This is a PLEASURE. It is two and half joyous hours of impeccably edited inventive vintage footage flawlessly matched with erudite voice over commentary. Instead of two separate episodes, we get rich interconnected dual portraits of these great actresses who those created iconic roles. This installment is a testament to its creator’s brilliance.
This was probably the best 2+ hours I’ve spent with you! I love the take, and how you say, “What can I say that hasn’t already been said before?” It’s easy for someone to say they love a performance and just as easy for another to say you are jumping on a bandwagon. Sometimes the “hype” isn’t hype. It’s actually true, and you can’t deny something great. The fact that you give nuance and meaning to why these performances have stood the test of time is truly remarkable. It was well worth the wait, and even more exciting, because this series isn’t yet finished! Can’t wait to see the rest!
Honestly the absolute *drama* of the Warner and Bette relationship is worthy of a full documentary or a TV series or something because there's so much there.
Best two hours I've spent! It really feels like a documentary. The way how you include the history of the Actresses, the filmmaking process, and the personal drama of it all. You and Be Kind Rewind are my two favorite movie RU-vidrs when I wanna watch something related to Hollywood.
Respectfully, if one feels Gloria Swanson was ‘over the top’ one misses the point. Norma Desmond is over the top, and Swanson displayed that in her portrayal. Bette Davis’ performance seems more natural and contemporary because the character is not stuck in time or the past, as Desmond is.
My late mother was named after Gloria Swanson. I've known this fact all my life. But more recently, I've realized that I don't know much about Gloria Swanson. I don't know what my grandmother would have loved so much, as to name her daughter after her. So, I'm now in search of videos that will teach me about the actress.
Fascinating documentary of two iconic females who gave us so much. I learned so much about both ladies. I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Swanson in NYC not long before her death, in a bakery on the upper East Side. She was reserved but gracious. You knew you were in the company of a true legend. Having seen both performances, I probably would have voted for Bette, but would’ve not been at all upset if Swanson beat her. Ironically, neither took home the award. ‘Eve’ was the better picture, in my opinion, and ultimately took home the Best Picture Oscar. Thank you for these fascinating profiles. 😊
Bravo! A truly magisterial "deep-dive" into the context of two of the most iconic performances in the history of cinema: Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, and Bette Davis as Margo Channing. You prove (again) that video-essays can be just as valid a form of criticism as anything else.
Stanwyck is arguably the best actress of the golden era, but she lacked the neuroses imo that Davis had that made her Margo perfect. Colbert is an interesting choice, but it would have been a complete differently movie. Thanks for the marvelous video.
Thanks for your comment! Mankiewicz later said that Colbert would also have been perfect but that her Margo would have been very different, more elgant and classy
You never say too much Fritz, I would watch a seven hour video you do any time. The insightfulness the knowledge and research is really commendable and I enjoy every single minute.
1:45:54 Bette's All About Eve hair: I fully agree with you! I think she should have kept that look for at least a decade. Splendid study, Fritz, of these stars and their evolving film productions. 👏 👏
Fritz, this is your best ever. I didn't know much about Swanson and thought I knew lots about Davis. You have given me a new perspective on both. The editing, clips, interviews and newspaper clippings are spot on. Keep on keeping on!
Your work is heartfelt and it shows! Miss Swanson was really just a child when she started her career (age 14? 16?) and her legendary status is well earned. What a unique person, such a 'trooper' and positive thinker in terms of her career and life philosophy. Bette Davis was the quintessential career woman who had determination I can't begin to imagine. As they say, "They don't make 'em like that anymore." Thank you for these videos!
Thank you for your thorough and insightful review of two of my favorite films. I especially enjoyed the spotlight on Gloria Swanson, who created one of the most memorable and extraordinary characters of Norma Desmond. When I moved to Los Angeles I lived a few blocks away from Paramount studios on Rossmore and always thought of Norma’s studio return when I passed the entrance gates. Also, I was @ the opening of “Sunset Boulevard “ which premiered in Century City (Schubert Theater) with Glen Close. I loved it, but nothing comes close to the original film .. and I especially love William Holden. I appreciate how well balanced, intelligent and “mogul-like” the great Gloria Swanson was. Wonderful review/documentary, thank you🎉❤
Thank you so much for this in depth, concise, and comprehensive video! This was the video I was looking forward to the most covering this race. I do think this was a year vote splitting made a huge difference affecting the outcome of the victor in this race. I do think Gloria Swanson & Bette Davis would have made absolute all timers in the history of Best Actress. Though I think Gloria would have had a more prosperous career in the 1950s had she deservingly won and Bette would have won for her actual best performance to win the Oscar. The fact that she won for Dangerous and Jezebel over Of Human Bondage, Dark Victory, The Little Foxes, The Letter, All About Eve, or Baby Jane is still baffling. Great video, Fritz! I hope you do a double video on Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl & Katharine Hepburn in The Lion In Winter one year.
Have both these films,and they are absolute masterpieces.Throw in " The Men' with Marlon Brando in the same yr. The quality of movies in the Golden Age was extremely high.
I've viewed twice and will do so again one day. Fritz, your research and presentation are splendid; and the Bette quotes in between the pix of Jack Warner and her are an absolute scream! 😃😆🤣
One other comment: Beyond the Forest holds up better than Davis gives it credit for. Certainly better than the deadly dull "Winter Meeting" which I would never watch again.
l have always found it puzzling that Gloria Swanson wasn't high on Wilder's list of potential stars from day one. It's not as if there were that many huge silent movie actresses to choose from: Pickford and Negri were obvious possibilities, though Negri's heavy accent probably ruled her out pretty quickly, and Clara Bow's fear of sound movies was, l am sure, known within the industry. It isn't only with hindsight that I say Gloria should have been on anybody's top five casting ideas for Norma. That aside, THANK YOU Fritz for yet another superb and engrossing video. Not a minute too long... in fact l wish it had been longer!
A well-researched and thoroughly enjoyable analysis of two iconic performances. Even now, some 74 years later it's a difficult choice to which of these two outstanding performances should have won best actress.
Absolutely brilliant! Thoroughly enjoyed watching. It's a pity Miss Swanson and Miss Davis didn't get to share the Oscar a la Hepburn/Streisand. On balance, personally I think Swanson deserved it more. That said, I also think it maybe mattered slightly less to her and her life was possibly much happier than Davis's.
Absolutely stunning! Your analysis of both actresses and both roles was one of the best I’ve ever seen/heard. Your channel (meaning you) is a blessing and precious gift to all of us out here in dark. Thank you ❤️😌
Neither won the award, but both of these films are in the pantheon of great films that will probably still be watched for decades to come. They didn't need the award, in the end, but I am sure they both would have appreciated it.
Your videos are labors of love, thoroughly researched, and beautifully presented. As a classic film fan and lover of history, I am truly appreciative of your work.
Extremely well presented! 💯%. I've been a fan of Davis & Swanson & others ( Crawford & Stanwyck ect )for 40 yrs..You've shown/ said info i never knew! Very grateful! Great research! 👍💙✅✅✅😄
I hope someday you get around to 1983 Oscars. Your review of Meryl and Jessica was my favorite on your blog. In fact, it's interesting reading your blog and watching these videos and see how your opinions have and haven't changed.
Very strong amateur documentary; among the best I've seen on RU-vid, and that's not hyperbole. Perfectly laid out: a general bio of each actor, the famous roles themselves, and the aftermath, which includes the shocking Oscar win. Certainly "Sunset Blvd" didn't do as well as it should have in general, and you can see why, given Louis B. Meyer's reaction. A lot of old men like him at that time. "How can they bite the hand that feeds" blah de blah, yeah, "feeds" is more like "dragging remuneration out, kicking and screaming". You know, just like now! I confess to a general preference for "Sunset": it's more modern and to our taste, despite the surface obsession with the past. "Eve" is about "The Theatre", which must've seemed old-fashioned even for 1950, outside of Method-y Off-Off-Broadway circles. (And "Eve" isn't about Method Acting theater.) Something happens at the beginning of the third act in "Eve", when Davis does that "your job is to be a woman" speech (🙄), that just rubs me the wrong way. It's a speech only a man (or a Mankiewicz) could write, and, from what we know of Margot, is something she would NEVER say. What follows up to the end is a general disappearance of Margot. The third act involves itself with Anne Baxter and George Sanders (and to a tiresome degree, Celeste Holm and whoever plays Holm's husband). It's why I think Swanson deserved the Oscar: Norma is the larger part. Back to "Sunset": I disagree that Norma needs a "quiet" or "weepy" moment. NO. It's such a relief to be free of cheap sentiment. Another reason, btw, that I prefer "Sunset". Even Sanders gets sentimental at one point, sternly lecturing Baxter about "our country's heroes". Yeah, Addison, all right, sheesh. I'm being hyper nitpicky though: I love "Eve" too. But one has to have a preference, and "Sunset" is mine.
Both parts were incredible, and both actresses created stand alone legendary characters. But, Gloria Swanson deserved the Oscar. Her characterization eclipsed her own personage. Bette Davis went on to Baby Jane and other parts. Besides, Judy Holliday was not in any way the actresses Davis and Swanson were, and I'm a Holliday fan. It was pretty catty to single Marilyn Monroe out as having some unknown issues during "All About Eve". Her part was small in that early film, and aside from the Director chasing her, I've never heard of any problems or issues.
Very solid. I probably regard Sunset Boulevard higher, and as more ‘classic’ as it just resonates more with me. And the male role is way better - William Holden kills it. I saw Glenn Close do it on Broadway, the later revival, she was superb.
You did exceedingly well for videos about Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce and Patricia Neal in Hud. However, this video is definitely up there as well. It was unfortunate that Gloria Swanson did not win the award. She was phenomenal in Sunset Boulevard. Love that film.
thought Bette extraordinary in All About Eve but Norma was unreal in Sunset Boulevard sorry I go with Swanson although Bette is my favorite actress. I thought Bette should’ve won for The Little Foxes, wonderful wonderful wonderful‼️✨‼️✨
I have this one so far where I talk about both of their nominated performances in 1952 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R8dZViSehgQ.htmlsi=H37vNc5wY5y90QcH
I should like to add to this observation that one of the clear reasons for Miss Davis's career not skyrocketing after the 1940s was the same reason that people like Orson Scott Card, Robert McCammon for example the people have not gotten the 'genre' to fit them in. For Bette, in the late 30s and 40s she played in 'women's pictures', where she was type cast, and thus successful, but each time she moved away from those roles she failed. Now look at authors like Stephen King, or Orson Scott Card. King was pigeon holed as a genre author indeed if you read the cover of the original release of the SCI-FI novel Tommyknockers. It proclaims it to be a HORROR story, because until then King had achieved his greatest success in the Horror Genre. Card on the other hand is an author just as talented (if not more) as King BUT while his greatest successes have been of the SCI-FI genre he--like Bette--PUSHED the envelope writing stories like the novella "Lost Boys' (not the vampire film) which is as scary as anything King has produced but it was not as successful as his Ender Wiggins' series, or any of his other SCI-FI themed work. Card was not dissuaded by the failure of Lost Boys to connect as well as his SCI-FI works did, instead he produced a couple of Fantasy stories (Middle Woman is a great one0 and other horror stories (Freeway Games and Deep Breathing Exercises) as well as keeping his SCI-FI fans happy with stories like King's Meat and the MASTERPIECE Unaccompanied Sonata. With Bette she kept using the Card model. This hurt her career since she--unlike King--rejected the genre label.
Entra brave mitiche bette Davis anche la diva ha una parte di attrice al tramonto vicino ha Natalie wood che interpreta la figlia in Eva contro Eva brava in Margot dove non vuole invecchiare
I'm not sure if this even makes sense, but I'd rate Gloria slightly above Bette if only because Margot Channing was very much an extension of Bette's own self and persona to the point where it could be considered meta, while Gloria was nothing like Norma Desmond in real life and created this bizarre character from whole cloth - a creation that has been referenced and parodied and imitated so much that it has displaced the original. I do think All About Eve is the superior film although I think Sunset Boulevard is more accessible. I watched Sunset as a kid and enjoyed it immensely even if some of the more adult elements went over my head. Watching All About Eve at the same age I had a hard time getting into it, and only now can appreciate it fully where I can comprehend the complex dialogue and intricacies in the storyline.
Sorry, but I get tired of this nonsense that Davis spins about being a victim in her marriages. Davis was anything but blameless, and she egged her husbands on mercilessly.
