FEUD: IT WAS NEVER ENOUGH...

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

The Hollywood motion movie industry started in 1900's and was first shown using a series of audacious conceptions. Such as editing, backdrops and visual flows by the hell-bent and optical illusionist aspiring film makers.

The Silent Film era (also know as Retroactive) witnessed high and low cast actors take to their silver screen. These were films in which dialogue was transmitted through muted gestures, mime and title card with written indication of the plot. Generally, actors used their facial expressions and body movements in order to convey the key dialogue and explain each scene. The question is, how many of us are willing to be in the “tardis” and be transported back to the mid 1890s to 1920s?

In those years, directors and producers never stopped from aiming for the best projects or next in line advanced motion adventure. That is why, around 1923 the Silent Film was replaced with an improved motion picture referred to as Talkies. It is the era in which sound technology in a form of synchronised dialogue (exclusively short) was coupled to images. Why exclusively short dialogue? Despite the ambitious and creative minds of film makers, the reliable synchronisation idea was difficult to achieve with the early sound-on-disc systems and also, amplification as well as recording quality were also inadequate.

Due to the Talkies many Silent actors were badly affected and as a result, there were a rising numbers of layoff and inundation of job projects lose. It's because not all of them possessed well- pronounced voices with clear diction when filmed using the synchronised dialogue. For this reason alone, many were left with no choice but to turn down projects they applied for. On the other hand, there were several actors who stayed in the industry and carried-out off screen positions behind each film.

Years passed and a few remained in the spotlight of the movie industry's showbiz game. These were actors who fought for their hard-earned “status star quos” who even accepted projects below their upkeep standard. How downgrading but the truth is, it paid off their periodic bills and more importantly, they still remained in the public domain and paparazzi flashes.

In Hollywood's world of movie and television, there were several famous actors who were flexible and had good voices, too. That is why, they were able to maintain the torch existence of their “status star quos”. Personally speaking, I could mentioned two great late actresses of their period whose prominence in Hollywood resonated because of their matchless beauty and talent. In addition to this, their matchless popularity was left behind in Hollywood's world of movies and television which inspired the making of an American anthology television series entitled FEUD. It is a television drama premiered on the 05th of March 2017, Season 1: Bette and Joan, for FX (Fox Extended) channel which was created by Ryan Murphy, Jaffe Cohen and Michael Zam.

The FX television drama series, FEUD, was produced in the now but directed to look as if it was filmed around after 1923. Who knows some of you have watched this dramatisation series which highlighted Jessica Lange as the most beautiful Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon as the most talented Bette Davis? 

I watched all 8 episodes of FEUD's season 1, Bette and Joan. and the portrayal of the lives of two great late actresses of their times was admirably superb. Effectively, after watching the first episode the chance to see another was irrepressible. Its because the excitement of appreciating the past was brimming with exquisite character. Such as, it wasn't satiated with computer-generated imagery (CGI) and other ostensible Photoshop elements. More importantly, we should not least forget the people behind the set who travailed to create each film & television location. Moroever, each lead character was portrayed with authenticity in order to show the “status star quos”. A taste of their brilliance was in episode, Abandoned, when Joan Crawford and Bette Davis uttered to one another during their confrontational scene and I quote, “...it was never enough ...”.

  Bette to Joan: “How did it feel to be the most beautiful girl in the world?”

Joan responds, “It was wonderful! The most joyous thing you could ever imagined and it was never enough.

Joan to Bette: “What about you? How did it feel to be the most talented girl in the world?”

Bette replies, “Great! It was never enough.”

When Joan Crawford (birth name, Lucille Fay LeSueur) was at the age of 23, her 6 molars were removed (The Buckle) in order to work pass the showbiz age game of 25. When she became part of the Hollywood motion movie industry, her face with elegantly angled cheeks eventually became her best asset. For that reason and for years of being in the television industry, she was known as The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. When she was very fresh and young, she was very used to getting the “things” her own way. That is why, when her beauty began to age and new fresh faces were discovered and emerged in front of her eyes she still didn't concede nor give way to others. Actually, she tricked a few fresh faces in the industry who were nominees for winning the Best Actress at the Oscars. Boldly, she met them in person and played the Damsel in distress in order to get their sympathy and for them to offer her the opportunity to accept the Academy Award of Merit on their behalf. Her plotted deception with the helped of a gossip columnist, Hedda Hopper played by Judy Davis, triumphantly worked!

(Jessica Lange as the most beautiful Joan Crawford)

Joan Crawford's preservation of her title in the Hollywood motion movie industry also manifested in her fabulous mansion in Brentwood Los Angeles, California. In particular, her sitting room sofas were covered in plastic slipcovers which was an evident way of preserving their beauty to last as days pass by. On the other hand, her life inside the mansion and in the circle of showbiz was fully assisted by Mamacita played by Jackie Hoffman who worked as her housekeeper. The only woman who absorbed her tantrums as a famous female star and understood her flaws as a woman. Shall I say, Mamacita was the only familiar face who enduringly stood beside her especially when she was diagnosed of and battling pancreatic cancer until her last breath in her apartment at Imperial House in New York City.

Bette Davis never gave-up working and even projects that were beyond her normal standards, she still accepted and pursued them professionally. Its because Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis had recurring bills to pay particularly those of her special daughter at the Lochland School in Geneva, New York who was diagnosed with brain damage at age 3. Even though Bette Davis was divorced 4 times, the responsibility of raising her children was left entirely on her shoulder. When her career as an actress was diverting more into theatrical roles, an opportunity was  directly offered to her when Joan Crawford visited her in person. As a result, they were able to work together for a gothic story of two aging sisters entitled, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? In which Bette played the antagonist fictional character Baby Jane Hudson who paralleled the acting ability of Crawford as the paralysed (from the waist down) Blanche Hudson.

(Susan Sarandon as the most talented Bette Davis)

Henry Farrell's 1960 novel, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, revived Bette Davis' Hollywood persona as the Most Talented Girl in the World which was an avenging slapped on the face of Joan Crawford. Its because in the early years of Bette's career she was reprehended by the producer to take part in a big project as she wasn't as beautiful as Crawford. However, in the latter years of Bette's life she admitted that Joan Crawford wasn't just beautiful as she was a very good actress, too. That is why when Joan Crawford's face was only shown for 2 seconds during the Memoriam Segment show at the Oscars, Bette made a dolorous statement and I quote, “ That's it, Christ! 30 years in showbizness and they gave her 2 seconds!”. Subsequently after the heated popularity of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and the failed victory for Best Actress at the Oscars, she still stayed in the Hollywood's limelight with the esteem support from her friend Olivia de Havilland played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. Personally speaking, Bette's sardonic attitude towards fellow actors wasn't for the ill- purpose of making them uncomfortable, it was her way of survival. That is why, it yielded a few distinguishable positions like being the co-founder of the Hollywood Canteen and the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

(Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis and Lucille Fay LeSueur "Joan Crawford") 

(Susan Abigail Sarandon and Jessica Phyllis Lange) 

THE CONTINUOS FEUD: BILLIONS

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

When a political man born with a silver spoon in his mouth met head to head with a self-made billionaire businessman who rose from scrapes of odds and ends. What do you think will happen when two divergent men brush each other's shoulders? Shall we find out in the 2016 American television series created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin entitled Billions... 

They, Bobby "Axe" Axelrod and Charles "Chuck" Rhoades Jr., both had a common denominator in life, a strong-minded woman. Wendy Rhoades, M.D. was the wife of Charles "Chuck" Rhoades Jr. and a psychiatrist and in-house performance coach at Axe Capital. Her driven mindset and and on-the-fence character became more valuable but at the same time led to vulnerability by both of them. 

He saw the advantages of the 9/11 terrorism coordinated attacks on The Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York and the attacks on Washington. Instead of mourning the lost thousands of lives, Bobby "Axe" Axelrod (Damian Lewis) saw the post- September 11th chaos auspiciously different; a way of augmenting his financial assets. In what way? In the episode, “Boast and Rails”, there was a meeting with his lawyer outside usual appointments to recapitulate the September 2001's events and the position of his firm. They were working out a severance agreement but it ceased when the The Twin Towers were hit. Its because he could foresee the financial profits by venturing his firm from the ashes of the brave souls to the top of Wall Street's hedge fund game. That was the explosive summary of his company's new name, Axe Capital, personal rise to power in 2001. However, he didn't just keep all the three quarters of a million profits he had piled-up. He and his wife, Lara, helped financially a lot of families whose loved ones died in the terrorism attacks. They also shared the yielded “sensitive dough” by donating millions worth of things to worthy charities.  

(Damian Lewis as Bobby "Axe" Axelrod)

Bobby "Axe" Axelrod's spearheaded standpoint in life and brilliant mind on Wall Street's hedge fund game was strengthen and balance morally by his devoted wife, Lara Axelrod (Malin Akerman). She was a nurse by profession with a blue-collar upbringing who fascinated and bewitched Axe when he was still a low-key profiled man. According to one of the episodes, because of her unrefined charisma Axe fell in love with her instantly and the next day, they got married. The fruits of their love and devotion as a couple procreated 2 complaisant boys. Despite their wealthy status in life, Lara remained unpretentiously balance especially when her family members and their jealous friends would like to ruin her husband's reputation. She deterred in her own approach a few plotted public humiliations against Bobby "Axe" Axelrod- even when it involved her family. However, her sensibility as a wife was muddied every time her husband defended and highlighted in their conversations the company's in-house performance coach, Wendy Rhoades. That is why, when her sacred vow as a wife was rimmed by jealousness because of one untold truth she left Axe with the boys in a troubled state.  

(Malin Akerman as Lara Axelrod)

When Axe was just starting and wasn't well-heeled in life yet, Wendy Rhoades, M.D. (Maggie Siff) stood beside him as company's psychiatrist and more so, as a bestfriend. They were bonded with a strong attachment as grown-up professionals who both respected each other's private life. Wendy's sympathetic characteristic at work was valued highly by Axe as she was the only one who could pacified his unuttered caprice. That is why, when Wendy decided to resign her post at Axe Capital because of her husband's stilted vendetta, she also cut all direct personal communications with Axe. Undeniably, the business equilibrium mindset of Axe was distressed despite the fact that they hired a new in-house performance coach. Her resignation was a great loss for Axe which also resulted in a marital separation with Chuck. However, they were able to work again at Axe Capital when Wendy gave Axe an assent phone call in the episode, "Indian Four". They met in person and she favourably asked him to drop all of the lawsuit charges against her husband, Charles "Chuck" Rhoades Jr.

(Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades, M.D.)

He came from a silver spoon family who had a quick uplift exposure in politics because of his father's wealthy connections. Charles "Chuck" Rhoades Jr. (Paul Giamatti) thinks highly of himself as a great defender of justice who had a particular distaste for wealthy criminals. Yes, he had significant power as a U.S. Attorney who tried to set aside personal motives in order to follow jurisdictions. However, he became more twisted like the corrupt officials in power when he focused more on placing the nouveau riche, Bobby "Axe" Axelrod, in prison. Because of his withhold personal animosities, it affected his matrimonial relationship with his wife, Wendy Rhoades. He pried on Wendy's laptop and found out some confidential conversation's jottings with Axe in the episode, "Magical Thinking". Because of his rapacious behaviour, Wendy resigned at Axe Capital and also decided to extricate herself emotionally from him as a wife. Chuck's life didn't just evolve in the yearning for more political power as he was also an “ill” man. He had a secret life which he dearly enjoyed and couldn't resist in the world of erotic roleplaying (submission) called BDSM. His obsession for roleplaying was a secret in the public's eyes but not to his wife, Wendy. She understood and even embraced roleplaying as well as enslaved Chuck as the dominant Ma'am. 

(Paul Giamatti as Charles "Chuck" Rhoades Jr.)

Taylor Amber Mason (Asis Kate Dillion) is the first-ever non-binary character and in real life has been using preferably the pronouns “they, their and them” as an uncustomary identification. They was an intern at Axe Capital under the supervision of Mafee (Daniel Soder) when their was introduced to Bobby "Axe" Axelrod. Taylor's forthright hedge fund knowledge caught the full attention of Axe who later in the second season proposed to them a staggering and brilliant offer to be an employee at Axe Capital. The offer was accepted and as the series continues, they role in the company progressed headily as an appointed C.I.O. Because of their unequivocal attitude towards Axe, Taylor was invited to play on Axe's team at the Alpha Cup to which their crushed and shamed Todd Krakow (Danny Strong) in the episode, "Optimal Play". Taylor became like a right-hand man to Axe and when Bryan Coonerty (Toby Leonard Moore), Chuck' point man, found out about it he cajouled Taylor to testify against Axe's fraudulent hedge fund. However, them calm  mind paved the way for they disregard the high moral grounds that was accounted for by Bryan. As a result, they went to the U.S. Attorney's office with the twist of embarrassing Bryan and turning down the impunity proposition in the episode, "Golden Frog Time".

(Asis Kate Dillion as Taylor Amber Mason)

Generally speaking, both Axe and Chuck had stubborn personalities and wanted their own way. Chuck, a defender of the law, went too far and broke the trust of his office in order to catch Axe. The common upstart, Axe, also broke the law knowingly and was aware of what he was doing. As they battled, we see their human frailties which constantly dogged their higher plans.

When main motives are clouded by personal animosities, always expect to reap worst chain reactions, which is either a long-faced consequence or the tearful collapse of your entire life.