FF 26: The Little Foxes

Flixwise Podcast

We have officially made it through the Top 50 of the Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time list! Let's all pat ourselveson the back and celebrate a job partially done. In all seriousness, this a proud moment for our show and we're excited to mark the occasion. Let us continue our commemoration of getting a 5th of the way through this seemingly endless list by raising a glass to one of Hollywood's most enduring and tenacious screen icons, Bette Davis.

Today's show is the second in our three-part Bette Davis marathon: All About Bette. In our first entry, we discussed Davis's career-defining turn in Joseph Mankiewicz's All About Eve (1950). This time we're tackling a less-widely seen Davis film, the 1941 adaptation of Lillian Hellman's play,The Little Foxes (1941). Lady P is joined once again by Kristen Sales and Anne Marie Kelly to talk about why The Little Foxes deserves greater recognition among Bette's filmography.

Talking points include Davis's relationship with the film's director, William Wyler, and the deep-focus cinematography courtesy of Director of Photography, Gregg Toland (which inevitably leads to comparisons with Citizen Kane). They also attempt to put the film in historical context and talk about why 1940s Hollywood was so into making turn-of-the-century family dramas (see also Meet Me in St. Louis and The Magnificent Ambersons). Finally, they decide whether or not The Little Foxes is worthy of the Flixwise Favorites list.