Davis Vs Crawford

This 'verses' is alot more interesting and juicy as these two women are obviously extremely talented and very well respected. But with these women a big difference between them and the rest of the reviews of Actors/Actresses I've done so far have all had similarities between them, whether they're styles or they've been in alot of films, or they're rivals but its not feud like with these ladies.

I don't know why I didn't do this sooner as the intensity and the hatred these women had towards each other is so juicy and intriguing its been made into a TV Show called Feud which was created by Ryan Murphy who I love and no I haven't seen it yet, but the two women are being played by Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon so I immediately think its gonna be good and I need to see it now. Anyway, let's start as always at the beginning of both of they're lives. Bette's life seems pretty normal her parents did split up when she was about 7, she had a younger sister and was encouraged by her mother to do Acting and her mother even went to New York with her, so she can study Theatre as that was her main speciality before films became bigger and needed more actors rather than Joe from the street. Joan on the other hand was experienced with dancing that was her thing and her mother and father separated and Joan didn't even know her real father, as her mother remarried and had a stepfather who owned a theatre and that's when Joan loved dancing and wanted to be a dancer. Although Joan's stepfather got in a bit of legal trouble involving embezzlement and soon after her mother and stepfather split up and I think it really affected Joan and her relationships with men.

So their beginnings are quite different, but abit similar as they both have divorced parents, and that's pretty much it both have wanted to perform from an early age, one was encouraged, the other just liked it. Joan is alot more tougher if that makes sense, like she has done all the crappy jobs and dealt with some real arseholes. Bette Davis is tough aswell, probably just as tougher I guess, because she had a strong woman her mother in her life and found the first few years on screen really difficult as actresses at that time who worked in film were all beautiful and were usually sweet and endearing. But Bette was just the opposite of that and had very strong facial features like her beautiful eyes and her voice was strong and very screechy and theatrical in a way. Whereas Joan Crawford found it fairly easy being a dancer and the vaudeville circuit being popular they were just churning out actors from there. Also Joan Crawford was typically very beautiful and started being a body double for Norma Shearer who was the most popular actress at the time and also had the gift of the gab in a way being quite streetwise with things but in a classy way, things were just different for them both. But they are amazingly strong, fantastic no nonsense women. 

In terms of roles they both have played its very similar as they've both had the privilege I think of playing truly unique women who are independent, sassy, and outspoken. At that time those kinda characters for women were coming into they're own, back then female characters weren't very three dimensional and it was either a sweet doting wife, or a doting mother. There wasn't many characters depicting women who are real and women you see in real life. So in some ways these women are real pioneers in that field, because crazily enough women arn't always cheerful, smiling housewives they can be real bitches. 

In terms of there feud, they only worked on one film together called 'Whatever Happen To Baby Jane' and they hated each other I will talk more about that film soon. Sometimes I reckon from the huge feud they had, was probably overexaggerated as that something that happens, particularly with two very famous and successful actresses, who also has very strong personalities. They did hate each other, but I like to think its not as bad its really made out, because thats when things turn into gossip and hear'say.

In 1963 Oscars, Joan Crawford, Hedda Hopper tried to sabotage Bette Davis so that she wouldn't win, and I can understand why Joan would be annoyed that she didn't get nominated because she did the same film, and was just as good in that as Bette, and had the utmost hatred towards her at all. But I do think that was the wrong thing to do, as I think it should be a fair game, and whoever wins, wins and that's it. I just seemed abit childish I think, but then again it could be hear'say as apparently she persuaded Geraldine Page to take the night off when she won, Joan would take the Oscar as a sort of favor to her. The actual winner of the night which was Anne Bancroft and she wasn't there so Joan persuaded again the Oscars if she could that the award as a favor to Anne. Even though Joan didn't win, I guess she wanted the whole 'I have an Oscar do you?' to Bette backstage. Again like I said it could be hear'say, but I have a feeling they couldn't exaggerate that.

Personal lives of both, are quite similar as they both have had a lot of husbands, and had children in which they have been very domineering towards. Like with Joan Crawford her daughter Christina wrote a book called Mommie Dearest and it was made into a film, and it basically was a horror. Apparently she was a very domineering, and just not a great mother but I don't believe it was as bad as it's made out again, things can be misinterpreted I don't think you should take things as fact and figure. I believe this could be the case, as Joan was a strong woman with a very outspoken personality on life. Bette Davis's Daughter B.D wrote a book about her relationship with her mother and again she was a domineering woman, but I think Bette forgave her and completely understood, as with Joan I guess she didn't like to be made out like some Villainess.

I love these two women, as they are both so colourful and flawed which is something I admire and love in people. We've seen them, threaten, showing attitude, and just explode in general both onscreen playing amazing characters anyone would be jealous of, and in there day to day life aswell. Whoever you prefer you can't deny you wanna be, either one of them I know I do, as they are both just so brilliant you'd love to have a drink with them and a chat about anything. Basically what I'm trying to say is they are my kinda women, independent, sassy, don't take shit, complete leaders. Joan was in a way much more versitile where she did other things than Acting, she was a business woman and a Dancer with Bette she was just an Actress, but an amazing one.

I honestly can't decide, as there is no competition between them both because like I've said before and I'll say again they are both so brilliant. I'm gonna say and I only say this because I just do and maybe she wasn't a little bitch at the Oscars, I prefer by the slight bit Bette Davis, as I just love her that bit more, and also I've heard of Bette Davis's name more. I've really enjoyed writing this post, and talking about amazing women which is something you all know I love, especially Classic Hollywood. I'd love to know who you prefer, or what film you like of them, and I'll speak to you all on Friday! 

Review: The Women

So we're gonna talk about Joan Crawford abit this week as I wanna talk more about Bette Davis, and Bette and Joan had quite a history so why not. Plus this film is very interesting and totally unlike any film that I ideally like to see, basically I didn't think it'd would be my cup of tea as it just sounded like a Bridget Jones Chick Flick from the plot summery that is. 

What this film is about is a group of friends who all live in fairly middle class standards, one of them called Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) who's husband called Stephen may or may not be having an affair with this beautiful, flirtatious woman called Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford). When Mary finds out about this and confronts Crystal about it and tells her to stop, Crystal just refuses and Mary and Stephen get a divorce. 2 years later Crystal and Stephen are married and Crystal has been having this affair with this new man who is married to one of the friends who's a countess and it just blows up. 

The plot of the film annoys me somewhat as the friends are good and so is Mary's mother as they're both very supportive of Mary because she's the innocent one and going through quite a bad time with everything. Also none of Mary's friends who are played by Rosalind Russel, Paulette Goddard and Joan Fonatine and a plethora of other brilliant actresses, none of the friends seem to like Crystal which is justified I guess as its the thing where its 'you've hurt my friend so automatically I don't like you' but it just seems like they all just gang up on her, which is horrible.

Crystal's character is someone I actually like, because she is a woman who knows who she is and is fine with it. She is very much of this bacheloresque woman in a way, because she is so strong and doesn't care what people think of her or her relationships, which I think is great as you shouldn't care what people think, but at the same time you should take people's feelings in to account if you're doing something like what Crystal did and she was very selfish and hurt other people. I mean she's a bitch but she admits it and is fine with it and not shady or denying that she is. 

Mary the main character is something I can't relate to or understand as she in the end and this frustrates me. In the end she goes back to Stephen the man who cheated on her in the first place! It annoyed me that Mary confronted Crystal and not Stephen who did the dirty and its more of a marriage and couple thing rather than it being another issue, but that's just me. They really tried to make Crystal a real bitch, from her costumes she wore to her attitude towards people, particularly towards her Step-Daughter little Mary. I like little Mary she is very passive aggressive towards her and it just makes me love her so much, because she does it in such a polite way you can't be annoyed at her. 

 Overall this film is good, but some of the characters are abit crap I should say, like Mary she just annoyed me at the end where she went back to Stephen who broke her trust but she loves him anyway. I feel like there should have been more of Stephen in the film, because that way he's more 3D you didn't even see his face throughout it. Love Joan Crawford in this obviously, and Paulette Goddard was brilliant aswell, because both are so mesmerising you can't stop watching them. 

Peppermint Friday Review #26: Sullivan's Travels

I hope you enjoyed Wednesday's post as it was nice to talk about something abit different for a change, and appropriately it was uploaded on International Woman's Day which wasn't planned at all by the way. Anyway we're gonna talk about an Actress and one of the best films ever I think, and it needed to be a Peppermint Friday Film to talk about, I couldn't just do it on any other day.

To put it short this film is about filmmaking, John Sullivan played by Joel McCrea is a Director who has done well, and made some money from the films he's made, but is creatively dissatisfied with the films he's made and wants to make some real gritty drama instead of the comedies he's making. The studio he works for wants him to make a film that is very much the same genre and style of film. John decides he wants to see the world at first hand so he becomes a tramp and bumps into a struggling actress called as in the film 'The Girl' who is played by Veronica Lake.  

The dialogue of this film is just brilliant, I love how witty they are and the quick humour of them both. Veronica Lake is such a beautiful woman and an amazing actress, she is a woman who I admire greatly and her portrayal of an actress who has struggled and has found it really hard the fact that she has this sense of humor is amazing and so classy and sultry she is a woman who I think we should all aspire to be. One of my favorite bits of the film and its turned into a classic line for varies films, TV shows, Theatre alike and that's when they're in the car and he goes 'What could go wrong?' and suddenly they're in prison together.

Joel McCrea is brilliant, he's an actor I've only seen in one film and that's this film, but despite that he's a good actor and I love the chemistry between him and Veronica Lake it's like an old married couple, and that's something I love in romance I like the witty, fun atmosphere with it, instead of it being all serious all the time as it's nice to have a bit of yin and yang. The character development from Joel's character is something I love, I love that he is so relatable because creative people are very erratic at times, its about changing things up all the time.

 Sully I should call him, at the beginning he is very frustrated with what he's doing, he wants to create gritty realism that has dirt underneath its fingernails, throughout the film he wants to deal with real trouble by being a tramp, he meets a beautiful girl who is struggling as an actress and is seriously thinking about going back home. She brings light to him and he brings light to her, and you all know already how much I love witty, cleverly written comedies with added genres and themes of anything. 

Minor characters I love are the Head of the studio which Sully works for, he is so patronising towards Sully about him doing something different which I like as he was very cheerful about it, which makes him even more so patronising, but I liked that because it succeeded in what the character set out to do. The butlers were so funny, and relaxed about it, one of my favorite bits of them was when Sully and Veronica were by the pool and fell in twice because they were having quite a heated conversation. They were so 'oh they're in the pool' and I just found it so amusing, during the end of the film when the plot gets thicker and much more deep.

                                                              
One of the cutest and most picturesque screenshot of the film that I love and holds a memory for me is the scene where Sully is on a boat in his hobo gear with a dog, I don't think there's nothing more beautiful than a man with his dog. You should definitely watch this film its so witty and wonderful, with a brilliant cast and its got Veronica Lake in and that's a film made I think. On that note I shall speak to you all very soon, and have a lovely weekend!

Peppermint Friday Review #21: Sabrina

So to end the wonderful week, we're gonna talk about a film that I love very much that stars two of my favorite people Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart and I did mention it in a post a couple of weeks ago. It was also directed by the same man who directed The Seven Year Itch which I did a review of at the start of this week. 

The story is about a girl called Sabrina (played by Audrey Hepburn) who has been in love with a guy called David Larrabee (played by William Holden) who doesn't really return the favor. Sabrina tries to commit suicide due to it, but fails but David's older brother Linus (played by Humphrey Bogart) intervenes she then goes to Paris to go to cooking school she returns home after two years and looks completely different, stunning, new attitude adjustment.

First of all the costumes are stunning, then again its hard to make Audrey look awful even when before Sabrina went to Paris she looked beautiful. But when she got back she just looked abit more groomed shall we say, and much more glamorous. Even with William Holden and Humphrey Bogart's characters looked amazing, with there character arcs and I know that they just wore suits but for the characters and the personality types they looked amazing. Thats my girly bit of the review done for a bit, but we all know

I loved Sabrina as a character, I saw allot of myself in her that she wears her heart on her sleeve which can be a bad thing, but a very human thing and thats something I love about her. Linus is so brilliant and opposite from Sabrina I actually love that they develop feelings for each other as the film goes on from the character development from Sabrina at the beginning of the film lusting after a man who clearly doesn't show the same affection back, to the end of the film where she's beautiful, graceful and a woman who knows her worth.

The script was so flawless and I loved the way they said the lines that needed to be said in that way. William Holden's character David was the perfect mix of arrogance and charm, the way I describe it is Gaston who went to finishing school and actually tried hard and completed it. In some ways this film is a mixture of Beauty and The Beast with Sabrina being Belle, David, Gaston and Humphrey The Beast, and a modern romance film that wants the characters to get together you know, like a Team David and Team Linus sort of thing. 

Now you all know this by now, I'm not a fan of chick flicks, romcoms things like that, but when it comes to Classic films that have romantic bits and are largely romantic in terms of genre, who has a Hollywood star in like Audrey, Marilyn or Veronica Lake or whoever I like the list goes on I will 100% watch that film. Billy Wilder who directed this film, is a fantastic director who is well known to direct Romantic films with an edge of Comedy to it.
                                                                       
I think you should all know that there is a 1995 remake of this film, which isn't as good as this one, even though it has Harrison Ford in but this one has Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, so who wins? Not that I don't like Harrison Ford he's brilliant but its Audrey and Humphrey. This film and story is so beautiful to watch even if you're not a huge romance fan you will still love this film, as there are some funny bits of the film which are incorporated in brilliantly by the wonderful directing of Billy Wilder. I will talk to you all next week, and have a lovely weekend!

Monroe Vs Hepburn

Now I know there is no competition for these two lovely women, as they are both so different from each other. One is blonde, curvy and stunning, one is brunette, petite and gorgeous. But they were both very successful and at the top of there game at the same time, or around the same time. I adore these women both equally, so this is gonna be really hard also this is gonna be about Fashion and the Style they wore as well so lets begin.

Lets start with Marilyn, Marilyn didn't have an easy start in life as she spent most of it in foster homes and married at 16 her mother had a mental illness so she was then placed in a mental hospital. She started modelling when she was in her late teens which she was very good at she then wanted to do acting which led her to have bit parts in films. Then she got a speaking part in All About Eve, which earned her critical acclaim, and was taken seriously as an actress.

She also became a sex symbol which I can see why. But because of this she is labelled and automatically branded as being this blonde, flirtatious bimbo, which I don't think is the case at all. As in alot of her films she can be seen as this dark femme fatale character like in Clash By Night or Niagara, but people only know her as this dumb ditzy blonde in comedies which yes she is good in it, but she's also an actress who can play all roles. 

Now we're going to Audrey, Audrey's life began in Belgium and as a girl she did a lot of ballet, and that was the career that Audrey wanted to do. Then World War II happened, she would dance in London and was spotted by a casting director she then had a few minor roles in films, and then had her big break in Roman Holiday. 

People mainly recognise her for being this beautiful actress, with this stunning swanlike face. Which is true yes but she is a very nurturing person, she actually stopped acting because she wanted to help those in need particularly in Ethiopia, she then went on to become an UNICEF ambassador. Some people don't really realise how giving she was, people only really know her for being beautiful.

Both women in acting, are again quite similar, but totally different aswell. In terms of stereotype in roles, Audrey is very delicate and subtle when it comes to roles she plays like she's not over exaggerating or overdoing it. Thats what made me really like her, she was just so casual and eye catching in her roles and very softly spoken. With Marilyn again she is so eye catching and softly spoken, and doesn't seem like she tries too hard. Both are brilliant at comedy and the darker and abit more serious genres. Marilyn is abit more sexier and she has had much more roles that are largely dedicated to the male audience, than Audrey not to say thats a bad thing. 

Marilyn is much more curvier and has a stronger male following, due to the fact that she has modeled for Playboy and done nude not that thats a bad thing, because I still think she's amazing. I've read articles where she was a size 12, size 16 I don't know which is true! But I do think its wonderful as she was outspoken about her body, and wasn't entirely bothered by it. It is true as it doesn't matter what size you are aslong as you're happy and healthy, you can do anything and thats what I feel she gave off to the world. A wonderful, refreshing attitude to body image, and the fact that its all down to you. 

In styles of fashion I admire then highly, they are both stunning in there own sizes and styles. I look up to both in different ways, Audrey has the beautiful dresses and lets not forget that iconic black dress in Breakfast At Tiffany's, and can definitely put together a beautiful outfit, she loves her trousers and stripey tops which I love to wear. Marilyn has beautiful dresses again, and loves wearing legging/jeggings and has that low plunge neckline tops. Put it this way I want all there wardrobes in the films, they were in the costumes and the day to day wear. 

I don't think theres a winner here, which is usually does happen. I love Audrey and her simplicity and the way she carries herself and how quirky she acts in her roles. Marilyn is so beautiful, and doesn't even try hard in her roles and is so positive. Obviously both have had adversities throughout there life like anyone has, and thats what makes them so likeable in a way to me. 

The fact that they are both different sizes and different looks makes no difference to me, that Marilyn was a size 16 or 12 doesn't make a difference to me, I still think she's amazing, as an actress and a woman, same goes for Audrey she is a very petite and small but that doesn't make me think she's any less beautiful or talented as an actress. 

They are both such good actresses and so influential I can't honestly decide. Theres not even one woman I've liked or admired longer than the other. I love how caring they are towards people, Marilyn had a number of miscarriages and yet was still so caring to those who need it the most, but never cared herself. Audrey gave up her acting career to care for those in need in Ethiopia and all over the world. Both have such wonderful attitudes towards life and the acting and film universe. They didn't blame other people or think someone's out to get them, they made with what they had, and became the icons we all know and love.