Queen Bee (1955)

Well Deserved Praise

one of my absolute favorites!

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

She is the lead actress. and the lead characters. and, using rumors, legends, the line between them is almost ambiguous. because, sure, at a very subjective view, the difference is missing. because her performance seems be a shark against her parteners. because the presence of Lucy Marlow and her decent work seems an error. that does "Quen Bee " more a good option for the fans of Joan Crawford. or good opportunity to discover her for a yong public. because, for her impressive job, a drama from "50 becomes a great lesson of seduction.

Favorite Movie Quote - "My, Carol, you look so sweet. Even in those tacky, old riding clothes." Watch Out! - Queen Bee is a virtual hornet's nest! In Queen Bee, Joan Crawford (all eye-brow pencil and trademark bow-tie mouth) is undoubtedly the whole show here, lock, stock and barrel.With great gusto, Crawford plays "queen bee" Eva Phillips, a ruthless, manipulative man-eater, full of jealousy and rage, who viciously ruins the lives of everyone around her.Crawford, in the final "high-diva" stage of her career, almost single-handedly managed to turn this piece of 1955 melodrama into a camp and unintentionally hilarious romp down "Soap Opera" lane.Containing lots of biting, backstabbing dialogue, Queen Bee (in its own satisfying way) is an ultimate soap opera of bitter bickering and self-centered family squabbling where Joan Crawford (in very good form) gives it her best shot as she triumphantly slaps faces, trashes a bedroom and dresses to the absolute nines (all very nicely executed for perfect effect).For Crawford, films like "Strait-Jacket" and "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?" would soon be waiting for her just around the corner.Filmed in glossy b&w, Queen Bee was expertly directed by Ranald MacDougall whose other films included Man On Fire, The World, the Flesh, and the Devil, and Go Naked In The World. This film featured a strong supporting cast headlined by Barry Sullivan, Betsy Palmer and John Ireland.Bzzzzzzzzzzz!

This film is all about Eva Phillips (Joan Crawford), the glamorous, spiteful, self-centered, vain, cruel, and overbearing matriarch of a Southern mansion, who makes life miserable for everyone in her orbit. The entire overwrought melodrama is one big soap opera.I couldn't identify with any of these sorry sobs. They emote, they quarrel, they whine, they speechify, they have no outside interests. Morose and brooding, all the characters are preoccupied with themselves and their own problems. Not surprisingly, the film's acting is theatrical and exaggerated. And there's a ton of dialogue. Yet, for a film set in the South, there's a curious absence of Southern accents.Most scenes take place indoors. That, combined with all that talk, makes the film seem almost like a stage play. The B&W cinematography is competent. I like those noir shadows; they render a depressing and melancholy look to the visuals that is totally in sync with the drab story. The drippy elevator background music is so 1950ish.A little bit of dolefulness in a film is okay. But in "Queen Bee" it just goes on and on and on. There is a neat plot twist near the end. But overall, this film is a real downer.There may not be any joy in this Southern mansion. But it's a movie to watch anyway, if for no other reason than to marvel at Joan Crawford's hammy performance, and to gawk at her caterpillar eyebrows.

Young innocent Jennifer Stewart (Lucy Marlow) goes to visit her cousin Eva Phillips (Joan Crawford). She meets Eva's alcoholic husband Avery (Barry Sullivan), brow beaten daughter Carol Lee (Betsy Palmer) and handyman Judson Prentice (John Ireland). She slowly comes to realize that Eva cruelly manipulates the lives of all around her.Not well known Crawford film which is a shame because it's one of her best. Crawford pulls out all stops and goes full force as a totally evil vicious woman. She's quite obviously enjoying herself and her incredible performance saves what otherwise is a pretty routine drama. The plot is pretty predictable and all the other characters pale next to Crawford. Marlow isn't that good and Sullivan and Ireland are downright terrible but Palmer was very good and seeing her so young is pretty amusing (she's now best known as Jason's mother from the "Friday the 13th" movies). Worth seeing just for Crawford alone. I don't think she ever played such a cruel character before or after this one. Purportedly (according to Christina Crawford) she was playing herself! I give this an 8.