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Susan's portrayal of Bette
posted by tmdb17996075STAFFMOD on February 26, 2017 at 2:45 AM
This has been mentioned on the other thread, but I wanted to bring attention to this topic in particular, because I want to read other people's opinions and because... hell, there was only one thread! We need more threads, as long as they're not OT. Anyway, I consider Susan Sarandon a great actress, perhaps one of my all time favorites. I was super excited when I found out that both her and Jessica were doing this show. A couple of days ago, I saw the teasers and the trailers and I can't wait to see the first episode. However, I felt a little bit disappointed (for the lack of a better word) with what I could see on Susan's side. Bette Davis had a very distinctive voice and I noticed that Susan sounded nothing like her, and it's not just the voice. Judging from what I have seen so far, it doesn't really look like she's playing Bette Davis in general. My guess is that she actually tried to sound like her, but it probably sounded too weird/tacky, so she simply decided to use her regular voice. I mean, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing and perhaps I'll appreciate the character, but I really wanted to hear something closer to Bette's voice. Also, I don't think they did a very good job with the make up, because, well... she looks too much like Susan Sarandon and nothing like Bette. I think they did a better job with Jessica, who still looks like herself, but they also managed to capture Joan's features, without making it look like a caricature.
In one of the teasers, it seems like Susan is actually trying to make an effort to sound like Bette and, even though it sounds a little bit campy, I actually like it. Here's the link to the teaser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynjQ94ZODis
By the way, for some reason, I am obsessed with this teaser and the one where we see Bette and Joan walking down a staircase.
Reply by ScorpionQ2
on March 8, 2017 at 9:35 AM
Joans eyebrows looked like a caricature on Joan. Whether with shaving or makeup, they could have done something better with Jessica's brows.
Izzybee3, made the initial "shave her eyebrows"statement and said she was " just a little disappointed in their depictions."
And I know you meant interpret .
Reply by Mrs. Y
on March 9, 2017 at 9:41 PM
I wasn't feeling Susan Sarandon until she showed up as Baby Jane and bowed. I will definitely enjoy this - even if it is just for the campiness.
Reply by Anna
on March 10, 2017 at 10:53 AM
My mother, an attractive woman, used to do her make-up ala Joan Crawford. I remember her using black cake mascara to darken her brows, and she wore red lipstick...lol
Reply by ScorpionQ2
on March 10, 2017 at 11:11 AM
And I bet your mom was/is beautiful , lots of woman had that makeup style -my mom wore the red lipstick
only with brown brows. You notice that makeup style is back with the red lips and thick mascara'd eyebrows?
The thing was Joan was always described as "Handsome", which I took to mean they didn't think she was beautiful by Hollywood standards and they didn't want to outright call her ugly.
Reply by Anna
on March 10, 2017 at 11:26 AM
Yes...the term "handsome" always bewildered me too. I took it to mean a not real feminine woman, but attractive anyway.
Reply by ScorpionQ2
on March 10, 2017 at 11:54 AM
Yes, I think you are right, my interpretation was probably the mean one. Either way I am both a Joan and Bette fan (Bette 1st), used to watch all their movies and am enjoying the series.
Reply by Anna
on March 10, 2017 at 12:32 PM
I will be watching Bette's interpretation of Queen Elizabeth 1 soon on amazon. Btw...do you pronounce her name Bett or Betty? I have heard both, though Betty seems the most common.
Reply by ScorpionQ2
on March 10, 2017 at 1:00 PM
I have always heard "Betty". That's the way the historians on TCM always say it.
Reply by Anna
on March 10, 2017 at 2:15 PM
thanks
Reply by genplant29
on March 10, 2017 at 7:20 PM
Everyone here please consider doing a little posting on Bette's and/or Joan's TMDb message boards, if you're fans and would like to comment anything about either of them as a star or person. On a different thread for FEUD, I posted the respective boards' links.
I wouldn't be mentioning about Bette's and Joan's message boards here, but both women were such huge megastars and - well - so far hardly any posting activity has occurred on their respective boards; both great ladies could very much use some TMDb fan love.
PS: I haven't yet gotten a chance to watch any of FEUD, but for sure will eventually.
Reply by tmdb17996075
on March 10, 2017 at 8:59 PM
Hell, kiddo, you need to watch the damn show, ASAP.
Reply by genplant29
on March 10, 2017 at 9:48 PM
For sure, Milo!
I downgraded my Comcast subscription to the "limited basic" level several months ago, and lost all the "good" channels in the process. Grrr. 
It particularly pained me to give up TCM. 
Reply by Anna
on March 11, 2017 at 9:07 AM
hulu carries Feud
Reply by SkyPowers
on March 13, 2017 at 1:04 PM
For those blasting Sarandon's portrayal of Bette ... get a grip! (spoken as "What a dump!). When portraying well known characters, the objective of the actor is not to be an impersonator, not to mimic the exact voice of the one being portrayed, but to capture their essence. For example, Chris Pine does not impersonate William Shatner in the Star Trek reboot but captures his audacious cockiness. Same goes for Zachary Quinto as Spock. Sarandon's portrayal of Bette Davis is nothing less than extraordinary. In fact, Bette Davis herself wanted Sarandon to portray her when she was alive, a life story project where she needed an actress to play her when she was young. Critics are giving her universal rave reviews. Here is a link to an interview Davis gave in 1987 on the Phil Donahue show when she was promoting her autobiography and you will see the true Bette exposing who she really is. She discusses her relationship with Joan on Baby Jane at 16:10. She also discusses her estranged relationship with her daughter BB, her stroke and mastectomy, her love life or lack thereof (particularly re: Gary Merrill) and her opinion of modern day Hollywood. Absolutely fascinating. My father produced the poster you see for two seconds in the pilot when she co-stars with Gary Merrill in The World of Carl Sandburg. Dad knew Bette to be the ultimate professional who cared only about the work, giving 110 percent to assure the quality of the art was the best it could be. Which is why she fired her own husband. I myself was editorial manager at MGM from '87 to '90 and promoted all of their library, which included the Turner WB library at the time. Sadly I did not personally meet Davis but other co-workers did. They saw a fragile kind old withered woman. But when she stepped on stage, for example in this interview, a supernatural power possessed her and she became ... Bette Davis. Sarandon channels her essence to perfection, showing both her professional genius as well as her tragic vulnerability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dFFsbJWtU4
Reply by tmdb17996075
on March 13, 2017 at 2:09 PM
You're talking about something completely different there. You're referring to different actors playing the same character differently, instead of an actor playing a real life personality. That being said, I do agree that a portrayal of a real person doesn't have to be an impersonation in order to be good. However, if an actress is playing a well known Hollywood personality, we should expect that portrayal to be somewhat close to that celebrity.
After watching the first two episodes of "Feud", I can absolutely see Susan as Bette, even though the voice isn't too similar. I just didn't really feel that way after watching the teasers and trailers.