Faye Dunaway is a legend. Her iconic roles as Bonnie Parker in “Bonnie and Clyde,” Evelyn Mulwray in “Chinatown,” as well as her Oscar-winning performance as Diana Christensen in “Network” cemented her career. But Dunaway also developed a reputation. She had some difficulties with director Roman Polanski on “Chinatown,” and was fired from the play “Tea at Five.” Of course, Dunaway is perhaps most associated with her chilling portrayal of Joan Crawford in the camp classic, “Mommie Dearest” — an exacting performance that “ruined” her career; she struggled to find meaty roles thereafter.
HBO's celebratory showbiz documentary, “Faye,” directed by Laurent Bouzereau, showcases Dunaway as the seminal 1970s screen actress she is, and touches on some of her “issues,” including her alcoholism and her bipolar disorder. Using extensive and candid interviews with Dunaway, along with her adopted son Liam, Bouzereau hopscotches through Dunaway’s childhood and career, landing on the highlights — her famous morning after Oscar photo, taken by Terry O’Neill, who would later become her husband — and the lowlights, including the aforementioned “Mommie Dearest.”
