Feud

The whole series so far is a rewarding surprise. No camp caricature here but a serious, incisive portrayal of two iconic characters. Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon create her characters based on Joan Crawford and Bette Davis with such virtuosity that every new episode allow us to go deeper without ever turning into parody. Their reality is parody enough. But what touches me is that Lange and Sarandon, taking our preconceptions into account, inspire us to look at this two women as human beings. My admiration also to Alfred Molina - Robert Aldrich? Wow! Absolute perfection. On the latest episode "And The Winner Is..." Two extraordinary moments: Geraldine Page (A superb Sarah Paulson) taking Crawford's call and surrendering to her request because "She needs it" or Anne Bancroft (a wonderful Serinda Swan) receiving Crawford in her dressing room. Bancroft and Page understand Crawford's agony even from a distance. Compassion at last. I'm enjoying Feud with all my senses. Thank you Ryan Murphy and everyone involved.

As someone who worked with actors all his life I'm enormously grateful to Ryan Murphy for putting together with such seriousness and such care this series about a subject that is very rarely if ever touched. And when it is, it tends to be a caricature, a satire, an exaggeration of an exaggeration. Here the drama was tangible and the work of Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon, superlative. They managed to transport us from the times of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, as women and actresses, to our times, without betraying it. The characters were one hundred per cent present and the actresses playing them were one hundred per cent present. If acting is an art, and it is, that mysterious fusion between actor and character is the manifestation of it. - Many young actors I'm working with at the moment, some of which had never heard of Steve McQueen, let alone Bette Davis or Joan Crawford, saw "Feud" and compelled and inspire them to want to know more. In the last few weeks I've had them come to me with stories of "All About Eve", "Humoresque", "The Little Foxes", William Wyler, George Cukor... So "Feud" has become a tool, an agent provocateur, a gateway to history, the history of their own profession. It's not wishful thinking on my part. I see it in the young one's faces. Discovering passionately, and their horizons broaden automatically. It's a joy to see. As I close this comment a heartfelt hurrah to Alfred Molina and Stanley Tucci for their fearless, remarkable performances and to everyone involved, thank you very much.

And by that I mean, for those who can enjoy scenes longer than 10 seconds at a time... I love Feud for many reasons. All of my life I have been the biggest old Hollywood fan and the book 'The Divine Feud'by Shaun Considine from which this series is taking its cue is a masterpiece in studying two characters at a certain time in Hollywood where glamour and elegance (at least superficially) counted for something. I generally have real problems with biopics when actors look nothing like the people they portray but here I managed to get over that. Sarandon is very close to Davis at times though I would say more of a 1950's Davis than the sixties. As for Lange her physical resemblance is miles away from the real Crawford. And yet. They are both utterly believable and utterly exciting in those roles. Other reviewers suggest this is more of a study in fear and in a way it is. The reason it is so fascinating is because that fear still exists. As women age the screen abandons them. And what once was the hottest ticket in town has no chance in making it in the new world. There is also that sense of not really understanding that new world and fighting against it. Someone once said that the real problem between Crawford and Davis stemmed from the fact that they were so similar. And I guess that was true as well... My advice would be to read the positives and ignore the negatives in those reviews. Some folks are simply not understanding that they need to read between the lines and look at the bigger picture. But everything about Feud is elegant and amazingly well judged. And oh! those credits!!!!!!

Now already on episode 3 I can say without a doubt. "Feud" is totally addictive. The writing, the direction, costumes and production design, it all works beautifully, satisfying those who knew nothing about the story and those of us who knew a great deal. The biggest surprise, however is the Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon's performances that puts everything into a level way above, camp and/or caricature. Their performances are serious, profound, all consuming. Two modern stars throw themselves into the emotional investigation of two stars from the past and the results are, let me say it, extraordinary. I'm looking at Joan Crawford through an entirely new perspective. Jessica Lange has humanized her without embellishing her and Susan Sarandon plays with Bette Davis's contradictions making them crystal clear even finding a sort of justification for them. I saw the 3rd episode "Mommie Dearest" twice in a row. That's how riveted I was and still am. Let me also mention Alfred Molina as Robert Aldrich. Sensational.

It's amazing that someone so self-destructive and backstabbing has had so many movies and shows based on their fairly unremarkable life, but then that seems to be what warrants longevity. I'm not sure if Ryan Murphy is a Capote fan or is taking the daring step to show a dark underside of the gay community, because it's certainly not all rainbows. I'm a gay man and have never clicked with the community, for nearly 40 years since I came out at age 16. The prominent hypocrisy is the demand for equality, yet many have proven to be the most judgmental of anything that doesn't fall into the stereotype. You must support any publicly gay entertainer or politician without question, listen to certain music and act certain ways. Theater and Musicals are a requirement if you want to hold onto your membership card. The worst is pitying the extremely few of us out there who choose monogamy. If your self-worth is determined by how many partners you have, I find that tragic. I was always my own person and have been persecuted by the community for 'not fitting in'. I'm fine with who I am, are you?

Negative stereotypes exist for a reason, they're not just fabricated. Capote fits so many of these stereotypes that I can attest are in fact true, back in the 80's and today. Whether it's the fun side with snarky humor that can easily cross the line, or the self-loathing/self-destructive nature that results in destroyed relationships and any variety of chemical dependencies. There's a big lack of self-awareness. Not to mention the overt sexuality that seems to work for Capote, such as making advances to his 'straight' plumber who then becomes one of his part-time tricks. He's a tortured soul who goes out of his way to sabotage anything of benefit to him, and apparently has zero control over it. I can only assume publishing private details of his closest friends were an attempt at the ultimate self-sabotage, and it worked. It's hard to feel sympathetic towards someone who was given such a wealth of positives and achievements only to systematically ruin each one. On one hand, it's clear he is a very unhappy person who seeks the occasional distraction with friends and flirtations, but to go on TV incoherent and doing things that are in nobody's best interest seem to be the real person inside.

This season is meticulously produced with obvious attention to detail. While I've seen remarks about the acting being over the top, I expect that was the goal. They're presenting rich people with an obvious superiority complex because, once again, stereotypes often exist for a reason. The story would meander from time to time but it wouldn't be long until Capote was drunk again or there was another social lunch with lots and lots of smoking. I'm basing my rating on the overall storytelling and production, not necessarily the story itself.