Faye: Entre Luzes e Sombras

A recent MAX documentary on the ever glamorous, ever cantankerous leading lady Faye Dunaway. Tracing her humble beginnings as a theater actress from the South, she soon found her way to film, being part of director Elia Kazan's acting troupe also helped, where not only did she have the acting chops but the drop-dead beauty as well which served her well during the late 60's w/output like The Thomas Crown Affair & Bonnie & Clyde. The 70's were arguably hers as she continued to nab high profile roles which would culminate in her Oscar win for Network in 1976. On the personal front she could not have a child of her own so her son, Liam, he being adopted, was welcomed w/open arms (his constant presence by her side at public functions illustrates their closeness) & her admitting her bi-polar status also humanized the actress who tended to be demonized as difficult. W/the usual talking heads of past co-stars (Mickey Rourke who worked on Barfly w/her) & ardent admirers like Sharon Stone make director Laurent Bouzereau's effort (Laurent has been a fixture in Hollywood's behind the scenes for years since I remember listening to his commentary on Criterion's edition of Carrie on laserdisc (!)) an easy one to document as long as Faye gets her water in a glass.

This is one of the best documentaries I've seen in a long, long time. In my opinion, a good documentary must be honest, insightful and entertaining. All this can be found here.

Faye Dunaway's career has been long and rich. She may be unknown to many younger moviegoers. It's been a few years since she was an active movie star. This movie reminds us all of her greatness. And that at the height of her career she played in some of the biggest and most important films of the 70s, such as Network.

The documentary's great strength is that Faye herself is the narrator and contributes actively throughout the film, where she narrates in detail in chronological order about her most significant films, private life all the time seasoned with exciting anecdotes. In the documentary, she receives help from her own son, colleagues in the film industry and journalists with in-depth insight into her work. In sum, therefore, this film becomes very interesting and believable.

After seeing the film, I wanted to revisit many of her great achievements on the silver screen, and I think I'll start with Bonnie and Clyde, which gets a thorough review here.

Faye Dunaway was one of the undeniable doyennes of New Hollywood, starring in some of the most important movies of the era: "Bonnie and Clyde", "Little Big Man", "Chinatown", etc. So why does she often get called things like "a pain to work with" or treated as a less-than-serious actress?

Laurent Bouzereau's "Faye" focuses on Dunaway from her childhood to the present. For the movies, it mainly focuses on a couple of movies - i.e. Her Oscar-winning role in "Network" - and how "Mommie Dearest" simply came out at the wrong point in history, leading people to scorn Dunaway as a joke.

As for Dunaway's reputation for being temperamental, it turns out that's the result of bipolar disorder. Her son mentions that he can tell whether or not she's taken her prescribed medications.

The point is that one gets to know not only this fine actress, but some of the history of cinema. In addition to Dunaway herself, it features interviews with her fans and colleagues, and some journalists. Definitely see it.

As "Fay (2024 release; 91 min.) opens, it is "March 28, 1977" and Fay Dunaway wins the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in "Network". We see the iconic picture taken the morning after as Faye lays poolside with newspapers spread out and laying about (perhaps the most famous Oscar photo ever taken). Various talking heads gush about Faye's most famous performances. We then go back in time as Faye talks about her upbringing in the deep South... At this point we are less tahn 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from director Lauren Bouzereau ("Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind"). Here, with a big assist from Fay's son Liam, he manages to have extended one-on-one sit-downs with Faye as she reflects on her life and times. She openly discusses her "difficult" reputation, but also her bipolar disorder diagnosis. I was most interested in hearing what became of this famous actress once she was no longer so much in the limelight (from the late 1980's on). Please note that this documentary is simply called "Faye" (as seen in the opening credits), and not "Faye: The Many Lives of Faye Dunaway" (as advertised on HBO and Max).

"Faye" premiered at this year's Canned film festival to positive acclaim. A couple of weeks ago it started airing on HBO and streaming on Max, where I caught it just last night. This documentary is currently rated 100% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. While "Faye" is certainly a worthwhile documentary, that rating seems a bit overly generous to me. In any event, if you are a fan of Faye Dunaway or of Hollywood in the 1970s, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

"Faye" is a 2024 documentary film that delves into the life and career of legendary actress Faye Dunaway.

"Faye" is a compelling and insightful documentary that offers a unique perspective on the life of a Hollywood icon. It's a must-watch for fans of Dunaway and anyone interested in the history of cinema.

If you're a fan of:

Film documentaries Hollywood history Faye Dunaway's films Stories about overcoming adversity You're likely to enjoy "Faye."

"Faye" has garnered generally positive reviews, with critics praising Dunaway's honesty and the film's insightful exploration of her life and career.