What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Parakeets for lunch, rats for dinner

This was a stunning movie in its day! Of course, it's a bit dated now, but I think it has well stood the test of time. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were off-screen rivals who were not too fond of each other anyway. But, they had never worked together before! And here for the first time, these two 'silver screen giants' meet, work well together and both deliver stirring, powerful performances of two sisters whose rivalry matched the actresses' real-life squabble. Closely following Hitchcock's movie 'Psycho', this movie follows along the lines of a similar psychlogical thriller. Character anaysis of such deeply disturbed people were just not done in those days. There were good guy and there were bad guys, and that's all there was to it. Where Psycho tried to explain why Norman Bates was a nut, this movie explores the deterioration of 'Baby Jane' Hudson, played extaordinarily and chillingly well by the talented Ms. Davis. Fueled by jealousy over her sister's success, resentment over her own failed success as well as her financial dependence on her sister, and guilt over her sister's afliction...coupled with a sense of power she has because of her crippled sister's helplessness...Jane slides deeper into madness, torturing and victimizing her sister Blanche (played with expert precision by Ms. Crawford). I think Bette held out for the Baby Jane role on purpose, both so she could 'torture' Joan, but also because it was a meatier, heftier role as far as acting ability, the need to slowly descend into madness takes a keen eye and talent by an actress. And Bette did it very well indeed! As I said, this movie is a bit dated now, but it has overall stood the test of time. Davis and Crawford are both supurb in their roles. The script and pacing were both very good (but very 1962) but still excellent. I'll spare you the whole plot description, as I'm sure you've seen it in 100 other reviews. Suffice to say this was an important, shocking movie in its day. It is still a great movie to watch today...even if Bette isn't serving rats for lunch!
September 22, 2008

Misery

I'm glad this was in black and white because on the back of the dvd case it showed pictures from the movie in colour. I'm not sure if I would want to see Bette Davis's face in colour because she is butt-ugly in this. Joan Crawford looked kind of "ill" in this movie, I don't know what she normally looks like, this was the first movie I've seen with her. I heard she was a pill popper so maybe that's why she looked weird. As for the movie, it kept getting better and better. it starts off slow, and some of the editing was bad so it definately has it's flaws. I noticed some of the scenes could have been edited by a couple seconds so they didn't drag towards the end. The scenes with the fat dude were bizarre, the acting was borderline, he kind of annoyed me. The acting with joan and Bette was incredible, some parts had me laughing because Baby jane really turned into a horrible b!@#$. I couldn't believe how evil she became, it was hilarious. I turned it off towards the end because I eventually want to buy the movie. I want to find out later what happened to Baby jane! September 12, 2008

A Classic Thriller!

"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" is a dark and disturbing film starring Betty Davis and Joan Crawford. The film centers around two sisters: "Baby Jane" and Blanche Hudson. Both were aspiring movie stars whose careers took off in different directions: Blanche became a famous movie star while Jane fell through the cracks as a forgotten child star. A car accident, however, left Blanche crippled and ended her movie career. It was up to Jane, then, to care for Blanche. One day a local television station began airing Blanche's old movies, which leads Jane to flip out...you can guess what happens after that! This movie ranks with "Misery" as a frustrating and disturbing film centered around being trapped in a house with a mad woman. Although there is an important twist in the end, you begin to sympathize with Blanche as she is tortured by her jealous sister. This is sibiling rilvary at its best. What's even more important is the real-life rilvary between Davis and Crawford off the screen...and Crawford's real-life madness (remember the movie and book "Mommie Dearest"?)... Thumbs up! August 27, 2008

MASOCHISM VS SADISM

MASOCHISM VS SADISM

FINALLY A PAIRING OF BETTE DAVIS AND JOAN CRAWFORD. IT TOOK OVER 30 YEARS! DAVIS GOT THE NOMINATION, BUT CRAWFORD MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS THAT THE AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS GOES TO ANNE BANCROFT FOR HER PERFORMANCE IN THE MIRACLE WORKER! BETTE NEVER FORGAVE JOAN FOR THIS, AND MADE LIFE SO MISERABLE FOR JOAN DURING THE FILMING OF THEIR NEXT EFFORT, HUSH, HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE THAT JOAN HAD TO LEAVE THE SET! BETTE EVEN WENT SO FAR AS HAVING EVERYONE ON THE SET DRINK COCA-COLA INSTEAD OF PEPSI JUST TO SPITE TO SPITE JOAN, AS JOAN WAS STILL ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT PEPSI-COLA. FORTUNATELY, OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND WAS EXCEPTIONAL IN HER PERFORMANCE IN THIS FOLLOW-UP FILM TO BABY JANE.

A REAL DISAPPOINTMENT IS THE OVERLAY COMMENTARY THAT ACCOMPANIES THE FILM. GENERALLY, THIS IS DONE WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO EITHER WERE INVOLVED IN THE MAKING OF THE PICTURE, OR A FILM HISTORIAN. UNFORTUNATELY, THE TWO MEN PROVIDING THE COMMENTARY ON THIS DVD, SEEM TO ACTUALLY KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE FILM, ADMITTING THAT IT HAD BEEN YEARS SINCE THEY HAD SEEN IT. THE COMMENTS ARE SUPERFICIAL, AND OFTENTIMES THEY ADMIT TO NOT KNOWING MUCH ABOUT THE FILM, OTHER THAN THEIR OWN REMEMBRANCES FROM A VIEWING SEVERAL YEARS EARLIER. A DEFINITE DISAPPOINTMENT, AS WITH FILM HISTORIANS OR INDIVIDUALS WHO REALLY ADD ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE FILM, THIS IS NOT THE CASE HERE. YOU CAN BY-PASS THE COMMENTARY ON THIS ONE, AND JUST READ ANY ADDITIONAL HISTORY FROM THE FILM BOOKS. IT WILL BE MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN WHAT IS PRESENTED ON THIS COMMENTARY. THIS IS THE WORST COMMENTARY I HAVE EVER HEARD USED FOR THE ADDITIONAL MATERIAL ADDED TO DVD'S THESE DAYS. I WAS SURPRISED THIS COMMENTARY WAS APPROVED. IT SEEMS TO BE A LAST MINUTE EFFORT, WITH VERY LITTLE PREPARATION (IF ANY) IN WHAT IS SAID REGARDING THE FILM.

ONE OF THE STARS IN THE FILM IS ACTUALLY SEEING SCENES OF THE LOS ANGELES HANCOCK PARK AREA AND LARCHMONT VILLAGE, AS WELL AS THE ORIGINAL WESTERN COSTUME BUILDING CIRCA 1962. MUCH HAS NOT CHANGED, BUT THE FEELING OF LIFE IN LOS ANGELES IS WELL REMEMBERED IN THIS FILM PRIOR TO THE ONSLAUGHT OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND THE SUBSEQUENT DOWNHILL TREND IN SOME OF WHAT HAD BEEN LOS ANGELES MOST BEAUTIFUL AREAS, ESPECIALLY THE MACARTHUR PARK AREA AND THE MIRACLE MILE ON WILSHIRE BOULEVARD INCLUDING THE BULLOCKS WILSHIRE DEPARTMENT STORE BUILDING, WHICH IS NOW A COLLEGE.

MACARTHUR PARK IS NOW CRIME RIDDEN AND NO LONGER HABITABLE. AT THE TIME OF THIS FILM THIS PARK HAD BEEN ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PARKS OF ANY CITY IN THE WORLD. THE FAMOUS AMBASSADOR HOTEL, HOME OF THE FAMOUS COCOANUT GROVE, ALSO IN THIS AREA WAS JUST RECENTLY TORN DOWN FOR PRIMARILY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO HAVE A SCHOOL. GOOD THAT THIS FILM PRESERVES HOW BEAUTIFUL LOS ANGELES ONCE WAS PRIOR TO THE CURRENT DOWNHILL TREND, ESPECIALLY IN THE WILSHIRE. MIRACLE MILE DISTRICT.

ANOTHER STAR NOT GENERALLY MENTIONED IS THE CLASSIC LINCOLN CONTINENTAL CONVERTIBLE BETTE DAVIS DRIVES DURING THE FILM.
WHAT ELSE CAN ONE SAY? THIS IS ONE OF THE GREAT CLASSIC FILMS OF LATER HOLLYWOOD, WITH TWO OF THE GREATEST WOMEN STARS EVER TO COME OUT THIS CITY'S LONG AND IMPRESSIVE ROSTER OF ACTORS AND ACTRESSES. PROBABLY THE BEST THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN!
VIEWS OF LOS ANGELES WHICH NOW ARE NO LONGER THERE TO BE SEEN, AS WELL AS THE COMFORTABLE NATURE OF THE CITY IS SADLY LONG GONE. THE FILM DOES PRESERVE THIS WONDERFUL PERIOD OF TIME IN LOS ANGELES THAT NO LONGER EXISTS. August 15, 2008

DVD Arrival

This item arrived in a timely fashion; it was once a favorite of my and I was happy to receive it.
July 28, 2008

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