Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Davis's disgust turned a throwaway insult into the most imitated line of her career. The film flopped, but the line escaped it, becoming a drag-act staple and a reference in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, where Martha says it as she walks in. Today it is what you say on entering any room that fails your standards, usually with a flourish.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Beyond the ForestShow the scene
In King Vidor's Beyond the Forest (1949), Rosa Moline, played by Bette Davis, is the wife of a dull but decent country doctor in the small town of 'Loyalton, Wisconsin' (filmed in Loyalton, California). She despises the town and dreams of Chicago, and the line gives voice to her scorn. It was Davis's last film for Warner Bros. after eighteen years. She tried several times to walk away from it and later called it a terrible movie, and Warner Bros. agreed to release her from her contract.
Sources (1)
- Beyond the Forest, WikipediaProduction, Location and LegacyReference checked
Context reviewed