Becky Sharp
- 1935
- Tous publics
- 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
Against the backdrop of Napoleon's Waterloo campaign, an ambitious woman from a family of entertainers begins a destructive climb up the social ladder.Against the backdrop of Napoleon's Waterloo campaign, an ambitious woman from a family of entertainers begins a destructive climb up the social ladder.Against the backdrop of Napoleon's Waterloo campaign, an ambitious woman from a family of entertainers begins a destructive climb up the social ladder.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 3 nominations total
G.P. Huntley
- George Osborne
- (as G.P. Huntley Jr.)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Miriam Hopkins delivers a great performance as a nonchalant woman who cheats her way through society before finding out that what goes around comes around, and of course she must find a way to redeem herself. The color in this film looks a lot better than most people of the day describes it as. And I think the guy who said the color looked like "boiled salmon dipped in mayonese" has had a little too much mayonese. Altogether, I highly recommend this film for anyone who can't seem to find a good movie to watch, because this is the one!
Cut-down story of Becky Sharp is not based on Thackeray's mammoth novel but on a play by Langdon Mitchell which starred Minnie Maddern Fiske in three productions between 1899 and 1911.
This 1935 film is famous as being the first feature film shot in Technicolor. Current version has been restored a few times and boasts brilliant colors that sometimes vary between scenes but are mostly pleasing.
Miriam Hopkins won her only Oscar nomination as Becky Sharp and dominates the film in nearly every scene. She brings her fiery southern charm to the screen as Becky, a woman who charms and cheats and cajoles her way into early 19th century British society. The Napoleonic Wars serve as a mere background.
Film opens with Becky graduating from a girls' school where she has served as a teacher. She has befriended Amelia Smedley (Frances Dee) and their lives intertwine as the years pass. Becky starts out as a governess but quickly snags a son of the house (Alan Mowbray) as a husband. Trouble is they both like to live the high life and are always in debt.
Becky turns to charm and teases a series of men into giving her money. She is a scandal among the posh set but never looks back. After her husband dies in a faraway war, she turns to performing on the stage but is a failure. She is saved once again by an old suitor and plans to run away with him to India, where they can live well on a little money.
Lowell Sherman had started directing the film but died about a month into production. Rouben Mamoulian took over the production and started from scratch.
Hopkins is a house afire and deserved her Oscar nomination (losing to Bette Davis). Others in the cast include Billie Burke as a snotty hostess, Cedric Hardwicke as an old lecher, Alison Skipworth as Miss Crawley, Nigel Bruce as Joseph Crawley, and Tempe Pigott as the charwoman.
Historically important film, but don't overlook the great performance by Miriam Hopkins.
This 1935 film is famous as being the first feature film shot in Technicolor. Current version has been restored a few times and boasts brilliant colors that sometimes vary between scenes but are mostly pleasing.
Miriam Hopkins won her only Oscar nomination as Becky Sharp and dominates the film in nearly every scene. She brings her fiery southern charm to the screen as Becky, a woman who charms and cheats and cajoles her way into early 19th century British society. The Napoleonic Wars serve as a mere background.
Film opens with Becky graduating from a girls' school where she has served as a teacher. She has befriended Amelia Smedley (Frances Dee) and their lives intertwine as the years pass. Becky starts out as a governess but quickly snags a son of the house (Alan Mowbray) as a husband. Trouble is they both like to live the high life and are always in debt.
Becky turns to charm and teases a series of men into giving her money. She is a scandal among the posh set but never looks back. After her husband dies in a faraway war, she turns to performing on the stage but is a failure. She is saved once again by an old suitor and plans to run away with him to India, where they can live well on a little money.
Lowell Sherman had started directing the film but died about a month into production. Rouben Mamoulian took over the production and started from scratch.
Hopkins is a house afire and deserved her Oscar nomination (losing to Bette Davis). Others in the cast include Billie Burke as a snotty hostess, Cedric Hardwicke as an old lecher, Alison Skipworth as Miss Crawley, Nigel Bruce as Joseph Crawley, and Tempe Pigott as the charwoman.
Historically important film, but don't overlook the great performance by Miriam Hopkins.
Based on Thackeray's VANITY FAIR, this film tells of a self-centered girl(Miriam Hopkins), who, after years of looking after her own needs, finally does one good deed for someone else. Often noted as the first full color motion picture, BECKY SHARP has much more to offer in the way of entertainment. Hopkins, one of the finest actresses on-screen in the '30's, gives a magnificent performance in the title role which brought her a much deserved Oscar nomination. Director Rouben Mamoulian, who directed Hopkins in the 1931 version of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, always had great visual style, a gift that's fully evident here.
This gorgeous film, the first full length Technicolor feature, does a fine job of capturing the spirit of Thackeray's "Vanity Fair", but the story is so rushed and condensed that it registers more as a series of incidents, rather than a flowing narrative. The only character that really registers is Becky herself - but what a character she is!
Thanks mostly to its production values, the movie is very enjoyable, if not completely satisfying. Hopefully watching it will inspire more people to read the sprawling yet immensely entertaining book.
"Becky Sharp" seems to have consistently attracted unfair comments. Whilst it may not be as subtle as many of its contemporary counterparts, the story provides a fun basis for a glorious use of Technicolor. As the first feature length movie to be shot in full colour, the film is a wonderful example of cinema as spectacle. Though admittedly, at times, the viewer may almost be sent cross-eyed by the vibrancy of the colour, its use is interesting in so far as one can see the attempts made at one level to exhibit the colour, whilst also trying in vain not to distract from the narrative. Also, from the beginning of the opening sequence the status of the film as a stage adaptation is clear, and in this way the idea of the now overlooked tradition of cinema as spectacle is further enhanced.
The plot itself is slightly reminiscent of a Gainsborough melodrama (although it precedes them), and yet it is refreshing in many ways that Becky is not the subject of the traditional narrative retribution and resolution. The over-the-top nature of some of the narrative action does provide moments which may cause an audience member to cringe; however, if the film is not taken too seriously, it remains enjoyable.
"Becky Sharp" has too often been overlooked in the history of film. It may not have been widely popular at the time of its release, and it may not be seen within a high cinematic cannon, but it is definitely worth viewing, if only to appreciate the emergence of three colour film as the new advancement in film technology.
The plot itself is slightly reminiscent of a Gainsborough melodrama (although it precedes them), and yet it is refreshing in many ways that Becky is not the subject of the traditional narrative retribution and resolution. The over-the-top nature of some of the narrative action does provide moments which may cause an audience member to cringe; however, if the film is not taken too seriously, it remains enjoyable.
"Becky Sharp" has too often been overlooked in the history of film. It may not have been widely popular at the time of its release, and it may not be seen within a high cinematic cannon, but it is definitely worth viewing, if only to appreciate the emergence of three colour film as the new advancement in film technology.
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough the three-strip Technicolor technique had been used previously in short and animated films and in sequences in feature films, Becky Sharp (1935) was the first feature-length film to use the three-strip Technicolor process, which created a separate film register for each of the three primary colors, for the entirety of the film.
- GoofsIn the final scenes, Becky is living in a drab furnished room that is clearly shown to be on the second floor. However, once in the room, a look through a window shows people walking on the street - at the same level as the room itself.
- Quotes
Becky Sharp: To think of her going blind at her age and now she can't even recognize acquaintances. These are glass eyes you are wearing, aren't they? Perfect. Perfect. I do hope that they will continue to attract men.
- Crazy creditsThe opening Radio Pictures logo is in black and white.
- Alternate versionsAn early public domain video release of "Becky Sharp" is in black-and-white and runs 59 minutes. Reissue prints from a 1943 re-release run 67 minutes, and were produced in an inferior Cinecolor process. This reissue version remained the only version available for viewing until the original 83-minute Technicolor release was restored in 1984.
- ConnectionsEdited into The 20th Century: A Moving Visual History (1999)
- SoundtracksYoung Molly Who Lives at the Foot of the Hill
(1760) (uncredited)
Traditional
Sung by Miriam Hopkins at the cabaret
- How long is Becky Sharp?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Becky Sharp l'aventurière
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $950,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 24 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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