This was the film about deep Southern attitudes vs Northern attitudes that came out before "Gone With the Wind" and left Davis out of the running for the role of Scarlet O'Hara.  It was the second film she made with director William Wyler and the best of the three.  She also won her second Academy Award for the role.  Davis' character, Julie, is not all that unlike Scarlet.  She is very headstrong and full of bad decisions, but this is what makes the film work so well.  Her character is compelling in that you feel like you are watching a train wreck in action.  It's horrible but you can't look away.  This is the earliest of the films I watched from Davis' Golden Era and she is quite young, very attractive, with an array of beautiful costumes to wear.  Plus the cinematography and sets are thick with atmosphere.<br /><br />"Jezebel" does have the somewhat same patronizing attitude towards blacks that "Gone With the Wind" had, but at least it wasn't as objectionable as it was in "Little Foxes," Davis' next and final collaboration with Wyler.  Aside from Davis, who really does give a great performance, Henry Fonda is quite memorable.  Yet on top of everything, the ending is so unusual for a film of this period that it just made my jaw drop.  Of all the Bette Davis films I've seen from this period of her career I rate this one the highest.  It's a classic for sure, and is far more than just a Bette Davis film, certainly well worth experiencing. 