Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006)

Just perfect...

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

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.

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.

And yet--having given that title to my commentary--I have to say that not everything depicted here paints BETTE DAVIS with a rosy glow. It's an accurate, no holds barred sort of documentary of her life on and off the screen--and some of it has a "warts and all" kind of truth to it that does away with gushing fan worship that some seem to prefer their favorite stars bathed in. For those fans, this is an eye-opener.Instead, it's a penetrating look at the kind of Yankee upbringing the actress had, how she craved from her father the kind of attention she only got from her mother "Ruthie"; how her father's indifferent attitude toward her career as an actress was something she was never able to overcome; how the main influence on her life was the mother who doted on her rather than her less strong-willed sister; and, finally, how she developed into a strong and determined young woman who was not about to let anyone stand in the way of the sort of career she felt she fully deserved.All of this is accompanied by interesting family still photos, excellent film clips, and, occasional remarks from co-workers or friends on how they see Bette Davis, the person and the actress.While much of the material has been presented before, it has never been examined with such precision and understanding, giving a clearer portrait of the actress than ever seen before.Peter Jones is to be congratulated for writing an excellent expose. It's not a gushing fan tribute, but an extremely sharp and penetrating look at a woman who had many admirable traits, but whose ambition and self-absorption (an ingredient necessary for a successful actress), left her with some bitter memories of a not altogether successful personal life.

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.