Bette Davis and Gena Rowland Star

TV WEEKEND

Friday May 11, 1979

By John O’Conner

Any movie starring both Bette Davis and Gena Rowlands is bound to command attention. And in the case of “Strangers: A Story of a Mother and Daughter,” on CBS this Sunday at 9 P.M., the attention is justified.

Coming on the heels of the public television documentary “Once a Daughter,” this made-for-television movie also explores the complex, difficult relationships that can be formed between mothers and daughters. “Strangers” has Abigail Mason (Miss Rowlands) returning home 21 years after she ran away. Her mother Lucy (Miss Davis) is still embittered, blaming Abby’s departure for the gradual alienation of her husband.

Shut up in her New England village, maintaining a genteel shabbiness, Lucy sits in her home fingering pieces of large puzzles. Her only distractions are the occasional are the occasional ringing of her bell by prankish kids and the periodic whistling of the tea kettle for tea.

Abby arrives, getting off the bus and walking through town to the house. Lucy resist, declaring that “I don’t want you here-I’m not going to let you hurt me, not any more.” The daughter is quietly persistent, insisting on going to the store with Lucy, beginning to weed out the garden and plant a vegetable patch.

Two women argue about the man who was once husband and father. Old resentments ooze to the surface. But, this being television and all means to furtherance of the themes, tiny signs of reconciliation can be detected. Eventually, the true reason for Abby’s return is reveled. It’s not completely surprising, but for the sake of maintaining some viewer suspense it will not be revealed here.

The performances are as complex as the relationship being explored. Miss Davis is an institution, very much a natural treasure. But her thoroughly familiar mannerisms can be a handicap and they are precisely that in the opening scenes. She is overwhelming in her passionate withdrawals. The performances verges, again and again, on self parody.

Gradually, through, the Davis magic takes hold, and the character of Lucy comes into its own, wielding the special powers that only a superb actress would dare to use with utter confidence. By the second half of the film, Miss Davis is in firm control, able to twist her audience expertly around the simple blinking of a tearful eye. Silly wigs and all, Bette Davis returns powerfully.

Miss Rowlands, is equally impressive. Weary, resigned, but bent on restoring connections, Abby is a lovely creation, aggressively exploring sentiments but never dabbling in sentimentality. Following her outstanding performance in “A Quest of Love,” the television movie about a lesbian relationship, Miss Rowlands in “Strangers” forcefully furthers her career as an exceptionally fine actress.

The writer is Michael De Guzman. The director is Milton Katselas. And producing is the team of Robert W. Christensen and Rosenberg (“The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom”).