Bette Davis stars as Julie, a Southern Belle in the Antebellum South. This movie predates the famed Gone With The Wind, and in many ways outdoes it--having more to offer--namely the incomparable Bette Davis. <br /><br />Julie is so much more than a pouting, prissy Southern Belle. She does what she wants when she wants. She doesn't care what others think about it--whether it's wearing a red dress to a ball while others consider that 'taboo' or sitting out on the porch with the slaves, singing spirituals. <br /><br />She was a feminist before there was feminist--a liberated woman before women's lib. She was to strong to be quiet and genteel. And her beauty lay in her strengths. <br /><br />Bette Davis does a remarkable job of portraying this character, going from a catty, to strong willed, to kind hearted and self-sacrificing. We see every facet of the brilliant diamond that is Julie through Davis' superb acting. <br /><br />The plot is gripping, and realistic--true to the historical nature of the Antebellum Era. But it specifically deals with one woman's struggle to redeem herself against a reputation as a "Jezebel" during an era where certain things were considered "Taboo" and improper for a young lady of the south. <br /><br />And yes...I cry at the end. But it's bittersweet tears.