Bette Davis Black and White

Race relations take center stage in this unique biography of actor Bette Davis (1908–1989), in which Stern (Mary Chesnut’s Civil War Epic), an English professor at Northwestern University, recounts Davis’s lesser-known work on behalf of civil rights through the lens of her films. Each chapter is devoted to a different movie: a section on The Little Foxes, for example, spotlights “the power of whiteness as a social marker,” while a look at In This Our Life questions Davis’s ability to play a “virulent bigot... while simultaneously working to promote racial equality in the world.” Stern also weaves in perspective on James Baldwin’s critical writings, noting that his “essays on his own experience as a Black film spectator remain among the finest meditations on race and classical Hollywood cinema ever written,” and she adds texture by recounting her own memories of watching Davis’s films: “I remember yelling at the screen during my first viewing,” she writes of Baby Jane. Readers in search of a straightforward biography won’t find it here—the actual trajectory of Davis’s own life takes a backseat to an appreciation of the impact of her civil rights efforts. It’s a fascinating look at a cinematic legend. (Nov.)