The Little Foxes (1941)
The Little Foxes is a classic, but when you finally watch it, you’re not left with much awe. Instead, you’re left with a lot of disappointment. Bette Davis is a cruel, manipulative matriarch to a dysfunctional family. Her weak husband, Herbert Marshall, is also crippled and sick. Her beautiful young daughter, Teresa Wright, is just experiencing love for the first time, falling for Richard Carlson. Her mother doesn’t approve of Richard, but instead wants Teresa to marry her slimy cousin, Dan Duryea. Charles Dingle is Bette’s brother and loves to manipulate as much as she does. Patricia Collinge plays Teresa’s terribly unhappy aunt, married to Bette’s other brother Carl Benton Reid. She steals the show whenever she’s on the screen. She’s completely broken and depressed, finding solace in secret drinking binges in her room. The family treats her terribly; just try not to cry when she’s on the screen.
The reason you’ll probably be disappointed is the story. It’s just not that big of a deal. It’s no longer a novelty to hear Bette Davis talking in clipped tones and acting mean and heartless. It’s not a shock to watch a drama about a dysfunctional Southern family. A love triangle between an innocent young girl, an equally innocent boy, and an oily villain doesn’t hold much suspense.
Herbert Marshall made a terrible mistake in taking this part. If you look at his list of movies, he was never the same after this one. After 1941, he was no longer cast in leading man roles – which he’d enjoyed for over ten years before The Little Foxes. He took great pains not to let his film audiences know about his war injury, and playing a crippled invalid was a terrible idea.
If you find you do enjoy watching the heavy Lillian Hellman drama, with the beautiful costumes and fine performances, check out the prequel: In 1948, Hollywood made Another Part of the Forest, focusing on how Bette Davis and her brothers turned out the way they did. Two cute parts of that movie are in the casting. Fredric March and his wife Florence Eldrige play a married couple, and Dan Duryea plays his own father!
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Herbert Marshall movies here!
More Teresa Wright movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1948's Another Part of the Forest here!
The reason you’ll probably be disappointed is the story. It’s just not that big of a deal. It’s no longer a novelty to hear Bette Davis talking in clipped tones and acting mean and heartless. It’s not a shock to watch a drama about a dysfunctional Southern family. A love triangle between an innocent young girl, an equally innocent boy, and an oily villain doesn’t hold much suspense.
Herbert Marshall made a terrible mistake in taking this part. If you look at his list of movies, he was never the same after this one. After 1941, he was no longer cast in leading man roles – which he’d enjoyed for over ten years before The Little Foxes. He took great pains not to let his film audiences know about his war injury, and playing a crippled invalid was a terrible idea.
If you find you do enjoy watching the heavy Lillian Hellman drama, with the beautiful costumes and fine performances, check out the prequel: In 1948, Hollywood made Another Part of the Forest, focusing on how Bette Davis and her brothers turned out the way they did. Two cute parts of that movie are in the casting. Fredric March and his wife Florence Eldrige play a married couple, and Dan Duryea plays his own father!
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Herbert Marshall movies here!
More Teresa Wright movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1948's Another Part of the Forest here!