Stardust: The Bette Davis Story

I have seen quite a few documentaries on Bette Davis and I read a biography about her as well, as she's definitely my favorite actress. However, this Turner Classic Movies production is superior to the other films I've seen about her for two main reasons. Because TCM owns almost all of Miss Davis' films, they were able to use far more relevant clips than other shows about her. Plus, given their resources, they were able to piece together old interviews by many long-passed stars to create an excellent portrait not just of this actress on stage but off as well. Miss Davis was arguably the best actress ever, but off screen she was a psychological mess. This documentary does NOT ignore her negative side as so many "white-wash" documentaries do--you get the star, warts and all and I really appreciated this. Some of the people had terrible things to say about Bette as a person (and some very positive things) and it also discussed her daughter's "tell-all" book. About the only reason I didn't give the film a 10 is that with all these real life antics, it would have been really nice to have psychotherapists interviewed as well to create a deeper psychological profile--discussing her personality disorders and how they served her so well in films and undermined her ability to really connect with others. Still, a very fascinating and frank biography--one not to be missed.

For an even better TCM biography, look for the one on Joan Crawford, Bette's off-screen rival. It manages to be just a hair better and more insightful--though both films are terrific.

Hats off again to Turner Classic Movies and their corporate sibling Warner Bros., for once again setting the highest bar for documentary film-making on Hollywood subjects.

Peter Jones is not a household name, but he should be. This magnificent director has created some of the best industry-based works I've ever seen. His portrait of Samuel Goldwyn on American Masters was superb, and even through the muck of A&E, his telling of the story of Ozzie and Harriet turned out to be one of the most moving, and heartbreaking studies of the American dream dissolved.

After a few years away from the 'spotlight' as it were, I saw this documentary on TCM after reading wonderful reviews. I wasn't skeptical about it, as TCM has generally (with rare exception in prior years) always delivered a first rate product.

Instead of taking the traditional approach, Jones has crafted a true MOTION PICTURE. Not a predictable clip/talking head/clip show. He gets under Davis' skin, and paints a portrait of a remarkable, yet basically sad person. Lest we forget her 1960s autobiography was called THE LONELY LIFE.

Jones celebrates her genius, and has a cast of colleagues and friends of Davis to back up his story, and it sets this show apart from the usual claptrap we see on other cable channels.

Not surprisingly, this is a co-production between Warner Bros. and TCM, which means a somewhat concurrent DVD release of the docu is part of an overall collection of great Davis films. WB has used this formula with both TCM and PBS to celebrate the likes of Errol Flynn, Cary Grant, Judy Garland, Garbo, and so many others. It's what sets WB apart from all other studios as the classiest and sharpest when it comes to their legacy on DVD, and also why Turner Classic Movies remains so acclaimed by critics year after year.

I look forward to the next Peter Jones Production! He's one terrific filmmaker. I think Bette would be proud.

Narrated by Susan Sarandon -- presumably because she's a bit of a Davis lookalike (but a much better voice-over than Anjelica Huston's on the Joan Crawford doc), STARDUST presents a nice, kinda fun, warts-and-all portrait of screen icon Bette Davis.

No, few of her peers are still around, so the program has to rely on latter day film actors to provide commentary and opinion, but that doesn't seem to hurt it.

The film seems to fairly skewer Davis for her well-documented pathologies, yet defends her from undue slurs (rightly dismissing her daughter's petty 1985 tome, "My Mother's Keeper", nowhere NEAR as intelligent or as responsible a book as "Mommie Dearest").

The fresh, sort of melancholy, nostalgic tone keeps the viewers' interest throughout, although there's a relative lack of detail (and it tends to short sheet her post-Warners' career) but that would likely have taken a much longer show. Still, another 20 minutes might have been nice, so that Bette's life after 1949 weren't so truncated.

Still, quite watchable, and better than most such efforts on the Great La Bette.

It would be difficult to do a bad documentary on Bette Davis - she was such a dynamic actress and woman and never boring - but this beautifully produced documentary, "Stardust: The Bette Davis Story" is over the top in excellence, paying great attention to the actress' private life as well as her movie career. Using photos, film clips, interviews with family, Davis herself, and voiceovers from coworkers, a picture emerges of Davis as a driven actress, a perfectionist, a wonderful homemaker and ultimately, a very lonely woman.

Her son Michael, who unlike her spoiled daughter B.D., loved his mother very much, states that she drank quite a bit. This was probably much less true in her heyday and exacerbated as she aged. That perhaps contributed to her becoming increasingly more difficult to work with as the years went on. Like many great stars, without the cushion of a studio, with the loss of creative control/choice that comes with moving into character roles, Bette Davis became less secure. It became more important for her to be able to intimidate the director and those around her. During the major part of her career, she was surrounded by top directors and stars - these now became people with less talent than herself, and as a result, the later films suffered. Fortunately, though, she went out with a bang, with "The Whales of August."

Bette Davis had an indomitable spirit throughout her life. She gave us some great films and brilliant performances. "Stardust" gives us insight into the woman behind them.

Some documentary biographies make interesting viewing in that we get to see aspects of their personalities, careers, and lives that we either had forgotten, or were just not aware of. "Stardust, The Bette Davis Story", directed by Peter Jones and seen recently on TCM, is that rare, but intelligent endeavor that makes the viewer more aware of the life of an actress that spent her life in front of the camera.

This film clarifies a lot of things about Ms. Davis' life that weren't as obvious as in other documentaries that came before. One thing comes clear, her father's desertion was a big blow to the young child, who felt abandoned by him. In spite of what should have been a bitter resentment on her part, she still kept in touch with him as noted by the many things about herself she sent him throughout the years. Her mother played a big role in Bette Davis life. Her ascent into stardom assured her mother and sister a life of ease they never had during the years that followed the breakup between her parents.

Another thing that comes across is how Ms. Davis had affairs with some of the men in the industry. One anecdote had Patrick O'Neal berating her for a pass she made at him during the run of "The Night of the Iguana" on Broadway. Her battles with Jack Warner is also prominently accounted for by Mr. Jones. Her battle with some of her directors were legendary, yet, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, her "All About Eve" director, tells us how in his experience, he was intimidated at first, based on colleagues' reports, yet, working on that film proved to be a pleasant experience for him, as well as the rest of the cast.

We also get to know her own daughter's rejection when B.D. Hyman got into religion. That was a terrible blow for a woman that had given her all to that child. Ultimately, this must have been what broke her heart. Triumphs and accolades were nothing to her if in the end she lost the daughter she loved so dearly.

The film uses well the many film clips the director and his team were able to assemble for this most informative and complete account of a life that appeared to be glamorous on the surface. Ms. Davis' life was in many ways rewarding, but deep down she must have felt differently when all the tragedy she went through is taken into account.

"Stardust: The Bette Davis Story" is a must for all of her fans.