Jezebel

The extraordinary talent that is and was Bette Davis portrays Julie, who, like the biblical Jezebel, is a strong-willed and arrogant young woman who manipulates men to get her way. When she pushes her boyfriend too far one night over a traditional dinner ball, he dumps her and takes off for the northern states. A year later he returns to find a more humble Julie, but it’s too late for her as he has married whilst up north. Now it becomes a tussle between two powerful women on Julie’s hometurf for the man they love.

"Perhaps I love her most when she’s meanest..."

Set in New Orleans in 1852/3 and culminating in the yellow fever epidemic, this black and white classic won Bette Davis an Oscar for her portrayal of the southern belle with an axe to grind. It’s a slow film to get started, but the moment Ms Davis enters the film immediately illuminates with her entrancing character. It is only as we progress through the piece that Julie’s character decays into that of a conniving and obsessive woman with vengeance on her mind.

The transformation is quite amazing, as I found myself appreciative of the free spirited young lady in the beginning but repulsed by her changing attitudes and actions as the film plays out. This performance, as mentioned, gained Ms Davis the Oscar for Best Actress in 1938 and it was well deserved indeed. Through subtlety and nuance and economy of expression, Ms Davis brings her character to life, centering her and having all others appear to be revolving around her. It truly is a unique performance and one well worth checking out.

If there is a fault it lies in the over-simplified plot. The yellow fever epidemic seems almost tacked on at the end, with only the briefest of mentions early in the film, a few mild mentions throughout and then the final ten minutes in which we become wholly and immediately esconced.

Another disappointment is the addition of character slaves performing useless comic relief in some scenes. I got the impression that even in 1938 this was deemed acceptable use of the African American population in Hollywood. Some serious roles of more import, particularly with the under-mentioned yellow fever so near to the background, would have been more believable than the all-singin’, all-dancin’ minstrels that are portrayed here. Still, life changes slowly, doesn’t it?

This is a bit of a shocker, but considering the film’s age, that should balance out the scales a little. Countless artefacts roam unchecked throughout, as does the flicker gang. Reel changes have come through rather well though, with only rare jittering. Being black and white I shan’t invent colour info other than to say this – there are continued references to a red dress. This dress ends up integral to the plot and it is most frustrating not to see it in colour. Yes, colour has spoiled us, hasn’t it?

Some blacks lose a fair bit of detail in the shadows, but this doesn’t matter too much, as the major blacks tend to be men’s tuxedos. The ‘white’ flesh tones are all relatively clear, but occasionally a darker ‘black’ flesh tone will lose a bit of detail. Finally, among the multiple scratches and artefact junk, there is a diabolical repaired rip at 56:31. It flashes by, but it’s hefty upon pausing.

Dolby Digital 1.0 is what we get. Still, for a film this old it sounds alright. The music comes across a teensy bit louder than the rest of the film, which tends to be a little low (there’s a balancing act for you.) Most dialogue is easily understood, though you may have occasional instances of ‘What did she say?’

There are limited sound effects and the ones they have all appear to be actual recorded sound rather than stock stuff. Maybe the sound stockpile wasn’t that high yet in 1938, I dunno. The music, however, whilst coming in slightly louder is quite passable. It's classical music, mostly, and plays with no noise or static that I could detect and doesn’t suffer any real discomforts. Again, when considering this film’s age, the sound has come across surprisingly well. And even for mono it’s doing okay.

Just the original Theatrical Trailer, which is in serious need of repair. Semi-dark in some parts and grainy in others, everything manages to suffer from the mega-artefact gang. This is probably the worst DVD trailer condition I’ve yet seen, and I have seen some doozies. Plus, as an extra extra (read all about it), the screen wording is appalling by today’s ‘enlightened’ society standing. Get this: ‘The story of a woman who was loved... when she should have been whipped!’

MMMmmm, modern.

Well, Bette Davis makes the film, without a doubt. I'm guessing that if not for her gutsy portrayal of this unpleasant woman, this film would be in a landfill by now. She truly brings her character to life, and her slow decay is quite something to see. Whilst films were shot a lot quicker back then, they were still shot out of sequence, and to maintain a position when a character is in a spiral like this is well worthy of the accolades she received. Being in NTSC is a shit, as is the only crappy extra, and does not add to this DVD's overall appeal. However, fans of Bette Davis will love this movie, if not for the rather shallow story, for her dynamic acting ability.