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Seen strutting her stuff on BBC television in “Feud – The Bette & Joan Story (20017),” Jessica Lange once again reminds us of a formidable acting talent that throughout a forty year career, has seen her collect two Oscars, a Tony and five Golden Globes. An astute observer of changing trends in popular taste, she made the transition from Hollywood to television without seemingly missing a beat.

My portrait dates from 1990 when she filmed “Blue Sky,” a movie consigned to the back-burner for four years after the collapse of Orion Pictures. When she finally picked up her second Oscar in 1995 for her portrayal of Carly Marshall, it was probably the longest ever gap between the end of filming and ultimate peer recognition. A plush platinum star turn, Carly is bi-polar, a party animal whose overt sexuality is habitually mixed with less frequent phases of physically destructive behavior. Her husband Hank (Tommy Lee Jones), enjoys the fact that other men find his wife attractive, which is partly why he allows her to act the way she does in public. Much more than simply a film about two people who deserve each other (depending on one’s perspective), it’s a reminder of life in 50’s America and the omnipresent threat of nuclear war.