Special guest: David Thomson, critic and author of Why Acting Matters
Directed by Alfred E. Green
Bette Davis, Franchot Tone
Joyce Heath: I'm bad for people. I don't mean to be, but I can't help myself.
While out one night with his fiancée and some friends, up-and-coming young architect Don Bellows has one of those New York City moments and sees a famous face across the room. It belongs to a drunk, once-promising actress, Joyce Heath, played by Bette Davis with her signature riveting and self-destructive venom. A more experienced man would likely just buy Joyce a drink and slip her a couple of bucks, but Don is a kind soul and a fan, and he takes it upon himself to rehabilitate her. Dangerous is rumored to have been based on the short life of actress Jeanne Eagels, but it is unquestionably Bette Davis’ film, a fascinating character study of woman unable to climb out of the abyss without first taking stock of the damage she does to herself and the people around her.
Does Acting Matter?
Does acting matter? David Thomson, one of our most respected and insightful writers on movies and theater, answers this question with intelligence and wit. In this fresh and thought-provoking essay, Thomson tackles this most elusive of subjects, examining the allure of the performing arts for both the artist and the audience member and reflecting on the casting process, on stage versus film acting, and the cult of celebrity, from the silent screen to contemporary film.
David Thomson an internationally known film critic and commentator, is author of The Big Screen: the Story of the Movies, Hollywood: A Celebration, Try to Tell the Story: A Memoir, Beneath Mulholland, In Nevada, The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, Nicole Kidman, Rosebud, The Whole Equation, and “Have You Seen...?” Thomson is also a regular contributor to The Guardian, The Independent, The New York Times, Movieline, The New Republic, and Salon.
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