Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star (2002) (TV)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Peter Fitzgerald

Writer:

Peter Fitzgerald (writer)

Release Date:

1 August 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

In this documentary on the life of 'Joan Crawford' , we learn why she should be remembered as the great actress she was...

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Tyrant | Narration | Interview | Reputation

Cast

Anjelica Huston	...	Herself - Narrator
Diane Baker	...	Herself - Actress
Charles Busch	...	Himself - Playwright / Crawford Historian
Ben Cooper	...	Himself - Actor
Christina Crawford	...	Herself - Daughter / Author, 'Mommie Dearest'
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.	...	Himself - Actor / Husband (archive footage)
Judy Geeson	...	Herself - Co-Star, 'Berserk!'
Virginia Grey	...	Herself - Actress
Sydney Guilaroff	...	Himself - Key MGM Hairstylist (archive footage)
Herbert Kenwith	...	Himself - Director / Friend
Anna Lee	...	Herself - Actress
Dickie Moore	...	Himself - Actor, 'The Bride Wore Red'
Margaret O'Brien	...	Herself - Actress
Anita Page	...	Herself - Actress / Crawford Co-Star
Betsy Palmer	...	Herself - Actress

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Fitzfilm

Quotes:

Himself - Interior Designer: There was more clear plastic on that furniture than was on the meat in an A&P!

Movie Connections:

References Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)

Superbly Done

This is an engrossing and faultlessly researched documentary with excellent movie clips. (The montages are GREAT!) I especially liked seeing the bit where you can actually glimpse Crawford playing for a fleeting second with Norma Shearer as her double in LADY OF THE NIGHT in 1925, and the sound clip from her radio recording of Ibsen's classic drama A DOLL'S HOUSE. (It's intriguing that some of her contemporaries have said elsewhere she was surprisingly effective in the plays she mounted with husband Franchot Tone in their little home theater, making us wonder if she might have actually been able to pull off classic stage roles if she'd taken it further.)

I do have to take issue with this comment from the review below, though:

<< I noticed Christina seemed all too eager to bring forth the darker side of Joan -- how she forced the children to do the cleaning, the wire hanger incident, taking over her role in "The Secret Storm" and all I sense from Christina is an incessant need to repeat to the public how nasty Crawford was. The damage has been done already with the book and MOMMIE DEAREST, isn't it time to move on?...It's the only headache in the entire documentary >>

We don't know how much tape the producers shot with Christina Crawford or what else she was asked, all we know is what they finally chose to use. To say that Christina is "still" focusing on that aspect of Crawford's life and should "move on" is like saying that Cliff Robertson is "still" focusing on AUTUMN LEAVES and should do likewise.

When the 20th Anniversary edition of her memoir MOMMIE DEAREST was released, Christina gave many interviews in which she praised her mother's career and effective performances. Those professional issues have never been in dispute, though, and what Crawford's daughter has to offer that's unique is insight into what the star's home life was like at specific periods of time.

Again, this is an extremely well done documentary, giving an excellent overview of Joan Crawford's life.