The way she lifted her dress with her riding crop, I live.

  The movie is such a spectacle, massive big budget, no expense spared type of thing. Every scene is candy for the eyes, the costuming and sets are all just so high class and top-notch, Warner Bros really just said do your thing and we will foot the bill, truly wow.

  I’m surprised this hasn’t ever been remade, it’s such a great female vehicle type movie.