Die kleinen Füchse (1941)

Die kleinen Füchse: Directed by William Wyler. With Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright, Richard Carlson. The ruthless, moneyed Hubbard clan lives in, and poisons, their part of the deep South at the turn of the twentieth century.

“Superb playwright, Lillian Hellman (1905-84) wrote this screenplay for u0026quot;The Little Foxes,u0026quot; saying that she u0026quot;wrote her u0026#39;angry comedyu0026#39; based on her own familyu0026#39;s biannual dinner at which people drew lots for a diamond that had been left in her great-grandmotheru0026#39;s estate.u0026quot; Hellmanu0026#39;s first play for Samuel Goldwyn was u0026quot;The Childrenu0026#39;s Hour.u0026quot; She was in lover with u0026amp; influenced by author u0026amp; screenplay writer, Dashiel Hammett. This later became a hit book, script u0026amp; film based upon a 19th century case of two girlsu0026#39; school mistresses whose reputations were ruined when one of their pupils accused them of lesbianism. Hellman was not afraid to be controversial or write about the unspeakable truths of the day.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAfter a poor showing of Hellmanu0026#39;s u0026quot;Days to Comeu0026quot; in 1936, about labor struggles in an Ohio town, Hellman said she u0026quot;was so scared {that she} wrote u0026quot;Little Foxes, 1939, nine times.u0026quot; This is the script that made her reputation as a playwright famous. (Jane Fonda plays Lillian Hellman in the movie u0026quot;Juliau0026quot; a true story about her best friend, played by Vanessa Redgrave; Jason Robards plays Dashiel).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;The Little Foxesu0026quot; is a vivid portrayal of sibling rivalry, Southern plantation slavery u0026amp; most of all, greed in the Hubbard family of Alabama. The story takes place at the turn of the 19th-20th century, in the deep South of Alabama where the Hubbard siblings are involved in their own brand of a power-hungry uncivil war. Who better to play the reigning schemer Regina than Bette Davis, the Hubbard sibling who commands ownership of a cotton mill that exploits slaves while yielding millions of dollars on their bent backs? Davis gives another Oscar worthy performance, leading a near perfect cast through a major screen achievement that is a page in US history.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe DVD is almost 2 hours long u0026amp; in black and white, with English, French u0026amp; Spanish subtitles. The story is a bone chilling indictment of Alabaman slave plantation white corruption u0026amp; greed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNo one should ever say that Lillian Hellman wasnu0026#39;t a controversial u0026amp; highly political playwright! The film is not rated probably because anyone could watch it. Though I imagine it would bore little children since the playu0026#39;s basic themes are quite complex for adults.”