in 1852 and in new orleans and the southern julie marsden ( bette davis ) be an impulsive and spoiled young woman from the society of louisiana . her fiancée be the successful young banker preston dillard ( henry fonda ) and who be climb in his career with his dedication and work . when preston stay in a meeting in the bank instead of with julie and she wear a red dress against preston will in a traditional ball where the upper class lady white to get even and shock the local society with her attitude . the mortified preston call their engagement off and move to the branch of the bank in new york . when preston return to new orleans one year later and julie believe that he miss her and organize a dinner party to welcome him and ask for his forgiveness . however and preston be marry with the new yorker amy ( margaret lindsay ) and the surprised julie do not accept his marriage and decides to fight for him . the vindictive julie use the rivalry and hostility between north and south to make amy uncomfortable and the situation provoke a fatal duel between her former boyfriend buck cantrell ( george brent ) and his friend ted ( richard cromwell ) . meanwhile preston be contaminate in new orleans by the yellow jack and julie dispute with amy the right to nurse him in an isolation island with leper . jezebel be another great movie of bette davis and william wyler base on the southern lifestyle a couple of year before the american civil war . bette davis character be a control and independent and spoil young woman and when she find out that her former fiancé be married and she tell her aunt that she would fight for him despite be married and her aunt compare julie with jezebel . the biblical name jezebel be the synonym of a promiscuous and wicked and manipulative woman . the story also focus the outbreak that happen in 1853 in new orleans and louisiana and where thousand of resident die . the comparison with go with the wind be inevitable since julie marsden and scarlett ohara character have many characteristic in common . bette davis deserve the oscar of best actress in a leading role my vote be eight . title ( brazil ) represent jezebel .