The Little Foxes (1941)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Lillian Hellman (play)
Lillian Hellman (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 August 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

...the film version of the stage hit, as the ruthless beauty whose ambition spelt the doom of three men

Plot:

The ruthless, moneyed Hubbard clan lives in, and poisons, their part of the deep South at the turn of the 20th century.

Plot Keywords:

Death Of Husband | Matriarch | Servant | Bond | Alcoholic Mother

Awards:

Nominated for 9 Oscars.

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Regina Giddens
Herbert Marshall	...	Horace Giddens
Teresa Wright	...	Alexandra Giddens
Richard Carlson	...	David Hewitt
Dan Duryea	...	Leo Hubbard
Patricia Collinge	...	Birdie Hubbard
Charles Dingle	...	Ben Hubbard
Carl Benton Reid	...	Oscar Hubbard
Jessica Grayson	...	Addie (as Jessie Grayson)
John Marriott	...	Cal
Russell Hicks	...	William Marshall
Lucien Littlefield	...	Sam Manders
Virginia Brissac	...	Mrs. Lucy Hewitt
Terry Nibert	...	Julia Jordan
Henry 'Hot Shot' Thomas	...	Harold

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Southern California, California, USA

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

Herbert Marshall had lost a leg in WWI. The scene where Horace crawls up the stairs is done by a stunt man. Marshall takes the role until he walks towards the stairs, but is hidden by a curtain for a moment. That was where the switch was made.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final scene, just before Alexandra leaves Regina, in the shot when Regina climbs the stairs, and asks Zan if she would "like to sleep in her room tonight", we see a chair in the background (which earlier in the scene, Regina had sat in). The chair seat is empty. Two shots later, when Alexandra collects her hat and coat to leave, they have suddenly appeared on the chair.

Quotes:

Ben Hubbard: Regina, you're a fool! How many times did mama tell you it's unwise for a good-lookin' woman to frown? How many times have i told you that softness and a smile will do more to the hearts of men?
Regina Giddens: I'll do things in my own way, Ben. I know what I'm doing.
Ben Hubbard: I hope you do, Regina.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains (2003) (TV)

Davis is unforgettable

This film fully deserves its reputation as one of the most scorching dramas of greed and corruption ever placed on celluloid. A deceptively slow start soon draws into the machinations of the Hubbard clan whose brazen backstabbings and betrayals even today make our jaws drop. Davis' stunning portrayal of the supremely grasping Regina Giddens leads a stellar cast which does a superb job of delineating a finely drawn group of characters. Charles Dingle's deceptively warm smile masks the cooly intelligent deviousness of Ben Hubbard. Carl Reid's Oscar Hubbard is just as malicious but his inferior intelligence makes him yield to his brother's and sister's lead. Dan Duryea nicely portrays the imbecilic and immature Leo Hubbard, a characterization which borders on but never crosses over into comedy. Patricia Collinge breaks our hearts as the broken-spirited and alcoholic Birdie, Oscar's wife. Herbert Marshall's performance as the doomed Horace, Regina's husband, delineates the pain, anger, and sense of betrayal burning beneath his deathly illness. The star of the proceedings, however, is clearly Davis. Wyler's superb direction blends all these characters into a masterful whole.

Hellman's skill as a dramatist must be credited for much of this, but her Marxist inclinations clearly peep through the seams of the dialogue.

I'm glad I finally had a chance to see this undoubted classic. Thanks again to that great channel, American Movie Classics.