BEYOND THE FOREST

US, 1949, 97 minutes, Black and white.
Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, David Brian, Ruth Roman.
Directed by King Vidor.

Beyond the Forest has to be most of the most extreme examples of Hollywood melodrama. It is everything that a soap opera normally has – and then some.

One of the reasons for the extremities is the presence and performance by Bette Davis as Rosa Moline, the wife of a small-town doctor who dreams of better times and going to Chicago. When she gets enough money to leave her husband, she goes to Chicago and takes up with a businessman played by David Brian. When he doesn’t want her, she returns to town pregnant.

The film is immortalised in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf when Martha, played by Elizabeth Taylor, comes into the house and repeats Bette Davis’s line from this film, “What a dump,” emphasising the “p" in dump.

Joseph Cotten is supportive as the wronged doctor. David Brian is sinister as the businessman.

Max Steiner’s score was nominated for an Oscar – and incorporates the popular theme of “Chicago”.

The film was directed by King Vidor. Vidor had had a long and very successful career in Hollywood from 1913 when he began directing. The Big Parade in 1925 was one of his greatest achievements. He also made such films as The Crowd, The Patsy and Hallelujah at the time of transition to sound. He continued to make films during the 1930s, including Stella Dallas and The Citadel and moved into the 40s with another heightened melodrama, Duel in the Sun. He continued directing until 1960 making another high melodrama, Ruby Gentry, with Jennifer Jones as well as the version of War and Peace with Henry Fonda and Audrey Hepburn and Solomon and Sheba.

1. The meaning of the title? Its relevance to the situation of the town? Indication of themes?

2. The film as a Bette Davis vehicle? On what aspects of her talent did it rely? A melodrama of the late forties? Black and white photography and atmosphere? The use of music,. especially the Chicago theme?

3. The appeal to audiences of turgid melodrama? Soap-opera appeal? Romance and evil? A court-case and flashbacks? A bad end for an unheroic heroine?

4. The film’s emphasis on the town? The portraying of it in detail? Its ugliness, narrow outlook, the mills? The visual presentation and its effect on Rosa?

5. The importance of the openings the empty town, the curious people in the court house, the court-case, the emphasis, focus on Rosa? The nature of the narrative?

6. Rosa as the focus of the whole film? What type of woman was she? As she looked and sounded? How suitable was Bette Davis for this role in terms of beauty, age? The ambiguity of an older woman trying to look younger? How evil a woman was she? How weak? Her being hated by the town? Her role in the town, her husband's
career? Her relationships with people and her arrogance? Her desires and ambitions? How was she driven and why?

7. The emphasis on the station, and the train going to Chicago? How was Chicago a dream world? The playing of the theme and its recurrence during Rosa’s desires?

8. The man whom Rosa had a passion for? In himself, as a businessman from Chicago, his allowing himself to be held by Rosa? What hold did she want to have on him? Her trip to Chicago and insisting on seeing him? Her being played with? Rejected? The significance of her walk down the Chicago streets to the music?

9. The contrast with the attractive daughter? What did this do to Rosa?

10. Rosa and her husband? What kind of relationship? His trying to please her? Her impatience and moodiness? Their holidays together, her deception of him and her meeting her lover? Her wilfulness in the shooting and the murder? What motivated her to murder?

11. The trial, its effect on her, effect on the people? Public opinion and its effect? Standards and double standards?

12. The significance of Rosa having a baby? Did she have any motherly Instincts? Her growth in weakness, hatred being abandoned? Her telling the truth and the spite in her telling the truth?

13. The melodrama of her death and its irony at the station? A bad end for a bad person? Was this over-melodramatic?

14. Did the film illustrate the moral given at the beginning about a wicked person? Did the film give insight into evil?