Bette Davis is, decidedly, in my top ten actresses of all time. I adore her like I adore Laura Linney, like I adore Kate Winslet, like I adore Meryl Streep. She had beyond charisma, but also the skills to boot. In one of my classes last year, we read The Little Foxes. It's a pretty dull play. Then, however, we watched the movie, and damn. In every imaginable way, Bette brought it to life - with nuance, passion, fire, and, again, that darn charisma (that's also the class that introduced me to Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, but that's another story for another time...). And the thing is - it's far from her best performance! I haven't seen nearly all her work, but I still love her.
I love how her IMDb bio says she was credited at times as "Miss Bette Davis," and I fully agree with this name. She should be called that. She was far from beautiful, but she gives me hope because she proves that women with real talent and spark can actually make it in the crazy film business. Happy birthday, Bette.
I love how her IMDb bio says she was credited at times as "Miss Bette Davis," and I fully agree with this name. She should be called that. She was far from beautiful, but she gives me hope because she proves that women with real talent and spark can actually make it in the crazy film business. Happy birthday, Bette.
