William Wyler's - Jezebel - Bette Davis Henry Fonda

USA 1938

New Orleans, 1852, the Lympus Ball. Enter Julie Marston (Davis) dressed in scarlet. Deep shock from the maidens in white and the matrons in grey. She starts to waltz and couples shrink from the contaminating touch of her red gown. This justly famous scene from Jezebel (filmed, incidentally, in black-and-white) telescopes many of the film's themes. Julie is socially and sexually transgressive. Indeed her defiance of conventions threatens the very Social Order, and she is soon associated with the fever and fires that devastate the town. Preston Dillard (Fonda), engaged to Julie but already insecure in his masculinity, cannot cope with her dangerous sexuality and finds refuge with a safe woman from the North.

Excerpt from the TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release Date: March 10, 1938

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DVD Comparison:

Warner - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Warner (Restored and Remastered Edition) Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC

(Warner - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Warner (Restored and Remastered Edition) Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC RIGHT)

DVD Box Cover

Also available in The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2 with Marked Woman / Jezebel / The Man Who Came to Dinner / Old Acquaintance and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Two-Disc Special Edition:

Distribution

Warner Studios

Runtime

1:44:04

1:44:00

Video

1.33:1.00 Original Aspect ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.45 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.33:1.00 Original Aspect ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.73 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

Bitrate: Original

Bitrate: Restored and Remastered Edition

Audio

English (Dolby Digital 2.0 ), DUB: French (Dolby Digital Mono)

English (Dolby Digital 2.0)

Subtitles

English, Spanish, French and None

Features

Release Information:
Studio: Warner Studios

Aspect Ratio:
Original - 1.33:1

Discographic Information:
DVD Encoding: Region 1
Layers: Single

Edition Details:
• Black & White
• Theatrical trailer (4:3, un-restored - 2:01)

DVD Release Date: September 19, 2000
Snap Case
Chapters: 32

Release Information:
Studio: Warner Studios

Aspect Ratio:
Original - 1.33:1

Discographic Information:
DVD Encoding: Region 1,2,3,4
Layers: Dual

Edition Details:
• Commentary by: film historian Jeannine Basinger
• New featurette: Jezebel: Legend of the South (23:53)
• Vintage musical short: Melody Masters: Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (9:12)
• Classic cartoon: The Mice Will Play (6:51)
• Theatrical trailer (4:3, un-restored - 2:01)

DVD Release Date: May 30th, 2006
Keep Case
Chapters: 32

Comments:

ADDITION: Warner (Restored and Remastered Edition) Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC - May 2006 - Yes the image is improved, and most viewers will be able to see the superiority. The new transfer still has some dirt, marks and digital noise but black levels are richer and there has been some selective brightness boosting. One can see a 'blanket' boosting on the old release. I expect this is as good as the film may look digitally for a very long while.

Jeannine Basinger's commentary is very good - here is a lady who knows her stuff and she seemed prepared. The supplement featurette also has some merit and I am all for the inclusion of these vintage cartoons to start the film. Great stuff!

So everything is superior in the new edition, even the subtitles - (audio may be slightly stronger as well). The best part of the new edition is the price which beats out the older version by a few bucks... but we still strongly recommend the entire Bette Davis Collection Volume 2 for a further savings as opposed to buying individually.

****

Some work has been put into this DVD transfer, but it came out quite early in the Digital Versatile Disc evolution and hence could, nay should, be re-issued with many other Warner titles. The sound was actually quite acceptable for a film of this age. The image quality, shows some wear and tear and damage marks. There is frequent digital noise masquerading as grain. Still until this is re-released, buy a used copy (it is 'Out of Print') for a reasonable price. You won't be overly disappointed in this DVD.

Gary W. Tooze

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(Warner - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Warner (Restored and Remastered Edition) Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC RIGHT)

Subtitle Sample