It’s always fun to watch Bette Davis, and I find it hard not to root for her character, even when (maybe because) she’s playing the “bad” girl. The Little Foxes (1941), is adapted from a successful play by Lillian Hellman where the main character Regina Hubbard Giddens manipulates the men in her family to gain financial advantage since, as a woman in the 1900s South, she’s otherwise disenfranchised. Regina is a juicy role for Davis, and many actors who’ve portrayed her before and since.
The story begins by introducing Regina’s sweet, naive daughter, Alexandra (Teresa Wright), who everyone in town likes, even though some folks might have less charitable thoughts for her family. Early on, we also meet her dippy aunt Birdie (Patricia Collinge), who one of Regina’s brothers married for land (a former plantation). Both of the brothers are already taking advantage of the Black sharecroppers in town, and next they want to build a cotton mill with help from a Chicago investor. They also need money from Regina’s invalid husband — she pressures him about the funds, then the brothers attempt their own methods.
I know Bette Davis’ character is supposed to a scheming, avaricious anti-heroine, but I LOVE HER every moment she’s on screen. The light focuses on her, the whole set is built as a stage just for her, and the costumes make her into a 100% statuesque diva. From her first word, I’m rooting for her to get everything she can and more! I’m sure the final scene is meant to be tragic and remorseful, but I can’t help but thinking that if the camera had lingered, we’d see Regina turn around, shrug off what just happened, smile a crafty little smile, and set off on her new life, having gotten everything she ever wanted.
The costumes are by Orry-Kelly, who usually worked with Bette Davis and did another excellent job here. I started to go into a historical analysis but then I found that there’s already a solid article on the topic at the Fashion Institute of Technology. So I’m not going to duplicate their work. Just enjoy these highlights from the movie!
Have you seen The Little Foxes? Do you root for Bette Davis?
No, I’ve never seen this movie, but I adore the work of Orry-Kelly. And, of course, Bette Davis is incomparable in anything. Of the costumes shown here, my fave is the final one!
Oh, I LOVE Raissa Bretana! She has a series of Youtube videos (for Glamour) looking at different costume flicks – I was just binge-watching them the other day. :)
I think you guys follow Eric Winterling’s instagram account? He has some great pictures of the MTC 2017 production, when Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon alternated as Regina and Birdie.
Oh yeah, that looked like an excellent production!
As history tends to prove getting everything you want is no guarantee you’ll enjoy having it after all, there’s no guarantee what you want is what you NEED – though having said that, one can easily imagine Madam Regina putting a brave face on it (Since she is being played by The Bette Davis, after all).
Regina’s brothers deserve whatever she dishes out , her invalid husband not so much.