The Little Foxes (1941) in Color — Starring Bette Davis & Herbert Marshall

The Little Foxes (1941) — Buy This Classic in Color

Experience the scorching dramatic masterpiece The Little Foxes (1941) colorized in stunning HD quality. Directed by William Wyler, this powerful adaptation of Lillian Hellman’s acclaimed Broadway play stars Bette Davis in a ferociously compelling performance as Regina Giddens, the ruthlessly ambitious matriarch of a rapacious Southern family willing to destroy anything — including each other — in their hunger for wealth and power. Now available as an instant, DRM-free digital download for only €15.00.

Plot Summary

In a small Southern town at the turn of the twentieth century, the Hubbard family — brothers Ben (Charles Dingle) and Oscar (Carl Benton Reid), and their formidable sister Regina Giddens (Bette Davis) — are on the verge of their greatest triumph: a lucrative deal to bring a cotton mill to their town in partnership with a Chicago industrialist. The deal will make them fabulously wealthy, but Regina needs $75,000 — her share of the investment — and the money is controlled by her ailing husband Horace (Herbert Marshall), who is recuperating from a serious heart condition at a Baltimore hospital.

Regina dispatches her sweet, innocent daughter Alexandra (Teresa Wright) to bring Horace home, but Horace — a decent man who has long been disgusted by the Hubbard family’s greed, cruelty, and exploitation of the poor and the powerless — refuses to invest. He sees the cotton mill for what it is: another scheme to build wealth by grinding down the vulnerable. He tells Regina flatly that he will not participate.

Regina’s response is devastating in its cold calculation. Working with her equally rapacious brothers, she discovers that Oscar’s weak, alcoholic son Leo (Dan Duryea) has stolen negotiable bonds from Horace’s safe deposit box — and she uses this knowledge not to restore justice but as leverage to extort a larger share of the deal for herself. When Horace, heartsick at the depths of his wife’s corruption, threatens to expose the theft and cut Regina out of his will entirely, the confrontation between husband and wife becomes one of the most shockingly powerful scenes in American cinema — a moment of calculated cruelty that reveals the full, terrifying scope of Regina’s ambition.

Cast & Crew

Director: William Wyler
Stars: Bette Davis delivers a towering, icily magnificent performance as Regina Giddens — a portrayal of aristocratic ruthlessness and buried fury that stands among the greatest sustained acting achievements in cinema. Herbert Marshall is deeply moving as the morally decent but physically failing Horace. Teresa Wright earned an Oscar nomination in her film debut as the idealistic Alexandra. Charles Dingle and Carl Benton Reid are superb as the scheming Hubbard brothers, Dan Duryea makes a memorable impression as the craven Leo, and Patricia Collinge is heartbreaking as the downtrodden Aunt Birdie.

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This professionally colorized edition enhances the film’s opulent Southern interiors and period costumes with era-accurate hues. The Giddens mansion’s gilded respectability, the lush period wardrobes, and the stifling atmospheric tension of every scene gain striking visual richness through careful colour restoration. Now also available in colour.

Buy now for an instant, secure digital download with no DRM restrictions. Compatible with all devices that play MP4 files.

Historical Significance

Released in 1941, The Little Foxes earned nine Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress for Bette Davis, and Best Supporting Actress for both Teresa Wright and Patricia Collinge. Adapted from Lillian Hellman’s 1939 Broadway hit, the film is considered one of the finest stage-to-screen translations in cinema history. Gregg Toland’s revolutionary deep-focus cinematography — developed concurrently with his work on Citizen Kane — gives every scene extraordinary visual depth and dramatic power. Through colorization, this essential masterpiece of American drama is preserved for modern audiences.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4
• Resolution: HD 720p
• Colorized: Yes — professionally restored frame-by-frame
• Audio: Original English mono soundtrack
• Runtime: 116 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — play anywhere, keep forever
• Instant download: Yes — available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: How many Oscar nominations did this film receive?
A: Nine Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress (Bette Davis), and dual Best Supporting Actress nominations for Teresa Wright and Patricia Collinge.

Q: Is this based on a play?
A: Yes, it is adapted from Lillian Hellman’s acclaimed 1939 Broadway play, which ran for 410 performances and is considered one of the great works of American theatre.

Q: Is Gregg Toland the cinematographer?
A: Yes, the legendary Toland employed the same revolutionary deep-focus photography he was simultaneously developing for Citizen Kane, giving the film extraordinary visual depth and dramatic power.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as a high-quality MP4 file compatible with all modern devices and media players.

Q: Is there DRM protection?
A: No. The download is completely DRM-free — you own it outright and can play it on any device forever.

Q: How do I receive the film after purchase?
A: You receive an instant download link immediately after payment. A backup copy of the link is also sent to your email address.

Related Colorized Classics

• All About Eve (1950)
• Jezebel (1938)
• The Heiress (1949)
• A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
• The Nanny (1965)