I Love Bette Davis movies. I love the era they were made, the characters she plays and at times her acting is flawless. Some of her movies are better than others. But for this day I was just in the mood for a Bette Mini Film Fest. I had recently borrowed a Bette Davis Biography from my local library.

Bremerton has a really cool library that has many wonderful services available to everyone. The downtown Bremerton library is being renovated (The Martin Luther King Library) to it's original art-deco style. I can't wait since it is right down the street from my work I can walk there everyday if I want to.

I have read many books on Bette Davis. I guess reading the book made me think of her movies and since I own most of her movies I felt like a little Bette Film Fest. You see I have had the past 3 months off from work recovering from a surgery and then an infection from the surgery. So I have had some time to do nothing but lie around. The Films I chose to watch were: The Letter, Jezebel, The Little Foxes and Dead Ringer.

Why I love The Letter
First off. How can you not love a movie with Bette Davis, 1940 Warner Bros., story by W. Somerset Maugham, Directed by William Wyler and with Herbert Marshall as co-star. That's a winning combination right there. I Feel this movie could stand up as a Masterpiece if it was released today. Even though it is set in a specific period of time and made in a specific era of time. The story and the beauty of the film feel timeless.

Basic story line: The wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death (her Lover of 7 years) and claims it was self-defense. Her poise, graciousness and stoicism impress nearly everyone who meets her. Her husband is certainly without doubt; so is the district officer; while her lawyer's doubts may be a natural skepticism. A letter in her hand writing written to the deceased on the day of the murder turns up and may prove her undoing.

Bette Davis is beautiful in this movie. Not just in appearance but her acting and every mannerism. You really believe she is Leslie Crosbie and not Bette Davis. The acting by everyone in this film is flawless. I have watched this movie more times than I can actually remember, so by this point I get to "really" watch the film. My favorite scene is when her attorney has been informed of an incriminating Letter and given a copy. He goes to the prison to visit/confront Leslie about the letter. Of coarse she denies the letter. After persistent questioning from her attorney she faints. Once revived she does start discussing the letter. She is laying down on a cot with a wet cloth on her head. You can not see her face just the back of her head. Her arm slowly, very casually slides up the wall. With each question she asks, just by the subtle movement of her hand, tells you exactly what her facial reactions would be and exactly what she is thinking. Her hand did more acting in 4 minutes than most Hollywood Stars do in a life time of work. The scene is pure poetry in motion, and I never tire of it. If you have never really watched a good Bette Davis movie The Letter is a must see.

Jezebel: Since I was in the mood for a young strong bitchy Bette. Jezebel seemed like the natural choice. Again another strong cast; Bette Davis, Henry Fonda & George Brent. Directed by William Wyler. A beautiful period movie, and while in black and white is alive and vivid.

Basic story line: Set in antebellum New Orleans during the early 1850's, this film follows Julie Marsden through her quest for social redemption on her own terms. Julie is a beautiful and free spirited, rapacious Southern belle who is sure of herself and controlling of her fiancé Preston Dillard, a successful young banker. Julie's sensitive but domineering personality--she does not want so much to hurt as to assert her independence--forces a wedge between Preston and herself. To win him back, she plays North against South amid a deadly epidemic of yellow fever which claims a surprising victim.

Again Bette is physically beautiful in this movie. But her heart is full of games and fighting against social rules. Pushing, shoving and forcing her own wiles on to everyone who has decided to live by their precious Southern rules. In this movie it's those characters who are the unfortunate pawns to Bette's Jezebel ways. Her portrayal of spoiled Julie is so believable you just get completely lost in this character. It was watching this movie that I realized she was an actress not just a movie star.

The Little Foxes: I enjoy Bette Davis teamed with Herbert Marshall so much, I felt like watching them together again. Plus this movie is set in the South so it complimented and followed Jezebel well.

basic story line: This film adaptation of the Lillian Hellman play depicts a post-Civil War southern community where nothing is more important than money and power to Regina Giddens. In order to join her equally ruthless brothers in a scheme that is sure to gain her wealth and power, she uses her young, naïve daughter to fetch her estranged, ailing husband who is living elsewhere. When she cannot convince her husband to give her the money, she sets forward a cunning plan which escalates. Proving that some people will do anything to get what they want.

Bette has matured in this film. Her character is older in age than the previous two movies. Her acting is polished, icy and effortless playing mean, conniving Regina. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Money. Not even helping her dying husband reach his precious heart medicine. You just watch her icy cold close up while he struggles to climb the stairs in the back ground. Not one word is spoken but that stare speaks volumes. It's a great social movie about right and wrong. How evil Money can be. How people will do anything, even ruin a town to get what they want. It reminds me of the times we live in right now. It's sad how some themes of life just never change.

Dead Ringer: By now I was ready for some older Bette Davis. I had gotten along further in my book and I knew that this was a movie she made later in her career and basically for the money. Bette is a lot older and plays the dual role of twin sisters.

basic story line: After the funeral of her brother-in-law, Edith Phillips learns that Margaret de Lorca, her rich twin sister, had tricked her way into marriage with the man she also loved. So she kills Margaret and assumes her identity and life-style. However, her life becomes complicated by her late sister's sleazy boyfriend, Tony Collins (Peter Lawford) and Sgt. Jim Hobbson, (Karl Malden) a Los Angeles detective who loved the "dead" Edith.

This movie is so bad it is good. Paul Henreid (who co-starred with Bette in Now Voyager) was the director. The year was 1964 and I get a real Hitchcock/Preminger feel to the movie. The movie is in no way as good as any Hitchcock or Preminger film. But you can tell that was the cinematography style he was going for. I appreciate the movie just for that. The movie is awful. Bette looks awful and by this time she has become just a character of her self. In the beginning of the movie when she is playing poor-nice-down-on-her-luck Edith, her acting is actually good. But when she plays the character Margaret. She is so over the top. She over acts in every scene. And the attempts to make her younger and more glamorous are just cruel. The other really creepy thing about this movie is the music. There is this weird Gothic harpsichord piano running throughout the movie to signal some intrigue. It's not cool at all. It's actually quite annoying and distracting. Another thing I noticed is that the musical score has samples of the theme to Twilight Zone. I swear they are there. Not the obvious beginning music but the music at the end of the Twilight Zone intro. Again I swear it is there. So if you want to see a good/bad B Gothic-intrigue-murder starring Bette Davis, this is the movie for you.

So that was my Mini Bette Davis Marathon. I enjoy these clasic old movies. I never tire of them and they have really helped me get through the long days of surgical recovery.