Set at the turn of the 20th
century, the ruthless and rich Hubbard clan ravages the Deep South with their
overall awfulness (taking advantage of a cheap labor force in the wake of the
Civil War).
The film is one of director William Wyler’s greatest films.
And that is a great compliment, as he directed The Best Years of Our Lives, Roman
Holiday, Ben-Hur,
and many other classics. He is on of cinema’s true auteurs (and was nominated
for Best Director for the film as well, one of his twelve nominations).
Wyler worked with composer Meredith Wilson (who did not
score many films, but famously wrote The Music Man) and art director
Stephen Goosson. However, the
film also marked his second collaboration with cinematographer Gregg Toland (who is maybe
cinema’s greatest D.P.) – they only made six films together, but their legacy
has had a lasting effect of the way films are shot even today (the other five
are Wuthering Heights, The
Best Years of Our Lives, These
Three, The Westerner,
and Dead End).
The film features Bette Davis as its lead, giving
one of her most iconic performances. Teresa Wright (who is one of my
favorite actresses from the era – she was nominated for Oscars in her first
three films, winning one), Herbert
Marshall, Dan Duryea, Patricia Collinge, and Richard Carlson are good in
support.
The Little Foxes is one of the
best dramas from the 1940s and is a must-see for fans of films from that era
(or fans of Bette Davis and William Wyler). It was nominated for nine Oscars,
but did not win a single one (though, Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, and Suspicion
also all did not win best picture that year so it is in good company – How Green Was My Valley did
win).
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