"Buyer beware.. it's in fullscreen, not widescreen!" | 2009-10-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1TFXKFYOTXTZ3 |
| Why is this classic shown here in the cheap/fullscreen format & not the widescreen it was originally filmed in? I say, buyer beware... hold out, until they release it in it's full format. Let's hope that is soon! |
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""I hope you die!, I hope you die soon!, I'll be waiting for you to die!"" | 2009-08-02 |
| - Reviewed By starla20 |
A stinging portrait of family greed and corruption, dripping with venomous dialogue. Lillian Hellman's THE LITTLE FOXES stars Bette Davis as money-minded family matriarch Regina Giddens. Desperate to pool her family fortune with those of her two brothers (Carl Benton Reid and Charles Dingle) for what promises to be a huge windfall if invested properly, Regina asks daughter Alexandra (Teresa Wright) to bring home her estranged husband Horace (Herbert Marshall), and even though he's dying of an acute heart condition, the only things on Regina's petty mind are the untold millions waiting to be collected...
In THE LITTLE FOXES, Bette Davis was teamed for the third and final time with director William Wyler. Wyler had extracted Davis' Oscar-winning turn in "Jezebel" and later one of her all-time best performances in "The Letter". In THE LITTLE FOXES he subdued Davis' mannerisms and animated antics to create a woman whose stillness and subtlety are the keys to her strong control over others--notice how her jaw is tightly clenched throughout the movie.
Patricia Collinge co-stars in her screen debut as Aunt Birdie, the character most abused and underfoot of the family's inbred cruelty and greed. There's a really telling scene where Birdie's insufferable son Leo (Dan Duryea) steps on her cloak and tears it whilst leaving a party, and he never even acknowledges it. Teresa Wright, also making her screen debut with this film, would later be reunited with Patricia Collinge in "Shadow of a Doubt" and "Casanova Brown", both filmed in 1943. Herbert Marshall gives a finely-controlled performance as Regina's ill husband.
THE LITTLE FOXES came during the most prestigious chapter of Bette Davis' screen career. In 1941 alone she appeared in "The Great Lie" and "Shining Victory", and was just coming off her wildly-acclaimed performance in "The Letter". For Lillian Hellman's THE LITTLE FOXES, Davis was loaned out to the RKO Studios (where she'd scored one of her early triumphs in 1934's "Of Human Bondage"). But, because of their stormy business relationship, Jack Warner was always loathed to loan out his premiere female star. In this case, the 'punishment' for her transgression at RKO would be a comedy entitled "The Bride Came C.O.D.", which she duly filmed after returning from her duties as Regina Giddens.
The DVD includes the trailer and a bonus restored Chace Digital Stereo soundtrack (which is sadly wasted on such a dialogue-heavy movie). An invaluable addition to your Bette Davis collection. |
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"One of Bette's best" | 2009-07-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A212SON6QBUDRZ |
| Just as good today as when it was made (1941). Terrific ensemble cast, excellent writing (Lillian Hellman wrote the play and screenplay), and of course there's always Bette doing her thing. A melodrama with enough intrigue and ruthless, despicable characters to keep you riveted. One of the timeless classics. Directed by William Wyler. |
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"Crisp Dialog, Great Acting & Photography" | 2009-03-12 |
| - Reviewed By ccthemovieman |
I see this movie more of a straight drama than a normal Bette Davis melodrama, thanks in part to the crisp dialog and nature of the story.
It's a story about money and how to use it or how to acquire more of it through deceit and greed. Davis, as "Regina Gidden," is the most greedy of the Gidden clan, vying for more money with her brothers who aren't exactly trustworthy people themselves. Among the three, there wasn't anyone to root for since the family shared in their lust for money.
Davis does her normal excellent acting job but I enjoyed Charles Dingle as "(Uncle) Ben Hubbard" best. I liked his lines more than anyone's and the way he delivered them. The sub-plot in this tale is the coming-of-age of Hubbard daughter "Alexandra" played by Teresa Wright. Her "coming of age" translates to finally standing up to her domineering mother. That part is melodrama.
Anyway, the excellent cast, great dialog complemented by an outstanding director in William Wyler and world-class cinematographer Gregg Toland all adds up to a solid film.
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"A classic that some will love & others will like " | 2009-03-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A25CMSI6S7S63C |
| Why you'll like it- great acting,classic drama,good cast. Why you wont - the movie is just too long,& too talky,& maybe you wouldn't like to see family members blackmailing each other/too downbeat. Bette Davis fans will not want to miss this one. It is a classic,but for me it wasn't my cup of tea. She & her brothers are like JR Ewing of Dallas basically. She is scheming against her brothers & her husband,she plays a foul character as do her brothers in particular Charles Dingle(what a SOB is he is). I dont think the movie is for everyone's tastes,but it is a classic,it certainly is worth seeing.It is a renter,& for lovers of these drama's it is something you will want in a collection. The MGM is a terrific full frame transfer |
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"truer story than gone with the wind" | 2009-01-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: AZCC7X749IGFS |
| I wish I can give the little a higher rating than five stars this story rings true than Gone with the wind as far i'm concerned it showed the true south not romanticized it like Gone with wind did, I love the back stabbing and the evil back and forth and its not just south it shows human nature for what it is for anywhere.The late Bette Davis at her best again. |
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