The Little Foxes

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The Little Foxes

1941

1h 56m

Drama

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100%

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16 Reviews

87%

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500+ Ratings

Regina Hubbard Giddens (Bette Davis) and her scheming brothers, Oscar (Carl Benton Reid) and Ben (Charles Dingle), plan to get rich from a cotton mill, but first they must tap into the wealth of Regina's sickly husband, Horace Giddens (Herbert Marshall). The trio attempts to marry Regina's daughter Alexandra (Teresa Wright) to Oscar's son Leo (Dan Duryea). When that plan fails, their schemes devolve into theft and blackmail, driving an irreparable wedge between family members.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

08/29/2022

8/10

An excellent occasion for Davis to show her chops as a villain.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

03/02/2018

Bette Davis could freeze almost anyone with her icy stare, the practiced look of a woman who's learned how to operate in the man's world of business, in director William Wyler's film version of Lillian Hellman's chilly play...

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Neil Cohen

Echo Magazine

07/29/2007

5/5

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

05/30/2007

A-

When viewed today, the hysterical melodrama seems creaky.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

11/16/2006

B+

Significantly (and surprisingly) the nasty tone of Hellman's morality drama about corruption and greed in a Southern clan remained intact, allowing Bette Davis (in a role that Bankhead originated on stage) to shine as the amoral and immoral matriarch

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Daniel M. Kimmel

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

09/16/2005

4/5

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Garry A

@heavyg Apr 11

The family in this movie is so greedy! Bette Davis is fun to watch. She plays the diva role so well.

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Richard N

@Pauldc1066 Jan 2

At the time, Davis’ performance in this film was considered the finest performance by an American actress. This is the role that Davis should have won the Oscar for. It’s just incredible. Masterclass in acting. Her performance is one of several reasons why Bette Davis is the Greatest American Actress.WOW! If you have never seen this movie, I urge you to do so.

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Mike P

@RT09890132 02/17/2025

Kind of a Victorian Era version of Succession or Dallas; where members of a greedy family claw their way to the top of the inheritance chain... This is one of those movies that nobody remembers, but it had a big influence ... And the acting is all around superb.

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Julian S

@akajulianscott 11/30/2024

It’s worth the watch for Davis’s chillingly steely portrayal of the villain alone.

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Alec B

@Alec97 01/03/2024

Some things are lost in translating Hellman's play to the screen (inevitable I suppose) but Davis is perfection.

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Matthew D

@OceanSage 09/27/2023

Teresa Wright and Bette Davis are amazing, but all the men in this are so dry and boring. The Little Foxes is also way too long and slow. The old Southern racism doesn't help this one either. William Wyler's direction ranges from stylish to very flat and dull.

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William Wyler

Director

Bette Davis

Regina Giddens

Herbert Marshall

Horace Giddens

Dan Duryea

Leo Hubbard

Teresa Wright

Alexandra Giddens

Richard Carlson

David Hewitt

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Synopsis

Regina Hubbard Giddens (Bette Davis) and her scheming brothers, Oscar (Carl Benton Reid) and Ben (Charles Dingle), plan to get rich from a cotton mill, but first they must tap into the wealth of Regina's sickly husband, Horace Giddens (Herbert Marshall). The trio attempts to marry Regina's daughter Alexandra (Teresa Wright) to Oscar's son Leo (Dan Duryea). When that plan fails, their schemes devolve into theft and blackmail, driving an irreparable wedge between family members.

Director: William Wyler
Producer: Samuel Goldwyn
Screenwriter: Alan Campbell, Lillian Hellman, Arthur Kober, Dorothy Parker
Distributor: Embassy Pictures, Samuel Goldwyn Company, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co: Samuel Goldwyn Company
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 21, 1941, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 2020
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Mono