Feud: Bette and Joan "And the Winner Is" (Part 1)
Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 11:56PM Previously on Feud: Bette and Joan
1 "Pilot" 2 "The Other Woman" 3 "Mommie Dearest" 4 "More or Less"
-Do you have any comment on your co-star Joan Crawford being snubbed?
-Define "snub"!
by Nathaniel R
If you had told me at any point before Feud: Bette and Joan was announced to the world that there would one day be a TV show that spent a full hour recreating the drama of a single Oscar night, I would never have believed you. If that imaginative hurtle was cleared I would then preemptively call it the single greatest TV hour in the history of television. But here we are with Feud and the reality is, if not the fantasy, still the best hour of Feud as a series. The concept of the series has so far outpaced the reality of it that it's lapped by several times already. Which is to say that if you've been reading along you know that I don't love the show. So I'll turn over the finale 3 episodes to team members who are maybe enjoying it a bit more (with one last Feud-related post from me after the season has wrapped). Still, I can't not review this Oscar-themed episode. "And the Winner Is..." was entirely riveting even though all Oscar buffs had spoiler alerts in their DNA!
Oscar night made the episode so addictive and I'm so short on time that this week's review will be more of a Thoughts I Had... style rundown of each scene. And we'll have to do it in two part. Ready? Here we go...
This shot made me LOL
The episode begins with a newsreel that I can't imagine was accurate but it's still a ton of fun. The newsreel suggests that The Music Man was in a dead heat with Lawrence of Arabia and that Best Actress was the most competitive acting race. Hmmm, given that the race for Best Actor was a cliffhanger with Peter O'Toole's sensational Lawrence of Arabia debut (in the frontrunning picture) and Gregory Peck's career peak in To Kill a Mockingbird this seems unlikely.
But still the shade, the shade of of it all is divine, especially that shot of Katharine Hepburn's home (pictured above) when the newsreel announces that she won't be attending. No shit! She never did. Which is why it's kind of shocking that she won 4 times. Usually you have to want it -- but not so with Katharine and Woody Allen, two Oscar favorites who never could be bothered. Strangely, that only made Oscar want them more.
As it turns out I'm available to present this year. Either Best Picture or Best Director."
I don't know about this scene where Joan Crawford makes all sorts of demands of the Academy and they're like "no" but then they capitulate. Yes, Joan Crawford had a massive ego and was "difficult" but this is Hollywood where insanely famous actors with massive egos are not exactly in short supply.
Though she's right to aim for those prizes. Pity they didn't let her do Picture. (They never let the ladies do it!)
The title alone makes me want to shudder: Lady in a Cage.
Lady in a Cage! We were going to review that one during our Olivia De Havilland week and never got around to it. She did go on to make it of course.
In related news: Catherine Zeta-Jones finally gets a scene! She's no longer just the Feud script in vaguely humanoid theme-spouting form. I don't want to be hateful (there are so many bitches on this show that you don't need another one writing about it) but what has happened to CZJ? She used to be a better actress than this.
Some screen actors get better after a stage run but swear to goddess CZJ has been playing to the rear balcony ever since winning her Tony. She can't let any single line out without ACTING every word in it. She doesn't sound human at all. But that "my Joan is worse than your Joan" / "impossible" was a terrific moment nevertheless. If CZJ were great as Olivia we'd demand Feud: Olivia and Joan but as it is, this is plenty.
Her THIRD Oscar!
LOL. That's how emphatically I'd down a drink too if someone I thought was hopelessly overrated (like, oh, Jessica Lange) was approaching their third Oscar win, too. I feel you Joan!
Who do you think is her closest competition?
Hedda Hopper, the first Oscar blogger. But in all seriousness, Feud: Bette and Joan sometimes feels like fan fiction where Oscar nuts like us have written a script wherein everyone within Hollywood is also an Oscar nut and loves discussing it ad nauseum.
This scene is fun because Judy Davis has been slaying as Hopper for five episodes. Now she's concocted a horrible plan to deny Bette Davis a third Oscar because she's "vulgar" and is launching a smear campaign. The second reason it's fun is because of all the name-dropping. Hedda's phone call to Charlton Heston starts with some fawning over El Cid.
How I adore a man in a leather skirt!
Hedda and Joan also call Loretta Young, Cary Grant, and Doris Day... though we don't get to see the other end of these phone calls. All this work to upset the Davis train is too much for Jealous Joan...
I was the bigger star. My leading men were more attractive. My pictures made more money. And yet I was always made to feel inferior.
The writers of Feud are practically begging us to do a side by side "which is hotter?" comparison of Davis & Crawford's leading men, aren't they?
Hopper concocts a plot wherein Crawford will be the one to walk off the stage with the Best Actress Oscar. We don't know if this was actually Hedda's idea in real life but Crawford did accomplish this in one of the bitchiest Oscar shenanigans of all time. Since Geraldine Page and Anne Bancroft are the only possible upsets, Crawford asks them if she can accept on their behalf if they can't make it. But, both scenes play a little strangely.
Consider... GERALDINE PAGE (Sarah Paulson, yay!)
It's Joan Fucking Crawford!"
It's been a struggle to accept that Feud's characters are not the actual movie stars we've known and loved from old movies but affected modern fictions of them. Paulson works hard in this scene and she's always a pleasure to watch. But it's strange to pretend that Geraldine Page was some ingenue that didn't understand how the Oscars work. Sweet Bird of Youth was already her third Oscar nomination and she'd won two consecutive Best Actress Globes leading up to this Oscar night.
Still, Page's non-star carriage and character-actor stance feels right and her reaction to Joan's suggestion that she needs to get dolled up for the event is great.
If their lives depend on my glamour, I've got bad news for them.
But, again, it's hard to pretend that Geraldine Page was a naif. She had been semi-famous since the 1950s, albeit not an A lister like Crawford or Davis as she was more of a prestigious stage star. But Sweet Bird of Youth was her second consecutive nomination in Best Actress. She was no Oscar virgin.
Rip Torn and Geraldine Page were married five or so months after this Oscar season. Here's a photo of them from the following year so you can get a sense of how they looked back then - fairly good casting!
Consider... ANNE BANCROFT (Serinda Swan)
JOAN: So you're not mad at our little colony. I know they gave that Shirley Maclaine your part in Two for the Seesaw.
ANNE: Well, I heard that movie stank.
JOAN: To high heaven.
Here's where I admit that I am not as well versed in Anne Bancroft than I should be. So I didn't have any specific read on whether any of this felt authentically Bancroft. Are there any Bancroft fanatics reading that would love to sound off on this?
The scene as written and interpreted by the beautiful Serinda Swan, implies both that Anne actually thought highly of Joan Crawford's work in Baby Jane (which touches Joan but she doesn't say thank you), sensed how desperately Joan needed to hold that Oscar, understood that need to one-up Davis, and took pity on her because maybe she didn't care all that much about missing the Oscars to begin with and someone had to accept the damn thing.
Here's a pic of Anne Bancroft backstage at Mother Courage with Natalie Wood and Jerome Robbins (who co-directed Natalie in West Side Story (1961) and also directed Mother Courage. Bancroft had a lot of visitors in that run given how hot she was that year. Bancroft was 31 at the time and had already left her film career (unimpressive up until the 60s) for more artistic fulfillment on stage. The Miracle Worker's stage and screen success transformed her into a much bigger star. Which led us to The Graduate, Pumpkin Eater, and the Mel Brooks movies, and so on...
TRUE STORY: When I was watching Feud my DVR had only recorded half the episode. I was NOT pleased and let out a tiny pathetic 'Noooooo,' when I realized the next scene was jumping us right to Oscar night and I couldn't watch it! So in a way, this recap, cleaved right in the middle, is merely reflecting the drama chez moi.
Part two tomorrow!
Reader Comments (36)
i read the 'inside oscar' chapter immediately after the episode and there were plenty of interesting differences [including hepburn campaigning!]
i think i'm done with feud now; this was the incident i was waiting for - sarandon delivered - and i can't be bothered with the bitchiness on the set of ...charlotte or more czj
I cannot say I love this series, but I am fascinated by it.
Zeta-Jones never stopped being over the top after Chicago. You're really going to blame her Broadway run on her overacting? I sort find her amusing. She's just the type of camp hen queen we need for a Ryan Murphy joint. I still repeat "Feuds are not about hate. They're about pain." – As if that's wisdom!
Whenever I think of Geraldine Page I think of someone full figured. Hence my initial confusion at the casting of Paulson as her. Murphy really did hire Kathy Bates as Blondell just because.
Jessica is so odd. Why is Ryan Murphy the only director who hires her? Joan would have been better served by a Sharon Stone. I just don't get this performance, at all. It only exists in the Ryan Murphy Amateur Dinner Theater. Marcia Clark, OJ, Joan, Camilla. Lowering the bar.
Hepburn actually did show up once at the Oscars to present an honorary award to her producer friend. And no doubt she totally stole the show LMAO.
And YES if anything Best Actor is the best race of the night!
As of now my choice for Emmy Supporting Actress Miniseries is a TIE between BLL's Laura Dern and Judy Davis. God Judy's amazing! Can Hollywood offer her more roles now?
And oh those scenes with Page and Bancroft are just so oddly written. Paulson is surprisingly good casting. And there's actually a picture of Bancroft accepting her Oscar from Crawford in full Mother Courage getup.
I think Geraldine Page couldn't care less to attend or not but god she's beautiful and aged gracefully too.
Can't wait for part 2!!!
Bancroft had a huge ego and could turn on a dime according to Frank Langella's book on famous stars he met.
Nat this article is interesting.
http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/billions-star-asia-kate-dillon-emmy-awards-gender-nonbinary-1202023724/
Lily Rabe (or Nina Arianda) should have played Geraldine Page.
I miss Anne Bancroft. I miss her so much.
Jessica's casting is weird since her gifts as an actress run completely contrary to Joan's. The vocal delivery of both actresses is also throwing me more than I want it too- Jessica is way too breathy and vulnerable as Joan (whose vocal presence is much more forceful and strong) and I can hear every once of effort of Susan's attempts to mimic Bette's idiosyncratic staccato delivery. For some reason, it keeps taking me out of the story. The one person I want more of is Judy Davis as Hedda Hopper. She's killing it. Seeing her reminds me of how she good was as Judy Garland. Now that's the kind of celebrity impersonation I can get behind.
That said, this this episode had some delightful moments: that long tracking shot, Bette's look as she lost, Joan's palpable desperation in her scene with Anne Bancroft, all the little details of Oscar night. You can tell Ryan Murphy cared a lot about this episode. If only the rest of the series could have measured up.
I don't have an issue with Sarandon and Lange's casting. Davis and Crawford were such larger than life people that I don't think any actor could have mimicked them properly without it seeming like a caricature, instead I think what Murphy and his leading ladies are trying to do is to get to the truth of who those people really were. And I find both have been very effective. Even though I was 'spoiled' my heart broke for Davis when Crawford put out that cigarette and marched to that stage and I was equally thrilled for Crawford.
In response to never letting ladies present Best Picture, Olivia de Havilland had the honor that year.
Looking forward to part two!
I don't really have an impression of what Page's persona was like but i thought Paulson was quite good in her scene and seems like good casting look-wise. Having said that, Peggy Sue's suggestion of Lily Rabe is really inspired!! And she's even part of Murphy troupe... but I guess he cant not have Paulson in any of his shows?
I thought Swan was good as Bancroft, even if she didnt quite get the voice... although my perception of Bancroft is so linked to Mrs Robinson that I may be wrong as to how I think se actually sounded.
I continue to be shocked by CZJ. It's not just that her performance is far from subtle... it just feels like they're not even trying! Although De Havilland didnt have as characteristic a look as, say, Crawford, they could've tried giving her the hair helmet look that she had from the 60s onward... I also dont get why she's made up to look exactly the same for the segment's in this week's episode (1963) as in the ones we've seen so far (1978)... surely they could've aged her a bit?
The Geraldine Page scene was so odd, for the reasons you cite. It's especially disconcerting because in Sweet Bird, she was playing the older diva to Paul Newman's young stud (she was 39 at the time - the role would probably be cast with an older actress today, but she was hardly the young naif she seems to be in that scene).
Still, this was the first episode of Feud that I unreservedly loved, mainly for part two. But poor Bette!
The traits might not have been spot on for the specific actors, but it's pretty accurate to the campaign Joan Crawford ran against Bette Davis. It's more like Murphy transferred different discussions with non-nominated voters that Crawford actually had to the nominees to create just a bit more tension. It's not that she didn't reach out to the nominees, too; she just probably didn't reach out to Page, specifically, in that way.
"Lady in a Cage" is a nasty piece of work, but impressive in its way. Worth a look.
Nathaniel, you said Jessica is ... overrated. Tsk, tsk. Bad boy.
Jessica Lange is still giving the best performance on the show. I find people's reaction to her work strange. It's almost as if you want her to do a riff on Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest. Joan Crawford acted a certain way in her movies but she wasn't like that in real life. The audience for Feud seems to want that Joan Crawford movie character and not the real life person? Confusing.
Susan Sarandon's performance is all over the place. It's weird how a few episodes in she suddenly thought, hey I'm gonna do Bette's voice today and even then only half commits. She has fine moments but ultimately is so miscast it takes me right out of the show. It's a very disappointing performance because I was so excited by the thought of it initially. Maybe she would have made a better Davis in the All About Eve/1950 stage of Davis' life.
@ Jonathan
I think Lange is indeed doing a riff on Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest, albeit a quintessentially Lange-ian riff. She has created a very stylized, extremely divatastic character with emotions and gestures that are always heightened like they would be in a Joan Crawford movie...or an episode of American Horror Story.
If you've read any Crawford bios or reminiscences about her, you might be looking for any traces of the loyal, sexy, down-to-earth woman who was lifelong pals with Billy Haines and Cesar Romero. There is none of that human being in this performance, only the desperate movie star at the end of her career who is always "on." I don't blame Lange for this; the writing and direction encourage and require such a performance. But it's a shame, really.
Sarandon is leaving me underwhelmed as well. Does not feel like Davis at all. Davis should have played her. Would have been brillant.
Jonathan--cosign. Agree with everything you said.
Lange is not doing the party-line Joan Crawford image. She's beautifully giving us the inner psyche of the woman who was at the end of her rope, which indeed Joan was at this point in her life. The point of Feud is to show us the behind-the-scenes drama, factual or fictional, regarding this Hollywood rivalry. This is not meant to be a historical document. As Rami said, this series is trying to get at the emotional core of Crawford and Davis, and in most ways it's pulling it off. If Lange were playing the media image of Crawford, we would never feel the great sympathy for her as we do in these scenes. And we do.
"Here's where I admit that I am not as well versed in Anne Bancroft than I should be. So I didn't have any specific read on whether any of this felt authentically Bancroft. Are there any Bancroft fanatics reading that would love to sound off on this?"
This scene felt very authentic to me. Serinda Swan did a great job of capturing Bancroft's mannerisms, smarts, and no BS-attitude. And it certainly doesn't hurt that there's such a strong resemblance between the two.
And I implore you to get familiar with Bancroft when you have time. Check out 'The Pumpkin Eater' if you haven't seen it...she's phenomenal.
I agree with a few above that Jessica Lange is the MVP of the series. She captures the essence of Crawford beautifully.
I love Jessica Lange's performance. She is totally captivating. Some people seem to want her to be every inch Joan Crawford was. That's a shame. Mimicry is not the barometer of an excellent performance.
It's not mimicry, it's transforming and embodying the person. Some semblance of their personality, looks or demeanor. Jessica is doing her own version. I prefer good acting!
The last episode was very good and Lange really stole it as Crawford. Zeta Jones neither acts, looks or tries to sound like DeHavilland.
An old TV Movie to find, if you're interested:
"Malice in Wonderland" starring Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Alexander as Louella Parson and Hedda Hopper. The two of them elevate the material, but it's a fun watch. Look for it.
I for one am enjoying this show fully. I want more!
@faye, does it mean then that Lange's "lack" of semblance to Crawford's personality, looks or demeanor equates to "bad acting"?
Yes. Have a nice day!
Because I seem to have no off-screen persona to go off outside of MOMMIE DEAREST (unlike Bette who acted longer, appeared in public a lot and I have read biographies about), I still can't quite wrap my head around the issues with Jessica as Joan. People use a lot of vague terms like "presence" and "energy" and say they are polar opposites, but I admit maybe this idea of their apparently wildly different star personas is just too dense for me. I think what I can gather is that Jessica is too soft and meek? It's the writing that turned her into a sad monster.
I complained about Jessica Lange a few weeks ago, but week by week she's winning me over more and more. I feel like the series and Lange are really trying to get into the psychology of Crawford and she's emerging as this flawed and fascinating character.
I can't figure out Sarandon. I love her at times, but I don't feel the same depth in her performance or in the writing. It's a performance that doesn't feel fully committed.
I'm not sure what Zeta-Jones is doing. De Havilland may not have as distinctive a look or mannerisms as the the leads, but she does have a grand way of speaking and a slyly humorous personality. Jones is really missing it.
There wasn't enough of Page or Bancroft to really register, but the characters functioned well to give us perspective on Crawford.
Maybe Sue always felt like she got the short stick? Ryan and Jessica have their own understanding. I wish I could say more.
Jessica Lange has had a few reaction shots in the past few episodes that absolutely broke my heart. I really appreciate Lange's effort to make Joan Crawford into a human with a pulse instead of just a Queen Bee/Harriet Craig caricature.
I'm starting to wonder myself if the magnificent Judy Davis could've been better served as playing Bette Davis. Maybe Saradon could've made a better Geraldine Page-CZJ could've been switched to Hedda Hopper. Paulson - save her for a DeHaviland vs. Joan Fontaine (Paulson) Feud series.
I like one commentor's suggestion of Sharon Stone instead of Lange in the Crawford role.
Great suggestion for Lily Rabe as Geraldine Page - striking resemblance and Lily has the chops to pull it off too. Vocally, Sarah Paulson was just about there for Page, who had a distinctly quiet, high pitched tone.
I still think Sigourney Weaver should've been tasked to play Joan Crawford. She could've given us inner psyche AND diva shoulderpad stah realness.
I can honestly say I have never leaned against wall at a urinal (or while pissing for that matter)
—Small victories
reply 100Last Wednesday at 6:16 PM
We've reached the halfway point of "Feud" and I'm genuinely floored. I predict it is only going to get better with each subsequent episode. I am truly surprised by how graceful and heartbreaking this production is despite pointed moments of camp and humor, which are also wonderfully executed.
Lange and Sarandon have not only managed to possess their subjects but have also been fully possessed by them, giving transcendent performances of rare, indelible power and vulnerability.
Sarandon has hit her stride as Bette Davis and though her performance may not be as volatile as Lange's, the wit, grace and humor she brings to Davis whilst echoing the great star's famous voice and gestures is exquisite to behold. I think it's safe to say that this and "The Meddler" are her best work in years. She’s a lock for nominations across the board.
Lange is doing something astonishing here. She's managed to both transcend Faye Dunaway's wonderful and unfairly lambasted performance in Mommie Dearest whilst allowing the spirit of Joan Crawford to possess her in a way that is both eerie and transfixing.
Perusing through Joan Crawford interviews on YouTube, I was taken aback by how sweet and sensitive Crawford could come across. I was expecting a woman with eyebrows constantly and menacingly arched, lips pursed in a perpetual smug smirk, her hands permanently fixed on either side of her waist. What I found instead was a woman whose voice could jump octaves depending on her mood and insecurities, of which she always had many, and who could go from serene to charming to steely in an instant. She could be witty and ballsy, but overall what she showed the public was her gentle, proper, graceful and vulnerable side. Then, of course, there are the drunken interviews - Crawford at the airport, her voice jumping octaves again and accents, from mid-Atlantic to Texan; Crawford in someone’s living room, slurring and cursing.
Lange captures Crawford's mercurial nature beautifully. We're halfway through the series and I still don't think I've seen all the sides of Crawford Lange has to reveal. As it is, I already feel as if I've witnessed 5-10 facets of Crawford in the four episodes we've seen. It’s a full-bodied and fully integrated performance that relies on every ounce of Lange’s talent – from her vocal genius to her physical brilliance. When simultaneously set-up against Joan Crawford AND Faye Dunaway, that’s truly no easy feat. Her performance here reaches and surpasses the wondrous heights of her Emmy winning work in “Grey Gardens”, and “American Horror Story”. I wouldn’t be surprised if this garners Lange the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Limited Series/Movie.
Together, Lange and Sarandon bring out the best in each other. The metaphor of dancers has often been used by critics when reviewing their work together here. I’ll use it again. They are like two dancers taking turns being the lead, completely in sync with one another, always forcing the other to up their game but never striving to overshadow one another. They are electric together.
Judy Davis, Jackie Hoffman, Stanley Tucci, Alison Wright and Alfred Molina lead the exquisite supporting cast. Each has moments of brilliance, helping transport us to a Hollywood of yore, both as brutal as it was glamorous and enticing.
I see Davis, Hoffman and Wright all being contenders in supporting actress. Hoffman’s understated brilliance has been especially surprising and wonderful to behold.
I’m torn between Tucci and Molina who I feel are both giving amazing, if different, performances. Tucci is sexy and electric, whilst Molina is charming and touching.
I must admit, this series has totally exceeded my expectations. I knew I would like and love it, but I didn’t think I would be so moved and IN LOVE with it.
Jessica Lange gets her fourth Emmy.