Bette Davis Special

Seventy years after All About Eve, one of her career-defining films, won a best picture Oscar, Talking Movies looks back at the life and times of Bette Davis, widley seen as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history. She worked for more than 60 years and made over 100 films including greats such as Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? and Dark Victory. She was a trailblazer for the independent actress who feuded with studio bosses at a time when women in Hollywood were not expected to be assertive. The programme includes of one of the last major interviews Davis gave on a film set to Talking Movies host Tom Brook, filmed on location in Maine where she was shooting her penultimate film, The Whales of August, which co-starred silent screen icon Lillian Gish. The tribute to Davis also includes interviews with younger actresses who still regard Davis as an inspirational force and an assessment of her body of work from a range of critics, filmmakers, producers and her many fans. In latter years Davis has become a huge gay icon and this is also explored in the programme.