Directed by:
William WylerCinematography:
Ernest HallerComposer:
Max SteinerCast:
Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Donald Crisp, Fay Bainter, Richard Cromwell, Henry O'Neill, Spring Byington, John Litel (more)Plots(1)
In New Orleans, in 1850, Julie Marsden, a strong-willed Southern belle, is engaged to marry Preston Dillard, a prominent New Orleans banker with an equally strong mind. Their struggle for supremacy in the relationship comes to a head the night of a traditional ball to which unmarried women are expected to wear white, but Julie defiantly insists on wearing red. Pres is shocked, but ultimately agrees to escort her. At the ball, Julie begins to regret her decision, but Pres forces her to dance, and afterward ends their engagement. In disbelief, Julie waits for Pres to apologize, but he stands his ground, leaving for the North on business. When he returns, she humbles herself in front of him, begging for forgiveness, but it is too late. Pres has married a Yankee, Amy Bradford, and asks Julie to accept his wife without bitterness. The growing threat of yellow fever in New Orleans has forced Julie and her Aunt Belle to move to their country plantation. There they entertain the Dillards, Pres's younger brother Ted, and one of Julie's persistent suitors, the rebellious Buck Cantrell. At dinner, Pres and Buck argue politics, but Pres is called to town and it is Ted who finishes the argument in a duel with Buck. Buck is killed, and Pres is struck down with fever. Julie sneaks through the fever line with the help of her servant, Gros Bat. In town, Dr. Livingstone tells Julie that Pres must go to the leper colony for quarantine. Amy, accompanied by Ted and Aunt Belle, follows Julie, and as Pres's wife, she insists on attending to him. In a final confrontation, Julie convinces Amy that her ignorance of Southern ways means certain death for them both. Amy acquiesces, and Julie rides into the night at Pres's side. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Bette Davis
USA
Best movies:
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
All About Eve (1950)
The Little Foxes (1941)
Henry Fonda
USA
Best movies:
12 Angry Men (1957)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Fail-Safe (1964)
George Brent
Ireland
Best movies:
The Rains Came (1939)
Dark Victory (1939)
Jezebel (1938)
Margaret Lindsay
USA
Best movies:
Scarlet Street (1945)
Jezebel (1938)
'G' Men (1935)
Donald Crisp
UK
Best movies:
The Viking (1928)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
The Dawn Patrol (1938)
Fay Bainter
USA
Best movies:
Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
The Children's Hour (1961)
Jezebel (1938)
Richard Cromwell
USA
Best movies:
Jezebel (1938)
King of Jazz (1930)
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Henry O'Neill
USA
Best movies:
Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
The People Against O'Hara (1951)
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
Spring Byington
USA
Best movies:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)
Jezebel (1938)
You Can't Take It with You (1938)
John Litel
USA
Best movies:
Dodge City (1939)
Jezebel (1938)
Key Largo (1948)
Gordon Oliver
USA
Best movies:
Jezebel (1938)
Since You Went Away (1944)
San Quentin (1937)
Janet Shaw
USA
Best movies:
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Jezebel (1938)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Irving Pichel
USA
Best movies:
Jezebel (1938)
Juarez (1939)
They Won't Believe Me (1947)
Frank Darien
USA
Best movies:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)
You Gotta Stay Happy (1948)
Hellzapoppin' (1941)
John Harron
USA
Best movies:
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Dark Victory (1939)
Sam McDaniel
USA
Best movies:
Double Indemnity (1944)
Captains Courageous (1937)
Union Pacific (1939)
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson
USA
Best movies:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Love Is News (1937)
Jezebel (1938)
Charles Wagenheim
USA
Best movies:
Miracle of Fatima (1952)
Inherit the Wind (1960)
Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
Al Bridge
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Charles Middleton
USA
Best movies:
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
The Good Earth (1937)
Gone with the Wind (1939)