The Little Foxes

One can see clearly why audiences at the time were very impressed with the writing, direction, photography and performances, but this is one of those films (albeit an early example, and so one of the first) that revels in the sins of its characters, but in so doing tries a bit too hard to convey the feeling that, behind the exposure of the human tendency towards ugliness, there are themes of greater significance, in part by making overly obvious the psychological gulf between the connivers and those with whom we are meant to identify or sympathise: in particular, the scenes conveying the daughter Alexandra’s gradual awakening are all a bit of a yawn, and after a while even Bette Davis starts to seem a little too one-note, while the machinations of the plot start to seem a little too mechanical. Still, quite a few good lines.