One of the really great things to come out of this age of Peak TV is the Anthology series: self contained seasons of a show that don’t rely on continuing storylines, and sometimes don’t even rely on a consistent cast. It means that Big Name actors will sign onto a really great show, knowing it doesn’t mean being stuck in a 7 year contract.
Ryan Murphy is a showrunner who is…. I was going to say “wildly inconsistent,” but he’s consistent in how he careens from good to ridiculous. When given an open-ended series, he tends to start strong and then loses the plot about ten episodes in (and then they let it go on forever, GLEE). Give him an anthology of 8-12 episodes each, though? He does pretty well. (In general. I’ve heard American Horror Story is starting to get stale.)
Feud is an anthology series about “famous feuds” and this first season is about the antagonism between Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) and Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange), as came to a head during the production of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What makes this more than just a eight episode long cat fight is the exploration of the forces that exploited their hatred for each other in order to sell tickets and newspapers, and the powerlessness that women, especially older women, in Hollywood felt in 60s. It’s full of powerhouse actors, including Catherine Zeta-Jones (where has SHE been?) as Olivia de Havilland, and Kathy Bates as Joan Blondell, each providing narration as interviews regarding the Crawford/Davis feud.
Stanley Tucci is Jack Warner, who can only see how things will make more or less dollars for him. Alfred Molina is Robert Aldrich, the director of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, who feels like managing his two leading ladies nearly killed him. And then there’s Judy Davis as Hedda Hopper, the failed actress turned gossip columnist.
What makes this incredibly watchable is how deep the animosity gets, and how Bette and Joan are manipulated by the studio (any mention in the paper will get attention, which means ticket sales, and they are opening in FOUR HUNDRED THEATERS!) (That actually was a huge opening for the time).
They’re manipulated by their director (who feels bad about it, but also knows that publicity is good, and it gets a more method performance out of them) (but he feels BAD about it!), and manipulated by the gossip industry. Hedda Hopper picks Joan’s side in the battle, and is the one that came up with and orchestrated Joan’s campaign against Bette Davis for the Best Actress Oscar, which was against her own interests – a high-profile Oscar win results in more people going to see the movie, which would have been more money in Joan’s pocket, or at least would have helped her command more money for her next film.
And the show isn’t shy about being brutally honest about the fate of older women in Hollywood. Both Bette and Joan were past their prime. Their glory days were behind them, and they, along with other stars of their generation, were fighting for fewer and fewer roles.
In a meta sense, that still happens with stars of Sarandon and Lange’s age and stature, though projects like this one are a drop in the bucket toward changing that (Jessica Lange has been doing quite well for herself as one of Ryan Murphy’s muses in American Horror Story, winning two Emmys for her work).
Nor does the show completely ignore the troubled relationships each woman had with her children. One episode is titled Mommie Dearest, and while it doesn’t get into the abuse alleged by Christina Crawford (so far. As of this writing, only five episodes have aired, there’s another 3 to go), the seeds have been planted. Bette Davis had a daughter who was diagnosed with brain damage and lived in a special school in Maine.
So far, the tour de force episode has been episode 5, the one about the Oscars of 1962. The costuming and set decoration, no slouches, pull out every single one of the stops, and includes a fantastic tracking shot following Joan as she goes from the stage, through the backstage warrens and back to the other side of the stage- the choreography is stunning, as is the performance of Lange’s ramrod straight posture. This is her world, the back of her neck says, and everyone better bow down and get out of her way.
You also can’t have a show about Old Hollywood without the glamour and costuming of the 1960s. Tom and Lorenzo have been recapping through fashion and doing costume analysis, and it is WELL worth your time to look at all the pretty. The HATS, you guys, LOOK AT ALL THE HATS.
I do highly recommend this season of Feud.
Next season is about Prince Charles and Princess Diana, which…Man, I don’t know how I feel about that. And I don’t know WHY I feel weird about it, except that I remember that all happening in real time, so maybe I don’t want to watch it dramatized? How do people who lived through Bette and Joan feel? That was a while ago, and while it was covered in all the papers, the media frenzies of the 1980s and 90s were VERY different than those of the 1960s. Maybe that’s it, I don’t know. What do you all think?
But HAVE YOURSELF SOME FUN with the lusciousness of this season, and think about how industries can spit people out when they’re no longer useful.
(I also thought I saw something about who would be the subjects of season 3, and I remember being super into the idea, but I can’t remember who it was or find any evidence of that conversation, so maybe I dreamed it. I remember that it was a really good idea, whatever it was. Call me, Ryan!)
Are you watching Feud? Are you enjoying it? What’s your take?
I watched the first ep of this (it was free on Amazon). I thought it was the perfect Ryan Murphy project; limited story, naturally campy, full of glamour, and boy do I love Old Hollywood.
It is very much the oft-told legend of Bette & Joan and I think if you want a more grounded look at it, I’d recommend the You Must Remember This podcast’s series about Joan, but as legend, the show is great.
I’m dying for him to tackle Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine. Sister versus sister! Jealousy! Talent! Men! Can you imagine??
Murphy has already said he’s not going to do another Hollywood feud after this as he wants to focus on different types of feuds and he feels this one is the ultimate. Next season is about Charles and Diana, for which he’s received a ton of criticism already.
I don’t get the popularity of fictionalized versions of events that happened in recent memory (I guess recent is debatable! ;-)).
I’m not into that whole Charles and Diana thing, but if I was I’d rather watch a documentary or read a nonfiction book. That way I’m not constantly wondering what was made up or “massaged” for the sake of a good story.
Plus, when many people involved are are still alive, (Prince Will and Prince Harry are adults now, but this is their childhood and their parents we’re talking about) it feels exploitative and kind of gross to me. I don’t like true crime stories for the same reason. Someone lost a loved one forever and we’re entertained by that? Maybe I’m just no fun.
Stuff like Bette and Joan gets more of pass from me because so many people have passed on. In my head it feels acceptable to embroider and fictionalize what we don’t know. Rumors and gossip blends into myth and legend.
I guess as I get older, I’m going to have to accept more and more events from my lifetime will be someone else’s “ancient history.” 😉
Thanks for the review. Sorry to go off on a tangent with my rant. Will definitely check this Feud out because I love classic Hollywood.
I haven’t seen FEUD, but will definitely look for it. Diana and Charles though? Nope nope nope for all the reasons mentioned above. Too soon, too close, too mean. That wasn’t a feud, that was a heartbreaking and very public disintegration of a family.
Am loving Feud. The acting is fantastic and so are the costumes! Also loving the spotlight on the sexism and ageism of Hollywood, which frankly hasn’t improved all that much since the 1960’s. The major difference now is that there are some great roles for older women on TV (like this series) and it has more prestige than it did in the 1960’s (loved there comments about trying to get a recurring role on Wagon Train). And yes, I agree about the recaps and fashion commentary on Tom and Lorenzo’s blog – great fun.
Feud is wonderful and Jessica Lange is AMAZING. She completely disappears into the role. I constantly forget that this isn’t the real Joan Crawford.
THIS SOUNDS ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING! I admit that I don’t watch anything outside of romance Asian dramas these days, but damn I’m intrigued!
The Princess Di and Charles note reminds me about something I saw recently blowing up on Twitter. Apparently if you go through many of the couple’s photos, even though Diana and Charles were the same height, she always poses lower than he. Her head is bent down, or she angles her body or her shoulders…it’s quite weird to see, and a bit sad.
Charles and Diana would make me uncomfortable because I just feel so sorry for Diana. Everyone knew he didn’t really want to marry her, by all accounts they didn’t have a happy relationship, and then she died tragically. I do think it’s in poor taste.
I think doing Charles and Diana is in extremely poor taste.
Did not even realize “Feud” had had a previous season – have only seen ads & press for this one. Have been interested, but not enough to watch yet more TV. Later, I hope, because Great Actresses.
If Murphy wants to do a really interesting and historically significant (and ideologically provocative) feud, he should do Edison & Tesla.
I fiercly love this show! I’m only on episode 4 so glad to hear ep 5 is a great one! The fashion alone = adore. But even more so I love a show focused on women who aren’t 20-years-old and how they’re complicated and messy and funny all at once. I had no idea there was a previous season. Not so sure about Lady Diana in a series like this … it will be 20 years this year since her death (whoa that really is sinking in….TWENTY FREAKING YEARS. HOW??). To me, it still feels too soon.
@jacqueline, Keep looking at those pictures. She eventually strutted tall and wore heels.
The thing that makes the Charles and Di story uncomfortable is William and Harry. They’re adults and are presumable used to it by now, but they were children when it all happened, and the idea of it being plumbed over and over again for salacious value is a bit wince-worthy.
@Megan M and Stephanie:
This is the first season.
@Everybody:
You must read Shaun Considine’s Divine Feud about Bette, Joan, and their feud. I downloaded it after beginning to watch, and the audio book came out a little bit after the show started as well which I don’t think is a coincidence; the book had been on Kindle for awhile though. I will say that Murphy seemingly leaves no Old Hollywood legend unexamined in this season. And for someone who usually watches things on demand I’ve been enjoying the ritual of sitting down to watch every week.
I think the fact that Charles is still alive makes doing Charles and Di weird, let alone William and Harry. Also could be head of state before the next season even comes out.
Hi RHG (and SB Sarah, if you’re reading) I just wanted to thank you both for the graciousness of your apologies yesterday. I read SBTB pretty much every day for book recommendations, and what you said went a long way to make me feel better.
The acting on this show is fantastic. Between this and “Big Little Lies,” the Best Actress in a Series Emmy is going to be hard-fought. The only thing bad about “Feud” is that the script is occasionally an info-dump, especially the framing scenes with de Havilland and Joan Blondell. And one more nit-pick – why is Zeta-Jones using an American accent? De Havilland was British. The art and costume direction are incredible.
@Christiane:
As an Old Hollywood fan possibly going toward fanatic, I like the info dump style of narration. While De Havilland and Fontaine were technically British, they were raised in California from early babyhood or maybe toddlerhood. They were enrolled in elocution lessons as kids, because mom was an actress, and I guess wanted them to be actresses, and I think that is why they sounded the way they did which comes across or should more like a mid-Atlantic accent imo. While I think I agree to a point about Zeta-Jones voice as De Havilland, not sounding British enough isn’t the reason.
As a follow-up to my previous comment, I’m not sure who I would have cast as De Havilland; her voice is very distinctive and not in a way that I think is easy to imitate.
I can’t wait to watch but I’m waiting until after the finale. I like marathoning on tv shows all at once. This looks fantastic. And I’d also love a season of Feud featuring Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine!
I just marathoned on Big Little Lies and Legion last week. Both are fantastic. Some excellent roles for women on both. I highly recommend checking them both out.
For those who didn’t quite understand my follow-up comment, elocution classes were for people to speak properly, and as such, the Mid-Atlantic accent was a conscious effort for actors to sound somewhere between British and American. Therefore, it did not exist anywhere naturally. Here’s a good article on it. http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-a-fake-british-accent-took-old-hollywood-by-storm
FEUD is great fun, and impeccably designed. But somehow I can’t get suspend disbelief when I see and hear the two leads!The Joan Crawford impersonation seems narcotized and oleaginous; but if you watch the actual Oscars broadcast that year, she appears very sharp, sober and no-nonsense. In her movies as well – using a very clear enunciation and body language. And she was quite thin, except for her bust. As for the weak-tea Bette Davis imitation, it’s as though the director just gave up trying in rehearsal stage and told Susan Sarandon, “just be yourself.”
The only actor I can think of who might have actually delivered believable renditions of Davis and JC? Charles Busch. Have you ever seen his Barbara Stanwyck?
I have watched this seties. It’s good but don’t know how much of this is real or not. I knew there was a feud you read about it all the time but I think there was a lot of dramatic licensing on Murphy’s Part. I think the series did show that Hollywood was using these women for game or the head of the studios and for the sake of the show. Since I’m not an actress and not anything to do with Hollywood I don’t know how much is that has change sometimes it just doesn’t seem like a lot of it has
In regards to doing something on Charles and Diana, no to early family still around, we have all lived it I don’t think it needs to be put on a TV series
Of course Chuck and Di have already been done:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084609/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103940/
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/464384/Charles-Diana-A-Royal-Love-Story/
https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Diana-Divided-Oliver-Stone/dp/B009UYFAVQ
I guess what makes this feel different is that it’s high profile.
@Patricia Burroughs aka Pooks OOOH YOU RIGHT! It looks like the photos collected in that post were all from the early days of their marriage. Makes sense. That “Impossibly Perfect Demure Princess role” got old quick, and WHO could blame her?!
@Sean Paul de Kwiatkowski:
Barbara Stanwyck impression. That is intriguing. The only one I’ve heard, and it was a good one was done by Ray Hagen who worked as a Broadway actor, did film reviews and interviews mainly of Golden Age cinema, and I think still works as a narrator for the Library of Congress, something which he has done since the 1970’s. As a regular reader of those books, this is how I became aware of him.
After reading this:
http://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/kate-leigh-and-tilly-devine
I want a series about Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine.
@ Rin
The rejected princesses was so much fun.