I had no idea this film existed until I came across the DVD at Amoeba records. I was excitedly intrigued by the belief that this was a filmed account of an early 1970's meeting between Hollywood Icons Mae West and Bette Davis. Upon popping the disk in, I was immediately disappointed to learn that it was a reenactment synced to an audio recording of the event. However, I was quickly WON OVER – the performances of Karen Telhia as "Bette" and Victoria Mills as "Mae" caused me to do double– takes. Visually they are AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE to their subjects. Their perfect execution of mannerisms and superb lip-syncing absolutely compliment these compelling performances. Don't let the somewhat less- effective still photos of the actresses in character throw you. These women could easily make a few bucks on the side appearing in character. I'd love to have Ms. Telhia come to a party as Bette! And shame on LA Weekly writer Martin Tsai for calling the performances "cringe-worthy" – he's clearly not a big enough fan of Bette and Mae to know how they looked and behaved in the 70's. Everything works – even the soft focus on "Mae" – which is how she preferred to appear on that era's talk shows.
Since this is a review for your benefit, I should share a bit of criticism. The conversation upon which this is all based is somewhat superficial. One wonders if it's worth all the fuss. For the most part, the two women compliment each other throughout, Bette aggressively so. There are no revelations, just general anecdotes about their lives and observations on their industry – the sort of banter one might share with another not personally known. It is interesting to observe that neither woman is particularly familiar with the life and career of the other. By the time Bette briefly speaks of her marriages and the unusual death of second husband Arthur Farnsworth, you may find yourself shouting questions of your own, wishing for elaboration. However, anecdotes provided from both the spoken narrative and interviews with incidental figures nicely flesh out the discussion with background info.
Despite the lack of any real profound gossip, this is a fun watch. Clocking in at just over an hour, it also an easy one. It's quite obviously a passion project, a labor of love that in my opinion, succeeds. It feels like we are witnessing these two legends in a private setting, meeting for the first time, surrounded by apparent yes-men and a star struck bartender. Above all, in an industry that often seems careless as to who they throw into the roles of beloved icons, it is the superb casting and costuming that makes this a "must see".
Since this is a review for your benefit, I should share a bit of criticism. The conversation upon which this is all based is somewhat superficial. One wonders if it's worth all the fuss. For the most part, the two women compliment each other throughout, Bette aggressively so. There are no revelations, just general anecdotes about their lives and observations on their industry – the sort of banter one might share with another not personally known. It is interesting to observe that neither woman is particularly familiar with the life and career of the other. By the time Bette briefly speaks of her marriages and the unusual death of second husband Arthur Farnsworth, you may find yourself shouting questions of your own, wishing for elaboration. However, anecdotes provided from both the spoken narrative and interviews with incidental figures nicely flesh out the discussion with background info.
Despite the lack of any real profound gossip, this is a fun watch. Clocking in at just over an hour, it also an easy one. It's quite obviously a passion project, a labor of love that in my opinion, succeeds. It feels like we are witnessing these two legends in a private setting, meeting for the first time, surrounded by apparent yes-men and a star struck bartender. Above all, in an industry that often seems careless as to who they throw into the roles of beloved icons, it is the superb casting and costuming that makes this a "must see".
