Jezebel poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Donald Crisp ... see more see more... , Fay Bainter , Richard Cromwell , Henry O'Neill , Spring Byington , John Litel , Gordon Oliver , Janet Shaw , Theresa Harris , Margaret Early , Irving Pichel , Lou Payton , Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson , Trevor Bardette , Matthew 'Stymie' Beard , Al Bridge , Frederick Burton , Georgia Caine , Davison Clark , Ann Codee , Frank Darien , Jesse Graves , John Harron , Philip Hurlic , Sam McDaniel , Edward McWade , Louis Mercier , Charles B. Middleton , Tony Paton , Georges Renavent , Charles Wagenheim , George Guhl , Maurice Brierre , Daisy Bufford , Jack George , Jacques Vanaire , Suzanne Dulier , Fred Lawrence

In 1938, Jezebel was widely regarded as Warner Bros.' "compensation" to Bette Davis for her losing the opportunity to play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. Resemblances between the two propertie... read more read more...s are inescapable: Jezebel heroine Julie Marsden (Davis) is a headstrong Southern belle not unlike Scarlett (Julie lives in New Orleans rather than Georgia); she loves fiancé Preston Dillard (played by Henry Fonda) but loses him when she makes a public spectacle of herself (to provoke envy in him) by wearing an inappropriate red dress at a ball, just as Scarlett O'Hara brazenly danced with Rhett Butler while still garbed in widow's weeds. There are several other similarities between the works, but it is important to note that Jezebel is set in the 1850s, several years before Gone With the Wind's Civil War milieu; and we must observe that, unlike Scarlett O'Hara, Julie Marsden is humbled by her experiences and ends up giving of her time, energy, and health during a deadly yellow jack outbreak. Bette Davis won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Julie; an additional Oscar went to Fay Bainter for her portrayal of the remonstrative Aunt Belle (she's the one who labels Julie a "jezebel" at a crucial plot point). The offscreen intrigues of Jezebel, including Bette Davis' romantic attachment to director William Wyler and co-star George Brent, have been fully documented elsewhere. Jezebel was based on an old and oft-produced play by Owen Davis Sr. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

81% liked it

5,241 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

14 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: William Wyler

Release Date: March 10, 1938

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: October 1, 1997

Get It:

Stats: 278 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Fay Bainter in Jezebel Bette Davis in Jezebel Fay Bainter in Jezebel Bette Davis in Jezebel Fay Bainter, Bette Davis & Donald Crisp in Jezebel Bette Davis and Fay Bainter Jezebel Bette Davis and George Brent Jezebel Bette davis and Henry Fonda Bette Davis and Fay Bainter Bette Davis and George Brent Fay Bainter in Jezebel Jezebel Bette davis and Henry Fonda Jezebel jezebel Fay Bainter and Bette Davis with Oscar for Jezebel
Upload a Photo | View All Jezebel Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (278)

  • bottcorecords1
    January 10, 2012
    bottcorecords1
    Jezebel is the 1938 precursor to "Gone With The Wind". Bette Davis stars as a southern belle doomed to lose her fiance and her social standing when she dares to wear a red dress to a ball (GASP!@!) It's enough to make any southern belle a life-long pariah. When her former beau... read more (the miscast Henry Fonda) comes back into her life, she tries everything she can to scheme her way back into his heart. The old pre-civil war south has long fascinated Hollywood as it's the closest thing America ever had to a royal "noble class" (the elite upper crust of society). Everything was a question of manners and the wrong word could result in a duel between two gentlemen. Of course the slavery issue is given short shrift, this was made in the pre-civil rights era 30s, and besides, slavery doesn't hold quite the same romance as the Jezebels and Scarletts of that time period. Regardless of political correctness, there's just something uninteresting about this film, whether it's the storyline or the script, I can't be sure. Bette Davis gives a fine performance, but this story of a woman who wears the wrong dress to the ball can hardly compare with the scope and granduer of the magnificent "Gone With The Wind".
  • moonrivers
    August 28, 2011
    moonrivers
    With many similarities to GWTW, this melodrama depicts New Orleanian genteel society directly before the War Between The States. Davis is a spoiled, manipulative ingenue with her intentions set on rising banker Fonda, only he refuses her golden puppet strings much to her conster... read morenation. An entertaining piece until its rushed and contrived ending.
  • blacksheepboy
    April 18, 2011
    blacksheepboy
    A small melodrama that came as a consolation prize for Davis, who did not get the main role in Gone with the Wind. Just like in that film, the protagonist is a spoiled, impudent woman who likes to manipulate the men around her. The highlights include the elegant dialogue and Davi... read mores' fierce performance.
  • FrizzDrop
    October 26, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    An interesting portrait of a time of racism, the flourishing of the naughty yet nice Southern belle, and duels still raging past the point of law breaking. The Deep South, in all it's overdone glory, is the pivotal spot for yet another tale of love gone awry, and the death and de... read morestruction that come with it. Though Fonda seems oddly placed among the ruckus, Bette Davis is exceptional, the greatest of reformed Jezebels. Sink your teeth in, but try to avoid the racism, historical ineptitude, and stiff dialouge. Worth it.
  • flixsterman
    March 28, 2010
    flixsterman
    "Pride is seldom delicate, it will please itself with very mean advantages; and envy feels not its own happiness, but when it may be compared with the misery of others" -Samuel Johnson

    Wealthy socialite Julie Marsden (Bette Davis) gets her feelings hurt when her beau (Henry Fo... read morenda) is unable to accompany her to pick up a dress for the ball. Her selfish and spiteful nature takes over and essentially wreaks havoc throughout the rest of the film, causing at least one man's death and nearly wrecking the marriage of another. All of which makes for fantastic drama, until the very end of the film when poor Julie sees the error of her ways and performs a single act of attrition that's supposed to make up for all the misery and hurt she's caused.

    If it weren't for the cop-out ending, this would be a five star film. Self-centered, conceited little miss Marsden would have to do a whole lot more than ride outta' town in the back of a wagon before I'd agree that she redeemed herself. One can only hope that she later contracted bubonic plague and, while in a coma, had her eyes pecked out by hungry crows.
  • dunmyer
    July 16, 2009
    dunmyer
    Continuing my study of the films of 1938, I move now to "Jezebel," another Best Picture nominee beaten by "You Can't Take It With You." Like "Robin Hood," "Jezebel" is good but not great. The Best Picture nominees from 1938 continue to disappoint.

    Bette Davis, who won her seco... read morend and final Best Actress Oscar for "Jezebel" (she won her first just a few years before for "Dangerous," a film that no one remembers), plays an upper-class southern woman in the 1850s who is so feisty and obstreperous that her fiance (played by Henry Fonda) is encouraged to give her a whipping. He does not.

    Whenever she doesn't get her way, she throws a tantrum like a spoiled child. Her biggest stunt comes when she appears at a ball in a red dress, a color only worn by harlots. She so embarrasses her fiance that he breaks off their engagement and abandons her. The film then cuts to one year later, when he returns to visit accompanied by his new wife, and all hell breaks loose again.

    I was moderately entertained throughout "Jezebel." The script is dignified and intelligent, as is the direction of William Wyler. The black-and-white cinematography is competent but nothing special. I cannot give the film more than a 7. I was not enraptured by a single scene and didn't care that much one way or the other whether Davis's character got what she wanted or not.

    I'm quite amazed that I'm finding the Best Picture slate from '38 to be so mediocre.
  • groaningbitch
    May 28, 2008
    groaningbitch
    bette davis often flatters herself in her elder years by claiming she could have played "gone with the wind" if she wants to, but she refuses it becuz it has too many similiarities with william wyler's "jezebel" and she's reluctant to play insolent southern belle all over again. ... read moreand another reason would be she dislikes errol flynn so much that she doesn't wish him to be her "rhett butler"...could you imagine davis as scarlett instead of feline-eyed vivien leigh or flynn as rhett, not likable cad clark gable? i guess not.

    davis plays julie who is engaged to henry fonda's pres. julie is an egoist who wanna have her way at any cost, and she waywardly revenges her fiance for not attending her sailor shop by wearing a notorious reddish dress in the olympus ball where unmarried women are supposed to settle in white. she even challenges his manhood by implying he's afraid to defend her. then naturally their relationship seems terminated after this serious friction. one year later, pres shows up at her door with a yankee wife while she kneels on the floor in a chastely white dress to beg for his forgiveness. driven by bitter jealousy, julie makes provocative insinuation of her guests to insult pres but it ends up two men having a pistol duel, and one death. julie becomes the wretched witch who brings others misfortune. then her beloved pres gets infected with yellow fever, so she beseeches his wife to offer her the previledge to take care of him in the plague camp to purge her sins.

    wyler's perspective to tackle into the old south is thru the insistance of black slavery which its protagonists have furious disputes over so intensely that they would resort to fatal pistol-dueling. exclusive from black slavery, there's nothing else wyler tries to depict about old south, and the conversations are all centered upon their irreconciled gap of differences. then the flick ends abruptly with the plague strike, so the old south crambles....then what? perhaps "gone with the wind" is more concrete with the war sequence and the revival of its characters in their postwar state.

    the character of pres would be the intellectual youth who struggles between his attachment to the old south where he gets nourished and the innovative land of yankees who've been more civilized and polished by industrialization. pres escapes the snobbish south and julie who stands for the south he used to cling to by marrying a simple-minded yankee woman with every obedient sense of puritanical virtues, who is much less difficult to deal with. at the scene julie attempts to seduce him back in the garden, she suggests the enchantment of south while the moon shnes brighteningly, crickets sings cozily and the smell of swamp, she utters "how could you desert all these things in your blood to go for your yankee woman? don't you love me?" dignified pres certainly resists julie's temptation but undeniably he's still conflicted with fascinations which he dislikes to confront. after all, life is simpler with a yankee woman to pres. he rebuffs her with a deadpan face "i love my wife" as if it's a fixed line a gentleman should have said in his manly honor whehter he means it or not.

    it seems to be grandeur deed for julie to volunteer to be with pres in the plague camp, but does she do it for her own redemption of honor or she truly cares for pres? at the last scene, she sits on the wagon beside him, and her sight heads forward her surroundins emotionlessly. what is she thinking then? is she trying to summon up all the courage to face the perilous future? or she just feels lofty to restore her pride anf her reputation in the town by taking care of pres? it could be both. whether she chooses to do altruistic deed for her ego or not, it is still an admirable sacrifice just like man could go to the battlefield to get killed simply for his honor and his ego, why couldn't woman be egoistically contributive? after all, she's the jezebel who intends to pay the price for her misdemeanors.

    whether julie is a bitch or not, the judgement leaves to each single audience. should she be responsible for the dueling simply becuz she's malicious bitch? or she's just the catalyst which stimulates the long-existed feud between old south and yankee? even she seems ruthlessly calm by fiddling her flowers while the men are gonna have a pistol fight, but she only expects one of them to be injured instead of getting killed, she might just try to disguise her clamored inner self by acting with composure. there's no pure bitch but a flawed human being with moral ambiguities(or bankrupcy?). is "jezebell" about malice or repetence?
  • jennifxu
    August 1, 2007
    jennifxu
    This is quite a good film, but I'm so pissed off by the ending and stupid Amy that I'm taking a half star off.
  • jjnxn
    March 29, 2007
    jjnxn
    Bette and Fay Bainter are dynamite in this
  • rodriguesmatthew
    July 6, 2010
    rodriguesmatthew
    New Orleans, 1852; Julie Marsden (Bette Davis) and her fiancé, Preston Dillard (Henry Fonda), have a stormy relationship. He won't go with her as promised; to collect her decorous white dress for the Olympus ball. In an act of angry defiance, she instead chooses a flamboyant red ... read moredress. Pres is dismayed and, at the ball, New Orleans's high society is outraged. Julie and Pres argue, and he leaves. A year passes; New Orleans is stricken by yellow fever. Julie hears Pres has returned. Delighted, she throws a party but, when Pres arrives, Amy (Margaret Lindsay) is with him, and they are married...

    Made a year before the epic Gone with the Wind, this southern romance actually stands up a lot easier. Bette Davis is superb as Julie Marsden a teasing, tempting woman who pushes her man (Henry Fonda) away only for him to come back when she really wants him. Davis is more likeable than Scarlett O'Hara and her performance is one of her earliest best. The flawless sets are outstanding and the overall mood of the film atmospheric, just like the New Orleans of imagination. Davis won her second Oscar playing her role in Jezebel, she certainly deserved it. Jezebel is a timeless classic that will be remembered everlastingly.

    Story: A
    Acting: A
    Direction: A-
    Visuals: A-
    Overall: A-

    ***1/2 out of 4 stars

View All Jezebel Reviews

Critic Reviews

Wesley Lovell
August 16, 2011
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

A tottering costume drama that gave Bette Davis one of her rare non-bitchy roles. It should come as little surprise that it doesn't quite work. Full Review

Gabe Leibowitz
June 9, 2009
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt

Jezebel is fascinating from a cinematic history perspective, but it's also a strong melodrama beyond the societal backdrops Full Review

Emanuel Levy
November 9, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Directed with taste and discretion by Wyler, the film has several poignant scenes, such as the one in which Henry Fonda ferociously forces Bette Davis to dance in her red dress, while staring down at ... Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
July 30, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It would have tasted more like lemonade than a mint julep without Bette Davis' fiery performance. Full Review

Nick Davis
August 22, 2005
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks

The film is much more interesting for its traces of Davis' own future roles and images than for its decoy status as a GWTW consolation prize. Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
February 28, 2002
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

The overall slant of the entire movie is a sort of half-hearted indictment of the Old South's code of ethics that was rooted in slavery. Full Review

Tim Dirks
January 1, 2000
Tim Dirks, Tim Dirks' The Greatest Films

Jezebel (1938), a romantic melodrama with views of 1850s New Orleans ante-bellum society, was offered as compensation to film star Bette Davis Full Review

Lori Hoffman
April 8, 2005
Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly

No review available.

Christopher Null
September 21, 2004
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

Click to read the article Full Review

Sarah Chauncey
June 4, 2004
Sarah Chauncey, Reel.com

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • All About Eve
    All About Eve (89%)
  • Gone With the Wind
    Gone With the Wind (78%)
  • The Little Foxes
    The Little Foxes (100%)
  • Raintree County
    Raintree County (0%)

More Movies like Jezebel

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Jezebel : Watch Free on TV

Jezebel Trivia

  • I starred in All About Eve and Jezebel, who am I?  Answer »
  • What movie was William Wyler not nominated for Best Director?  Answer »
  • Bette Davis won an Academy Award for her role in Jezebel ?  Answer »
  • Who does Jacob now live with in Jacobs Ladder ?  Answer »
More Jezebel Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Jezebel. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Jezebel to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?