The 8 Bette Davis Movies That Defined Her Career

Even those who have never seen one Beth Davis Film know her name and that her legacy represented movie stardom in its purest form. With eyes so striking that there were songs written about them, Davis burst into Hollywood as an uncompromising actress, not afraid to look brash and aggressive in the name of playing compelling, sardonic and sometimes unlikeable characters. With an ability to capture the highs and lows of heartbreak and grief while having a nuanced understanding of when to play it big for the cameras and when to pull back, Davis was truly an icon of cinema.

While the best Bette Davis movies are among the greatest films ever produced, her career also featured many ups and downs as her relationship with stardom was complex and inconsistent. Davis achieved widespread recognition through Oscar-winning roles in the 1930sHas an all-time career high with All about Eve In 1950, and reignited her career in the 1960s in What ever happened to Baby Jane? Through her notorious feud with Joan Crawford, Davis remained a touchstone of popular culture and a celebrity the world would never see again.

8

Bad Sister (1931)

Bette Davis as Laura Madison

After getting her start in acting with shows on Broadway, Bette Davis set her sights on Hollywood and secured a deal with Universal Studios for her first movie role in Bad sister. As a melodrama of romance and deception, Davis played the good sister, Laura, while Sydney Fox gained the much more interesting role of the unlikeable titular bad sister. With the power of hindsight, the roles should be switched, although Davis’ untapped potential for playing morally complex, self-involved, downright nasty characters has yet to be realized.

Bad sister was notable primarily as the starting point for Davis’ career and as her first of seven movies with Humphrey Bogart, who played the slick hustler tending the Madison family while vowing the wayward daughter. It is An early indication of Davis’ star potentialBut in general, the role showed Universal did not quite know what to do with her. Fortunately, this would only be a minor step back in her burgeoning career, as Davis would join Warner Bros. in 1932 and begin getting parts that suited her skills much better.

7

Of Human Slavery (1934)

Bette Davis as Mildred Rogers

Bette Davis finally earns a role she can really sink her teeth into as the ordinary waitress Mildred Rogers in of human slavery. Based on the acclaimed novel by W. Somerset Maugham, of human slavery Tells the sad story of Philip Carey (Leslie Howard), a failed artist-turned-doctor who was completely infatuated with Mildred. While Mildred was flattered by the lavish attention Philip showed her, she did not respect him and constantly broke his heart by dropping him in front of other people, falling pregnant, and crawling back with tears in her eyes.

of human slavery was the story of a man who consistently tried to see the best in a woman who was determined to show her worst. Davis was perfect in this kind of role, and although she received her first Academy Award nomination for playing Mildred, she Lost the prize to Claudette Colbert in It was one night. However, Davis’ performance was too impressive for Hollywood to ignore, and it opened the door for her to begin playing more sardonic, often unlikeable, and hopelessly tragic characters in the future.

6

Dangerous (1935)

Bette Davis as Joyce Heath

It seemed that Hollywood was determined to make it up to Bette Davis for passing over her after her Academy Award-worthy performance in of human slavery, And they gave her the Oscar for her slightly less compelling role in Dangerous. Although down-and-out actress Joyce Heath’s character doesn’t have the same emotional bite as Mildred Rogers, it’s still a strong showcase of her range. As the story of a once promising star turned hopeless drunk, Joyce was the most exciting actress on Broadway until a series of misfortunes led to the rumor that she was jinxed.

However, a young man named Don Bellows (Franchot Tone) saw Joyce’s potential, and he gave her the tools to rehabilitate herself and return to the stage. Along the way, Don and Joyce fall in love, and he even considers leaving his fiancée for her in this melodrama of acting, affairs and alcohol. While Dangerous Signaled an early triumph for Davis due to her Oscar winIt was also a pivotal moment in her notorious feud with fellow actress Joan Crawford, who, behind the scenes, became engaged to Tony, whom Davis fell in love with on set.

5

Jezebel (1938)

Bette Davis as Julie Marsden

While of human slavery signal your arrival and Dangerous Deserves its accolades, it was in Jezebel That Bette Davis solidified her reputation as a consistent Hollywood star. Set in 1850s Louisiana and starring Davis as the free-spirited Southern belle Julie Marsden, Jezebel Tells the story of how arrogance and pride led to the loss of her fiance, although the headstrong woman was determined to win him back. Starring Davis alongside Henry Fonda, Jezebel was an epic period drama of romance set amid New Orleans’ most deadly yellow fever epidemic.

Davis would win her second Oscar for her role in JezebelA part that maintained her normally fiery persona as director William Wheeler embraced a softer side of her talents. But as a story of resistance, love and redemption, there were still plenty of glimpses into Davis’ more bombastic and volatile tendencies. Jezebel was the film in which Davis learned to control her acting gifts, knowing when to go big and when to keep things more reserved for maximum effect.

4

Now, Wager (1942)

Bette Davis as Charlotte Vale

After making a name for herself as a Hollywood star in the 1930s, Bette Davis continued her hot streak as one of America’s most celebrated leading ladies during the 1940s. This decade included more Academy Award-nominated performances, such as in The letter, The little foxAnd Mr. SkeffingtonAlthough her most impressive Oscar-nominated role in the 1940s was Now, Voyager. Here, Davis once again showed that no one can play a damaged woman quite like her, because the sad existence of Charlotte Vale’s life, which was brutally dominated by her aristocratic mother, was on full display.

As a rough, quiet, overweight and neurotic woman, the verbal and emotional abuse Charlotte faced led to the sanatorium, where, away from her mother’s influence, her confidence blossomed and she was given a new life. with A love story between Davis and Paul Henreid At the center of his sad story, Now, Voyager Explore the difficulties of finding one’s way in life and the blockades that a bad upbringing can create. Now, Voyager was an excellent showcase of Davis’ increasing talent throughout the 1940s, even as her star began to wane in the latter part of the decade.

3

All About Eve (1950)

Bette Davis as Margo Channing

Until then All about Eve was released in 1950, it looked like Bette Davis’ time at the top had already come to an end. However, Davis’ faltering career in the late 1940s only made her role as the aging Broadway star Margo Channing more impressive, as it was clear that she shared many similarities with the wayward protagonist. As Margo made movie history with her famous utterance, “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night“, she earned her most famous role in a movie that would be widely regarded as among the greatest films ever made.

All about Eve Shown how Margo’s career and personal life are dismantled by an ambitious young fan named Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), who infiltrates her existence. With top-notch direction and writing by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and a spectacular performance by Davis, it’s no surprise All about Eve became a huge hit with critics and audiencesGaining a record 14 Academy Award nominations. Taking home Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, one of Hollywood’s biggest oversights was that Davis didn’t get an Oscar for her incredible portrayal of Margo Channing.

2

What ever happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Bette Davis as Jane Hudson

Cinema changed a lot from the 1930s to the 1960s, and along the way many of the biggest stars of the early era fell by the wayside and became forgotten relics of a bygone era. This is not the case for Bette Davis, who has found a unique way to stay relevant as she satirizes not only her own legacy, but American society’s preoccupation with youth in What ever happened to Baby Jane? with Davis starring opposite her longtime rival Joan CrawfordThis psychological horror revitalized both of their careers for a new era.

As a former child star whose life was marred by alcoholism, Davis played Jane Hudson while Crawford portrayed her sister Blanche, who also became a Hollywood actress after her sister’s career was cut short by a car accident. Baby Jane was a story of bitter resentment and terrible cruelty that had an engaging and twin campy feel. It was the role that earned Davis her tenth and final Academy Award nomination and led to similar later parts in psychological horrors such as Sha…Shoot, sweet Charlotte.

1

Wicked Stepmother (1989)

Bette Davis as Miranda Pierpoint

Despite being one of the biggest stars to ever come out of Hollywood, the last decade of Bette Davis’ career mostly consisted of TV movies and unmemorable performances. As an actress known for portraying tragic characters, her last film role in Wicked step mother is ironically plagued by behind-the-scenes frustration, breast cancer and declining health. actually, Davis didn’t even finish filming her role As Miranda Pierpoint and dropped out of the production, stating (via Far out), “I would be ashamed if people thought I had such a sanction“and”People will be afraid of the pictures on me.”

Davis’s negative perception of Wicked step mother It was understandable, because she portrayed a cigarette-smoking witch who shares her existence with her hapless daughter. There is no denying that Wicked step mother was a bad film and a sad footnote at the end of Davis’ incredible career. As an actress who truly transformed how a woman could be depicted on screen through her bold and uncompromising characteristics, Wicked step mother Wasn’t a worthy end to her legacy. yet Beth Davis Star shone so brightly that when telling the story of her life, she would be remembered for her victories and not her follies.

Source: Far out