Starring Bette Davis, Teresa Wright, Herbert Marshall, Dan Duryea, Patricia Collinge, Charles Dingle, Carl Benton Reid, Richard Carlson

(7-Very Good Film)

Stagey. Masterly. Brutal.

The Hubbards, a southern aristocratic family, are always scheming. Wealthy, greedy, they’re led by three siblings, Regina (Davis), Ben (Dingle), and Oscar (Reid). Regina’s unhappily married to Horace Giddens (Marshall), suffering from a heart condition, whom the three siblings plot to bamboozle into funding their latest venture. Teresa Wright plays Alexandra Giddens, Regina and Horace’s daughter, threatened with marriage to her unscrupulous cousin, Leo (Duryea), in order to keep the family strong. Set in the early parts of the 20th century and based on a successful play, The Little Foxes is immaculately staged and well-performed by its cast who are given plum roles to dig into. Bette Davis is a force of nature and she excels in her role as a heartless, ruthless wife.

-Walter Tyrone Howard-

(895)