“Feud: Bette and Joan” is great fun with a sad undercurrent
They were sworn enemies even before clashing on the set of “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” Bette Davis and Joan Crawford sustained a legendary Hollywood rivalry, a diva smackdown that got famously physical at times.
Their mutual contempt and shared fear of becoming irrelevant is captured by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange, respectively, in “Feud: Bette and Joan,” premiering March 5 on FX.
It’s spectacularly fun, while undeniably tragic.
The eight-part series is not exactly camp. “Feud” is quite serious beneath the delicious insults and backbiting. At times it treads dangerously close to polemic about the rude dismissal of women of a certain age, particularly in the film industry.
Their antics were hysterical: Davis had a Coke machine installed at the studio to enrage Crawford who, as widow of the Pepsi chief executive was still spokeswoman for the brand. Crawford tied weights around her waist for the scene in “Baby Jane” in which Jane (Davis) must drag Blanche’s (Crawford) body across the set. Those and other bits of Hollywood history are re-enacted here by Sarandon as Davis and Lange as Crawford.
Everyone loves a catfight; nothing’s more misogynistic than rooting for a catfight. “Feud” has it both ways, pointing out the sexism.
Judging by five hours screened for critics, Ryan Murphy’s new anthology is a wonderful joyride
that brakes for serious notes. The pain these two women endured in the twilight of their careers, the inequities inflicted by the system and the culture, is always present, sometimes in lengthy declarations.
The audience’s sympathies shift, hour to hour and scene to scene, as Sarandon nails the sassy broad and dedicated actor Bette, and Lange perfects the once glamorous, still mean Crawford.
The mannered speaking style, the period wardrobes, the endless martinis, the abusive studio boss and cruel gossip columnists are great fun to watch. But Murphy, adapting the story from Jaffe Cohen’s and Michael Zam’s script “Best Actress,” consistently and sometimes jarringly underscores the blatant sexism and ageism at work.
How things have and haven’t changed. In that ancient era (”Baby Jane” was released in 1962), women were assistants, not directors; actresses weren’t allowed to age on screen; women weren’t collaborative, they were bitter competitors. We like to think things have evolved, but progress has been slow. (For modern reference, see Amy Schumer’s great sketch.)
One positive sign: Lange has noted in interviews that Crawford was in her mid-50s when she filmed “Baby Jane” and yet her career was finished because of her age. Lange, 68, is a standout in Murphy’s “American Horror Story” anthology and going strong.
As Davis and Crawford desperately fear becoming hasbeens, crass studio boss Jack Warner (Stanley Tucci) manipulates director Robert Aldrich (Alfred Molina) to play one woman against the other, for publicity purposes and to wring rich performances from them. The idea that Aldrich’s female assistant (played by Alison Wright of “The Americans”) wants to direct is considered laughable.
Sarandon and Lange give fearless performances, playing up physical signs of age. Those images contrast with the sight of the fresh-faced Kiernan Shipka (”Mad Men”), for instance, who plays Davis’ daughter. (Shipka does well acting as if she has no aptitude for acting.)
Davis fans will get a kick out of Sarandon’s spitfire delivery as she pounces on each word. She’s fascinating, giving a sincere performance rather than an impersonation. The hair and makeup are spot on, too, including the kabuki face paint for her character, Jane. Fans will recite signature lines along with the piece:
Blanche: “You wouldn’t be able to do these awful things to me if I weren’t still in this chair.”
Jane: “But ya are Blanche, ya are in that chair!”
Lange’s humanizing portrait of Crawford captures the raging alcoholic and survivor of sexual abuse, both in full star mode and when lost and alone with her housekeeper Mamasita (Jackie Hoffman).
An astounding cast shares the spotlight. Judy Davis steals scenes as nasty gossip queen Hedda Hopper, another force of nature. Kathy Bates delivers saucy insider dirt as Joan Blondell, Catherine Zeta-Jones is riveting as not-so-sweet Olivia de Havilland (who had her own famous feud with her sister Joan Fontaine.) Sarah Paulson demonstrates the contrasting modern attitude of actor Geraldine Page.
“Feud” should score another hit for Murphy who has engineered the return of the anthology format. This is his third FX anthology series after “American Crime Story” and “American Horror Story.” Expect the “Feud” stars to be buzz-worthy entries come awards time.