Jezebel (1938) 9/10

Won Academy Awards for Best Actress (Davis) and Best Supporting Actress (Bainter). Nominated for Cinematography, Score and Best Picture. A romantic melodrama with views of early 1850s New Orleans ante-bellum society. It was the first in a cycle of films with Dixie backdrops that studied Southern chivalry and honor. The role of the title character was offered as compensation to film star Bette Davis - her first major film role - when she lost the opportunity to play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind (1939), a characterization with a similar heroine. In fact, the film has been called a black-and-white version of the famous Selznick film that was in its pre-production stages. Director: William Wyler Story: Clements Ripley Screenwriters: Abem Finkel, John Huston, Robert Buckner Composer: Max Steiner Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Fay Bainter, Donald Crisp