Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born on April
5, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts to Harlow Morrell Davis , a lawyer,
and Ruthie Favor Davis. Her birth name was Ruth, but she was called
Bette as a child and kept the name throughout her career. Bette came
from Balzac's novel "Cousin Bette”. Just before her tenth
birthday, Bette's father left her, her mother and younger sister
Barbara.
Although her mother had little money,
Ruth enrolled Bette and her sister in boarding school. Bette started
acting in plays and taking drama classes while she was in school.
She graduated with the idea that she would start acting, but she got
very little encouragement, and was not considered very beautiful.
(Moseley
23) After graduation, Bette enrolled in John
Murray Anderson's Dramatic School. In
1929, her first Broadway debut was in "Broken Dishes." She
also landed a role in "Solid South." In 1930, she moved to
Hollywood to screen test for Universal.
After six small
films, Bette's contract with Universal was not renewed. She began
planning her return to Broadway, but a phone call from Warner
Brothers changed her mind. In 1932, she signed a seven-year contract
with Warner Brothers. The film "The Man Who Played God"
(1932) started Bette’s path to fame. She played the character
Mildred in "Of Human Bondage" (1934), which was her first
critically acclaimed hit. Her role in "Dangerous" (1935)
led to her nomination for a Best Actress Oscar. She became the first
Warner Brothers actress to win the award. (Official
Site)
Although she was
having great success, Warner Brothers continued to cast Bette in
poor-quality films, and in 1936, three years before her contract was
up, Bette challenged the studio by going to England to make films.
(Official Site)
The studio suspended her, and Warner Brothers and Bette battled it
out in court. Bette lost the fight and was forced to honor her
contract and return to Hollywood. Warner Brothers got the message
though; they offered a new contract and began offering her better
roles. In 1939 she won her second Oscar for “Jezebel” (1938) and
also received Oscar nomination for the next five years in a row.
(Encyclopedia)
Bette
earned a reputation for being difficult to work with, but by 1942 she
was the highest paid woman in America. Bette contributed to
the war effort by helping to organize the Hollywood Canteen during
World War II for soldiers passing through Los Angeles. In 1980, she
was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, the Defense
Department's highest civilian award, for running the Hollywood
Canteen. (Moseley
147)
Bette
wrote two books about her life, “the Lonely Life” and “This 'N
That”. “This 'N That” answered charges by her daughter that
Bette was an alcoholic who had abused her children. (Encyclopedia)
Bette was married four times. First was to Harmon Oscar Nelson on
August 18, 1932 who she then divorced. Her second marriage was to
Arthur Farnsworth in December 1940 (he died in August 1943). Her
third marriage was to William Grant Sherry on November 30th,
1945 and with him had her first child B.D. (Barbara Davis Sherry)
Hyman. After her divorce from William, Bette married Gary Merrill in
August of 1950 and the two adopted two children, Michael and Margot.
(Higham 57)
With a
career total of more than 100 films, Bette changed the way Hollywood
looked at actresses. In the last five years of her life, Bette
suffered from cancer and at the age of 75, Bette had a mastectomy due
to breast cancer. Nine days later, she suffered a stroke. Although
her health was failing, she continued to act until her death. Bette
passed away October 6, 1989 in France.
References
Higham,
Charles. Bette,
The Life of Bette Davis.
New York: Macmillan Publishing Company Inc., 1981. Print
Moseley,
Roy. Bette
Davis an Intimate Memoir.
New York: Donald I. Fine Inc., 1987. Print.
n.p.
“Bette
Davis: The Official Site”. Version 1. The Bette Davis Foundation,
n.d. Web. May 16, 2012
n.p.
“Bette Davis Biography”. Version 1. Encyclopedia of World
Biography, n.d. Web. May 16, 2012
One thing that I noticed about the film starring Bette Davis, but did not discuss in class was how the accessories for the red dress and the white dress differed in reflection to the persona that Bette's character wanted to portray. I noticed the large madeleine in-between her breasts when wearing the red dress. This reflects her releasing her sexuality and her sense to challenge others and yet be armored against the outcome (people’s reactions being too much for her) . While wearing the white dress, Bette's character wore a halo-like hair accessory around her head. This obviously reflects the character's transition into trying to appear innocent, and she even mentions baptism. Just shows how much goes into dressing the characters.
ReplyDeleteLauren, I too noticed the word “baptism” utilized quite slight and quick, while in the white dress, referring to pure and innocent. The large broach caught the lights and twinkled so brightly that I focused on that more than her facial features. Yes, the dressing of the characters in this movie so influences our attitudes, that it helps transition from one scene to the next, developing a deeper thought as to who the character is or would like to be during that part of her life. I don’t know if this movie would have been as exciting if not for the controversial red dress going against the grain of society and rebelling against the south cultural of the times. Even to this day we can still see southern culture at its finest in the traditional mannerisms still of today. At that time she was shunned and rightly so. It did not surprise me that Preston brought home a wife. When one of the characters mentioned that Preston was returning home and bringing something very precious or valuable from the North; I knew he had to be referring to a wife. With Preston’s educational background there was no way that he could have returned to the south and conformed to Julie’s ways of the previous year. Amy was the complete opposite of Julie, which fit the role required of the lady at that time in history. I was surprised when Amy allowed Julie to travel to the island to tend to Preston. Their demise could have ended so many ways; they both lived; they both died. Yet Amy would be waiting if he did survive, considering she realized that Julie would never make Preston happy. A wonderful movie with so many meanings and glimpses into our past history of the South culture as it was.
DeleteI thought it was interesting that when she was wearing the red dress, she was very still, perhaps because it wasn't going her way; but when she was in the white dress she was constantly plucking at it, playing with the lace. maybe because she was uncomfortable in a dress she really didn't want to wear. In our book it spoke of the 4th "dress" being the cloak she wore when going back into New Orleans - I didn't get the plain references, I just thought she wore that as camouflage against being caught - just a thought.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the cloak was great for camouflage, the book said that it signified Julie putting aside fashion to sacrifice herself. Earlier in the movie, we all noticed how fashion had a significant role, especially for Julie who was constantly rebelling; first by wearing her riding attire to her engagement party, and secondly by wearing the red dress instead of the white to the Olympus Ball. I think the cloak does a good job of showing the audience just how much Julie is willing to sacrifice to accompany Preston to the island. "When a woman gives up fashion, she is truly sacrificing herself." (Basinger, 134)
DeleteExcellent observations. I notice she wears a necklace with the white dress as well, but it sits much higher, which supports your view on the first necklace and its purpose of allure.
ReplyDeleteThe notion of the white dress halo is appealing, but it strikes me as slightly more like a wedding veil, which is of course her hope at that moment (sadly mistaken though it be).
The cloak is camouflage, but I don't think it undercuts the thought that Julie has put off her finery. She's certainly not the flashy belle of the earlier scenes. I suppose it might be used as a factor in deciding where she is ultimately internally--perhaps only camouflaged?--though that's not my view.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the opening scene where the camera is traveling along a market street in New Orleans. Director Wyler’s use of a moving camera really lent the air of reality to the movie by giving the audience the feeling of being present at the location; the viewer feels like a participant in the film.
ReplyDeleteAnother scene that I found fascinating occurred in the ballroom during the Olympus Ball. As the dance floor cleared due to Marsden’s inappropriate attire, the retreating couples encircled the ballroom floor. As the dance floor cleared, the attendees could have lined up any which way, or left the ballroom entirely. Due to the manner in which the women encompassed the dance floor, Marsden’s red dress easily stood out as she and Dillard danced alone. All of the unmarried women wearing white dresses stopped at the edge of the dance floor. I found this to be a extremely powerful visual and further drove home the point that “When in Rome, do as the Romans do!” The South is deeply traditional, and the only thing that mattered was Marsden’s unwillingness to conform to the rules of societal ritual; her reason for doing so was immaterial.
Peach - I too was really caught up in the ballroom scene. The cinematography was pretty spectacular. I loved the camera movement from behind the orchestra to set a tone of elegance along with the sea of white dresses to emphasize purity/chastity/etc. At first it surprised me that Davis' character became uncomfortable. I assumed that since she was so adamant about wearing the dress in the first place that she would have gone through the entire night without giving it another thought. Her embarrassment and Pres's rejection shortly afterward reminded me more of a parent/child relationship than a romantic relationship. When Julie wears the dress to spite Pres, it seemed like a child refusing to get dressed in the morning in an attempt to establish dominance. (As you can tell, I have had some experience in this department.) The parent (Pres) takes her to school in her pajamas rather than allowing her to win the battle. The child's embarrassment at school proves that she is not as strong as she would like to think. This parent/child relationship persists up until the ending. When Julie risks her life (or GIVES her life) to be with Pres, it shows that she is finally placing others before herself. This is the first real maternal action on Julie's part in the film. Although she dies in the end, she does so with a sense of purpose in her sacrifice (a very "Tale of Two Cities ending.").
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about her dress fiasco as a parent/child relationship experience like you stated but the more I think about it, read your description, and think about my own personal experiences it makes a lot more sense on how she possibly felt in that situation. Once she goes through with it and gets the vibe from not only Press but also everyone else she realizes that she is not as strong as she once thought and maybe in a sense sees that she does not have it all figured out like she might have thought. This is definitely a life altering experience for her and it helps shape her future and her becoming more selfless.
DeleteI had heard that the ballroom scene was one of the famous scenes, so my attention was drawn to this scene also. I thought it was interesting how all the ladies in that time was to wear white that indicated purity yet resembled what might be worn in a wedding. The headstrong of Julie seemed to backfire on her when she didn't get what she wanted in the relationship but yet got her point across clearly on how she stood for the attention. In the end, it seems that she has had a change of heart but sorely too late for the relationship. This makes me think of how sometimes we act in our everyday life and only realizing that hindsite is twenty-twenty.
ReplyDelete