The new HBO Documentary FAYE is a fascinating portrait of Faye Dunaway, one of the most talented, difficult and demanding movie stars of the 70's.
At least that's what I thought of her before watching her life unfold in her own words in Laurent Bouzereau's revealing new film.
Her latter years are filled with tales of her getting fired from plays and films, treating people like underlings and acting like a dictator on set.
What's fascinating is that Faye doesn't deny any of it, but after watching her bare her soul about her life and background, I felt very different about her.
Throughout the film, Dunaway speaks directly to Bouzereau's camera, mincing no words in her recall of her upbringing in a military family, through her early stage roles and sudden screen stardom with "Bonnie and Clyde" and "The Thomas Crown Affair". Seeing behind the scenes footage and film clips reminded just how stunning she was as part of the mid-1960's revolution on screen.
As Hollywood and the movie going public moved from traditional musicals and dramas to rebellious films like "Easy Rider" and Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde", Dunaway was there to witness the movement and she shares tales of that era brilliantly.
Almost unrecognizable due to copious amounts of plastic surgery, the 83 year old actress, starts off being demanding about her camera angles for the interview, but slowly takes away the veneer, detailing her early family life in great detail. It's a fascinating peak into the expectations and realities built into her very being in her formative years.
Dunaway explodes to greater heights in the 70's, earning a Best Actress Oscar for her role as a hard nosed TV executive in "Network". It's a great performance in a fantastic film loaded with heavy hitters. Watching her scenes with William Holden remind you of her ability to go toe-to-toe with every heavy hitter in Hollywood.
The film that derailed her career in 1981, "Mommie Dearest" was an over-the-top, crazy mess, powered by one of the most full tilt performances of all time by Dunaway as Joan Crawford. It's a movie that, to date, Dunaway has refused to discuss, but she does so fascinatingly here. She acknowledges that her acting was at a fever intensity, but calls out Director Frank Perry (Monsignor) for never reigning her in after any take.
Mara Hobel, who played her young daughter in the film, describes Dunaway glowingly as a true professional, but Rutanya Alda (The Deer Hunter) remembers her experience during filming very differently, with Dunaway being an angry, toxic partner on the set.
Regardless of whose take you believe, the fact is that the film ended Dunaway's time as an A-list star, relegating her to schlock films like "Supergirl" until "Don Juan Demarco" brought her back to better screen roles in the mid 90's.
When your filmography includes all-time classics like "Chinatown" (in my all-time Top 10) and "Three Days of the Condor" on top of all the legendary films mentioned above, your talent is never in question.
By the end of the film, Bouzereau has provided a fascinating portrait of a powerful actress, and revealed layers of her personal life and history that only grow your appreciation for her talent.
Blatantly honest throughout, Dunaway doesn't impress me as any less passionate today then she was in 1967. Let's hope someone provides her another opportunity to knock it out of the park. After watching, FAYE, I have no doubt she still has that performance to give.
Bouzereau's doc gets an enjoyable B.
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