Beyond the Forest Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by Rosa Moline (played by Bette Davis) in the film Beyond the Forest, directed by King Vidor (1949).

The movie Beyond the Forest comes with a warning in the first few seconds: "This is the story of evil. Evil is headstrong, is puffed up. For our soul's sake, it is salutary for us to view it in all its ugly nakedness once in a while." And that evil is about nasty Rosa Moline, played by the great actress Bette Davis. Rosa thinks she deserves better than her hicksville Wisconsin life and plots to run a way to the bright lights of Chicago. Married to a small-town doctor in a modest home, Rosa walks down the stairs with a bored, snarky attitude and declares to her husband, "What a dump!" Movie buffs can tell you who said it, and even show off their own bad imitation of Bette Davis saying it, but very few could tell you that it came from this little-known campy melodrama.

Where you've heard it

Talk about double-dipping. Elizabeth Taylor also made this quote famous in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And, of course, no Bette Davis imitation would be complete without "What a Dump!" Finally, thanks to social media, you may have read this line in a bad hotel or restaurant review recently.

Additional Notable References:

• Electropop
• NYPD Blue
• Meryl Streep's Tribute to Bette

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This quote is a nasty insult any way you say it, so save it for that tacky motel review from your last trip to Wisconsin Dells.