The public Crawford was strong-willed, glamorous and admirable, 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 the devastating movie industry.

The public Crawford was strong-willed, glamorous and admirable, 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 the devastating movie industry.