That's the ultimate question posed here in this depiction of the dark side of Hollywood's Golden Age. I've viewed this quite a few times in the past few decades and every time, I find it riveting. The elegance and sophistication of being a squeaky clean movie star back then was perfectly highlighted as was the genuine feel of the era with those vintage cars and fashion styles that were featured.
I've always been a sucker for old Hollywood and the stories about the triumph it may sometimes bring or the downright disgrace it could ultimately lead to, but then there's this classic tale of Joan Crawford and the alleged abuse she inflicted on her daughter, Christina.
That's the ultimate downside of this perfectly well made film about classic Tinseltown. It's the focus on the abuse Christina received from this famous, but allegedly anguished vanity queen who adopted her. Joan is depicted as an insanely egotistical movie star with an equally insane drive to meet extreme perfection regarding a reputation and cleanliness. Posing for perfect pictures for the camera and fighting off any microbes of germs in her realm, is excellently portrayed by none other than Faye Dunaway.
There's a lot of stages Faye goes through in her depiction of Joan Crawford, from an elegant and charming movie star, to a downright mentally deranged beast who beats her daughter with a coat hanger because she wasn't hanging her clothes on the proper ones. That's quite a range right there.
I admit there's a lot of eccentricities and obsessively compulsive tendencies some people may carry as well as psychotic behavior, but this depiction is not without its controversies. Was Joan Crawford, the glamorous movie star of her day, a sick and twisted mother in her personal life?
Only Joan can tell. She wasn't around when these allegations came about. Child abuse is indeed a sickening and horrible thing, but there are always two sides to every story and Joan's is definitely not heard in this one sided portrayal of who she once was.
Bravo though to Faye Dunaway for giving a sincere, but sometimes emoting performance of this classic film star. She goes over the top which comes out comical at times, like when she replaces her twentysomething daughter in a 1960s soap opera after her daughter gets sick and is in the hospital. Joan took on the role even though she was middle-aged and had to look at cue cards for her lines while acting. That has major campy value right there.
This is an entertaining film, but only regarding it's classic Hollywood portrayal but, the rest is a sensationalized abuse-fest that even focuses on having the daughter eat extremely rare, bloody looking steak for dinner. If she didn't, she'd have it later for breakfast.
Joan is shown as an ultimate monster in this as well as her compulsion to fight off germs of any kind in her household, but the reason for those traits is never made known here. No cause is given for any deranged actions on her part and she's just portrayed as one ultimately mean woman. A riveting film, but not without the question: was it true or not? Only Joan can tell, but she's unable to defend herself regarding these allegations. It all came out only after she died.
I've always been a sucker for old Hollywood and the stories about the triumph it may sometimes bring or the downright disgrace it could ultimately lead to, but then there's this classic tale of Joan Crawford and the alleged abuse she inflicted on her daughter, Christina.
That's the ultimate downside of this perfectly well made film about classic Tinseltown. It's the focus on the abuse Christina received from this famous, but allegedly anguished vanity queen who adopted her. Joan is depicted as an insanely egotistical movie star with an equally insane drive to meet extreme perfection regarding a reputation and cleanliness. Posing for perfect pictures for the camera and fighting off any microbes of germs in her realm, is excellently portrayed by none other than Faye Dunaway.
There's a lot of stages Faye goes through in her depiction of Joan Crawford, from an elegant and charming movie star, to a downright mentally deranged beast who beats her daughter with a coat hanger because she wasn't hanging her clothes on the proper ones. That's quite a range right there.
I admit there's a lot of eccentricities and obsessively compulsive tendencies some people may carry as well as psychotic behavior, but this depiction is not without its controversies. Was Joan Crawford, the glamorous movie star of her day, a sick and twisted mother in her personal life?
Only Joan can tell. She wasn't around when these allegations came about. Child abuse is indeed a sickening and horrible thing, but there are always two sides to every story and Joan's is definitely not heard in this one sided portrayal of who she once was.
Bravo though to Faye Dunaway for giving a sincere, but sometimes emoting performance of this classic film star. She goes over the top which comes out comical at times, like when she replaces her twentysomething daughter in a 1960s soap opera after her daughter gets sick and is in the hospital. Joan took on the role even though she was middle-aged and had to look at cue cards for her lines while acting. That has major campy value right there.
This is an entertaining film, but only regarding it's classic Hollywood portrayal but, the rest is a sensationalized abuse-fest that even focuses on having the daughter eat extremely rare, bloody looking steak for dinner. If she didn't, she'd have it later for breakfast.
Joan is shown as an ultimate monster in this as well as her compulsion to fight off germs of any kind in her household, but the reason for those traits is never made known here. No cause is given for any deranged actions on her part and she's just portrayed as one ultimately mean woman. A riveting film, but not without the question: was it true or not? Only Joan can tell, but she's unable to defend herself regarding these allegations. It all came out only after she died.