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| The Little Foxes | 
 enlarge | Director: William Wyler
Actors: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright, Richard Carlson, Dan Duryea
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $5.82
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Avg. Customer Rating:  50 reviews
Sales Rank: 5699
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 115
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: MGMD1002382D
ISBN: 0792850904
UPC: 027616865939
EAN: 9780792850908
ASIN: B00005LOLB
Theatrical Release Date: August 21, 1941
Release Date: September 18, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com essential video
William Wyler and Bette Davis made their third and final collaboration their finest with this striking 1941 adaptation of Lillian Hellman's acidic play. The titular foxes are a particularly ravenous turn-of-the-century Southern moneyed clan, the Hubbards, and the most cunning of them all is sister Regina Giddens, the brilliant but ruthless woman played by Davis. In contrast to the manipulative Regina and her scheming brothers (Charles Dingle and Carl Benton Reid) is her guileless sister-in-law Birdie (Patricia Collinge in a delicately flighty performance) and her sickly, humanistic husband Horace (Herbert Marshall), whom she tolerates only for his money and position--until he stands in the way of a scheme that could bring her a fortune. Teresa Wright is the hope of the next generation as Regina's thoughtful daughter, Alexandra, who stands in marked contrast to her graceless, greedy cousin Leo (Dan Duryea). Wyler's longtime cameraman, Gregg Toland, fresh from his groundbreaking work on Citizen Kane, fills the film with amazing deep-focus compositions and razor-sharp images, showing off the grandly handsome mansion set in all its old-world splendor. But for all its beauty Wyler reveals it as a cold, lonely world ruled by a heartless woman. Excellent performances by all make Hellman's sharp dialogue glint like the edge of a knife, which ultimately cuts deep into the soul of this powerful classic. --Sean Axmaker
Product Description
Regina needs money to invest in a business with her brothers. Her husband horace refuses. Reginas nephew leo steals negotiable bonds from horaces bank to give the brothers and when reginia tries to blackmail them horace claims the money was a gift. Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 09/18/2001 Starring: Bette Davis Teresa Wright Run time: 116 minutes Rating: Nr Director: William Wyler
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
Regally Ruthless October 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There was never an actress like her and there is still no one in sight to take her place. Bette Davis lost the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1941 to Joanne Fontaine in "Suspicion." Though Fontaine was wonderful in the role of the innocent and frightened wife, the test of time shows Davis's performance to have been the great one.
"Little Foxes" was nominated for 9 Oscars but won none. It was a tough year to be in Academy competition when the competition included "Citizen Kane"," The Maltese Falcon, and "How Green Was My Valley." Sometimes success is a matter of the luck of timing.
This movie is based upon Lillian Hellman's stage play of the same name. As with most stage plays it was undoubtedly difficult to stage as a movie. Nevertheless, William Wyler, the director, did it as well as it can be done. Do not look for nuance in character. A stage play makes its points crystal clear through forceful, dramatic and in this case stunning dialogue.
Davis, as Regina (notice the regal name) Giddens is the dominating head of the foxes, which also include her two brothers, Ben and Oscar. Dan Duryea as Oscar's son, Leo, is an unconscious but hopeful initiate to the pack, not yet part of it. The plot revolves around Regina's scheme to use her innocent daughter, Alexandra (Theresa Wright), to lure her alienated and ill husband (Herbert Marshall) back from Chicago to their small southern town. The foxes need his wealth to help them finance an investment scheme.
To watch them connive among themselves and against each other is to watch great acting among a wonderful and accomplished ensemble cast. As mentioned, the movie is based upon a stage play and so there are good and bad people with no in-between.
Herbert Marshall gives his a stellar performance as Regina's dignified husband Horace Giddens. His disdain for the foxes from the perspective of an honest man and on the verge of death from his illness is spot-on. Patricia Hollinge, as Alexandra's sweet Aunt Birdie gives an Oscar-nominated performance. Her scene of regret, with Alexandra, Marshall and the loyal servant Addie (the good ones) deserved the nomination. Birdie is as her name conveys; flighty, innocent, honest and still naive as an older women. Those qualities naturally make her an object of disdain among the foxes. A young Dan Duryea is excellent as Oscar Hubbard's son, Leo. He is happily dissolute and willingly corruptible with a good dose of cowardice as an aspiring fox.
But then there is Miss Bette/Regina. Her regal bearing lends all the more force to her calculating detached and cynical nature. Her sneering cruelty juxtaposed with her calculated charm is mesmerizing. In a scene in which she moves from verbal persuasion to verbal force with Marshall she projects a screen presence and magnetism that made her a superstar before the term was invented.
Watch especially for the scene where she wishes death upon Marshall to his face. Those three lines are some of the cruelest, most savagely written and magnificently delivered that you will ever see. Marshall's subsequent death scene and Davis's reaction as he struggles up the stairs for medicine non-verbally reinforces Davis's that malevolently stunning death wish.
Good does not win out in this movie except for, Alexandra, thankfully. She escapes Regina's dominating clutches by running off with a true love, rather than marrying the slimy Leo as Regina had planned for her. That is the Hollywood part of the ending.
However, the finale after Alexandra flees and Regina has the upper hand on her brothers delivers Hellman's dark view of greed ingrained within human nature. Regina's brother Oscar is furious to have lost out to his sister. But the wizened and almost-as-foxy brother Ben laughingly and loudly celebrates that dark side of human nature. Taking the long view, Ben in a low-key and menacing manner concedes Regina's financial victory as merely one battle in a continuing war among the pack. Davis's tacit agreement is clearly conveyed by facial expression only, with no need for further words in the clutches of such a great actress.
Hellman teaches us that there will always be people like the foxes, but rarely is a point-of-view conveyed so vividly. Released in a different year, this movie and its performances would have won many of the awards it missed in 1941. Regardless, it is a great movie as Bette Davis was one of our greatest actresses.
Fantastic! May 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I ordered this movie as part of my Mother's Day package for my Mom. It came at a perfect time and she has enjoyed it immensely! THank you so much for speedy and efficient service!
LOVE IT! May 7, 2008
A close second behind All about Eve when it comes to favorite Bette Davis movies. I never get tired of watching Bette's shrewd, rude, villanous, Regina. It's Bette Davis excactly the way I like her!
The Bette is the Diva April 21, 2008
The movie is amazing, Bette Ddavis is the best. The quality of the movie is kinda grany, I thought that with all the tecknology today it will be remastered.
Bette, Bette, Bette... February 24, 2008
Bette Davis is at her vilest best here in this engrossing 'family' drama. And who better to direct her than the meticulous William Wyler. Hellman's timeless saga is as relevant today as it was when first seen. This is required viewing for all lovers of film and I encourage all youngsters to overcome their disdain for b/w films and watch this masterpiece from the literate past.
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