Eight-part cable series from super-producer Ryan Murphy delineates the long-running Hollywood rivalry between Oscar-winning actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, culminating with their teaming for two pictures, 1962's "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" and 1964's "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte", the latter of which was finished without Crawford (Olivia de Havilland stepped in after "producer" Bette ran Joan off). Altogether amazing recreation of a by-gone era...not quite what we now think of as classic Hollywood, but rather a Tinsel Town in decline, feeding off itself and its denizens. Material which might have slipped into caricature becomes observant, acerbic and surprisingly touching here, under the service of several different writers and directors. By showing the human side of an older Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Davis (Susan Sarandon), we see the hidden, hurting heart of Hollywood, a town not known for having or showing sympathy to aging actresses. The first two episodes of the series are entertaining if a bit wobbly--neither Lange nor Sarandon particularly sounds nor resembles the ladies they are portraying, and the supporting cast, too, works to find their footing--but these are nitpicks in what is essentially a loving (and lovingly, meticulously designed) tribute to the Hollywood icons. The padding for length is exposed on occasion, but this duet keeps getting better and better. By the grand finale, both Lange and Sarandon are performing at the top of their craft (initially, one may hope for impersonations, but what we eventually get from the ladies is far richer). In an eerie, evocative dream sequence near the end, all the feelings of pain and loss and triumph and regret come full circle. These women were survivors, battle-scarred veterans, two tough broads--but not so tough that they didn't privately feel the pain of the passing years, and how a possible friendship was trampled over in the need for success and respect.
