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Post by Toasted Cheese on Oct 25, 2018 2:56:01 GMT
I don't know much of the one and only indomitable and terrifying JC from her movies, as I have only seen a couple. I have seen more of Davis. How would you compare them as actresses Mr. D? Would you say Davis is more of a legend in the acting stakes, or was Crawford better? I know I couldn't have cared for Crawford as a person, yet I would have kowtowed before the feet of Davis. Apparently, when Michael Caine first met her, he said he was introduced to her by Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. He said one of the first things she said to him was that he reminded her of a young Leslie Howard and that Howard had slept with all his leading ladies except her, because she didn't want just be another of his conquests. She then commented how she felt if things may have been different if she had. Caine then asked her if she would accompany him to dinner and Davis said I wasn't making a pass at you.  Caine said he felt that Davis was just feeling some sense of regret with what she was expressing.
Oh, I could talk about this particular subject forever! I believe Bette had much more range than Crawford. She could really do just about anything. My favorite performances of hers are "Old Acquaintance", "All About Eve" and "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?". Most of the time, Davis tends to be histrionic, but I guess everybody accepts that from Bette Davis. But she has such a forceful presence and undeniably had a wonderful sense of humor. I, too, would have bowed at her feet. There was something about Davis that makes you hope that she would like you. Lol! I would have loved to hang out with her. I think she would have been a hoot. Crawford, I don't know. She either loved your or hated you, and I don't know if there was rhyme or reason with her. I think she would have been extremely high-maintenance and I think she was something of a phony. Nevetheless, I love Joan Crawford and think she is fascinating. I think probably there was not a harder worker in the business than Joan Crawford and I think nobody appreciated her fans more. (I remember reading once she said "If I'm staying at a hotel in Kansas City and a fan wants to know where I am, then you'd damn well better tell them!" You just don't hear that kind of appreciation often.) But with her persona, literally every single decade she transformed herself. It is very interesting to me because I think her four best performances are "Humoresque" (1946), "Possessed" (1947), "Flamingo Road" (1949) and "Mildred Pierce" (1945). I've never thought her acting was all that great (good, not great), except for this short string when she was excellent and I think that it must have been the confidence that was likely instilled in Crawford for winning the Oscar for MP. There's something to this. The self-confidence part. She was luminous in "Humoresque". 1920s - roaring twenties flapper 1930s - social climbing shopgirl 1940s - glamorous masochism 1950s - hard as nails, masculine bitch 1960s - grand guignol Thanks for your response Mr. Dirty. I have been looking forward to hearing your feedback here.
I have just watched the trailers for Old Acquaintance and Flamingo Road. Davis looks fabulous in her movie and her tongue in cheek and even self-deprecating persona would be right up my alley. As for Crawford, she looks terrifying and cold and hard. One of the tag lines in the trailer said.. A woman who's past caught up with her. Now aint' that the truth.  She doesn't appear pleasant or attractive to watch and no warmth. She is very butch as well. Crawford appears to be more of a parody of what she is playing, in order to be taken seriously, Davis just threw caution to the wind and looks magic and spontaneous. She certainly had more allure than Crawford. JC does looks like she is acting her part and the pretense appears more obvious, Davis is acting, yet appears to work up a storm, which is naturalistic.
I am going to watch more of the trailers for the films you have recommended and of course I would though need to see the films in their entirety to put them in context.
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Caine said he felt that Davis was just feeling some sense of regret with what she was expressing.