Film: Mommie Dearest (Cert 12A)

Outrageous and controversial, this is the story of legendary movie star Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) as she struggles for her career and battles the inner demons of her private life.

The public Crawford was a strong-willed, glamorous object of admiration, but Mommie Dearest reveals the private Crawford, the woman desperate to be a mother, adopting her children when she was single and trying to survive in a devastating industry that swallows careers thoughtlessly. The rage, the debilitating strain, and the terrifying descent into alcoholism and child abuse are graphically – and unforgettably – depicted in this film, based upon Christina Crawford’s best-selling book.

Director: Frank Perry

Cast: Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Rutanya Alda

Year: 1981

Image courtesy of Park Circus/Paramount