What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
A former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion.
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- Cast:
- Bette Davis , Joan Crawford , Victor Buono , Wesley Addy , Julie Allred , Marjorie Bennett , Bert Freed
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Reviews
That was an excellent one.
How sad is this?
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
I really liked the book, and this movie is pretty darn close to it! Bette Davis is awesome as Jane! I really loved the way she shuffles around in her slippers! Just a creepy, tore-up performance! And Joan Crawford is really good too! The movie doesn't have quite the terror or build up of the book, but watching Davis is well worth it! And her singing that song "I've Written a Letter to Daddy" is still ringing about in my head! Yeesh! Between that song, and the creepy Baby Jane doll, I'm not sure if I'll get much sleep tonight!
Wow! "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" perfectly blends horror and thriller together in this beautiful black and white film. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are so good at playing their characters; due to their real life hatred of one another, the hatred for the two is also seen on screen which works beautifully with the films plot.Robert Aldrich most known for directing "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), had struck gold with this film first, despite having to endure the constant Feud of Bette and Joan; it certainly couldn't have been easy.Bette Davis-having done her own make-up and wearing one of the wigs Crawford had used on a film before-looked the part perfectly, of an ageing adult with a child's mind.The twist of the film's ending is magnificent, you spend the entire movie feeling sympathetic for Blanche Hudson (Joan Crawford) and hating the evil sister Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis). The twist at the films climax turns the tables and leaves you feeling sympathetic for Baby Jane,as you as a viewer realise what happened to Baby Jane.
I've always being a fan of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane. I saw it for the first time as a teenager and Bette and Joan became my obsession. I tried to see everything they had done and did I? All About Eve, The Little Foxes, Now Voyager as well as Mildred Pierce, Humoresque. I warmed up quicker to Bette. Her horrible women were priceless and she was fearless. Joan Crawford kept me at a distance, I think the cosmetics got in the way. But now, watching Baby Jane in 2017 - thanks to the amazing Ryan Murphy series "Feud" - I saw a very different Crawford and her performance has grown in scope and depth. I know I shall see this film again. Fascinating to realize there is still so much to discover.
Never heard of this classic until the series "Feud" highlighted the on-set tension between the two aging Hollywood greats, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis (I decided to see this before watching the series).This is a very-well acted story about two sisters living together. Rose had early fame as a child stage performer while Blanche enjoyed Hollywood fame in the movies as an adult. Rose, showing early signs of narcissism and sociopathy as a child, is now acting as a cruel caretaker for Blanch, who was crippled in a car accident.It's exasperating to see how blind Blanche acts towards the bizarre behavior of Rose. She's clearly suffering from sort of pathological denial herself. It's almost like watching a Rob Zombie movie in which good natured people get trapped and suffer increasing levels of abuse -- and we have to sit through it.The fact that 55 years have passed since this movie opened and one can still feel disturbed while watching it is a testament to the acting abilities of Davis and Crawford. Watch this, then watch the series "Duel" to see what when down during the movie's production.