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Davis was real; no, she was more than real,
she was tangible. It was said that she once told a reporter
that the only reason that she worked so hard was that there
were so few real actresses in film. She knew she wasn't
pretty, yet people adored her. There are even songs written
about this dynamic diva! "Until you're known in my
profession as a monster, you're not a star," she once
said, which showed that for Davis, stardom was a "protracted
war".
And the public loved her for it. She was
nothing short of a box office hit, delivering one blockbuster
after another, throughout the thirties and forties. As of
1948, she became the highest paid "star" in Hollywood.
She was known for her anti-heroism, and her intensity; being
an inspired woman to walk the fine line. Men loved her,
having a passionate dream to tame her; unlikely. In such
performances like that of "Of Human Bondage" (1934),"Jezebel"
(1938), "The Letter" (1940), and "In This
Our Life" (1942), we see that no one is as good as
Bette when she plays bad.
But they seemed to have missed the point,
which she clearly stated, in 1950's "All About Eve",
that her characters were about strength. She received her
eighth out of ten Oscar nominations for that film, and it
seemed as if Davis had found her niche. She had the will
to inspire and inspire she did, especially with one of her
last credited films, 1942's "Now, Voyager".
(CD)
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