We have arrived at the final film in this Bette Davis film study series. The opportunity for WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE came nearly twelve years after our last film, ALL ABOUT EVE. She continued working in those dozen years, but the golden era of Oscar nominated romantic lead roles was rapidly fading away. Now fifty-six years old, Davis was entering the last chapter in … Continue reading WHAT EVER HAPPENED to BABY JANE?
Today we are in for a real treat. Many have rightfully described Joseph L Mankiewicz’s ALL ABOUT EVE as one of cinema’s most remarkable films, and specifically as the most literate and intelligent scripts in all of Hollywood’s golden era. Based on a short story in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1946, author/actress Mary Orr (1910 – 2006) scribed, “The Wisdom of Eve,” in 1946 of an … Continue reading A Real Hollywood Comeback: ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
In today’s stop along our grand Bette Davis adventure, we are studying NOW VOYAGER (1941). It is undoubtedly a dramatic tale of romance, but also rooted in a theme of psychiatry and mental health. As a bonus, we are treated to a character makeover. This is a coming out tale. Who doesn’t love a dazzling ‘before and after’ reveal? NOW VOYAGER is based upon a … Continue reading The Background Story: Bette Davis in NOW VOYAGER
In our last film, DARK VICTORY (1939), we explored a medical mystery surrounding a privileged socialite. Today we are discussing THE LETTER (1940), another mystery, yet this time of murder and less mystery; and Bette Davis is not just another socialite of privilege, but very much of white colonial privilege. Today we’ll address whether she is portraying a true vixen or perhaps a deeply complicated … Continue reading Bette Davis Delivers in THE LETTER
In our Bette Davis journey, we have arrived at the year 1939, which history has claimed was the greatest in cinematic history. I tend to agree. It was also a pinnacle time in Bette’s career. As we discussed last week, she won the Oscar for her performance in JEZEBEL (1938) at the 1939 Academy Awards. Many films competed in 1939’s crowded array of offerings, in … Continue reading Bette Davis earned a DARK VICTORY
For this installment of our Bette Davis study, we’ll explore another significant role for Davis as “Julie Marsden” in William Wyler’s JEZEBEL (1938). As we have addressed in our introduction, the often contradictory and complicated, undoubtedly attention-grabbing, and fiery, yet with a heart-of-gold persona of Bette Davis, “Julie” will pull us in to a similar path of discovery. JEZEBEL was nominated for the Academy Award … Continue reading Exploring JEZEBEL (1938)
As we begin our filmography of Bette Davis films, we’ll start with a Pre-Code from 1933, Robert Florey’s EX-LADY. For those of you who have not taken my Pre-Code course or those who simply need a reminder, let’s start with a little refresher of what exactly a “Pre-Code” is. Pre-Code cinema (1929 – 1934) refers to a very specific timeline in film history when the … Continue reading Bette Davis Defies Gender Conventions in EX-LADY (1933)
Times may change, but some things stay the same. The Oscars has remained essentially a grand celebration to honor the best of the best in the film industry. TCM marks this tradition every February via the popular ’31 Days of Oscar’ and your humble co-hosts Aurora, Paula and I once again bring you the 31 DAYS OF OSCAR BLOGATHON. As we kick-off our second day … Continue reading Day 2: ACTORS Week of the 31 DAYS OF OSCAR BLOGATHON
Outspoken & Freckled 