"What Ever Happened To Baby Jane" is a tense horror film, yet it seems almost comical at the same time. The story is about Baby Jane Hudson, a former child Vaudeville star who has now grown older and been shyed away from the spotlight and attention that she so dearly loved. Baby Jane has a sister, Blanche, who is now crippled and restrained to a wheelchair. But before becoming immobile, Blanche was once a movie queen herself, and she incidentally pushed her sister out of the spotlight, which ignited extreme jealousy from Baby Jane.
Now, Baby Jane spends most of her time in a crumbling Hollywood mansion, taking care of her sister. She plays mean and dirty tricks on her, even going as far as to preparing Blanche a dead rat on her lunch platter and brutally beating her when she tries to phone for help, keeping Blanche contained within the walls of their home. Baby Jane lives in a world of false hope, thinking that she may be able to reprise her childhood career, putting on makeup and keeping her curly hair intact. But Baby Jane's continued jealousy burns on as Blanche's popular films are re-run on television, and her violent, twisted, and abusive side begins to come forth.
The entire film surrounds the two sisters as they fight back and forth, doing horrible things to each other. It's like a grown-up case of sibling rivalry between two of Hollywood's leading women, that turns out to be very well crafted and interesting to watch. Both Davis and Crawford, Hollywood legends, give top quality performances and bring depth and dimension to the characters of Baby Jane and Blanche. Granted, there is no shock value in this film anymore because it has become so dated, but it is still worth the while to watch because of how interesting it is to watch both actresses interact with one another. Davis plays the mad Jane with perfect mannerisms and eerie hysterical expressions as she torments her sister, costumed in ghostly white, caked makeup and golden curls in her hair.
It is kind of ironic because it has been speculated that Davis and Crawford really despised each other behind camera, they were both major award winners with legendary status in cinema, practically rivals themselves, which could have played into the way they treated each other in the film... or maybe not? I'd say it was very likely though. To sum it up this review, "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane" is a dated but exceptionally-crafted thriller. Modern day audiences will not be frightened, but the film itself was very, very well done. 9/10.
Now, Baby Jane spends most of her time in a crumbling Hollywood mansion, taking care of her sister. She plays mean and dirty tricks on her, even going as far as to preparing Blanche a dead rat on her lunch platter and brutally beating her when she tries to phone for help, keeping Blanche contained within the walls of their home. Baby Jane lives in a world of false hope, thinking that she may be able to reprise her childhood career, putting on makeup and keeping her curly hair intact. But Baby Jane's continued jealousy burns on as Blanche's popular films are re-run on television, and her violent, twisted, and abusive side begins to come forth.
The entire film surrounds the two sisters as they fight back and forth, doing horrible things to each other. It's like a grown-up case of sibling rivalry between two of Hollywood's leading women, that turns out to be very well crafted and interesting to watch. Both Davis and Crawford, Hollywood legends, give top quality performances and bring depth and dimension to the characters of Baby Jane and Blanche. Granted, there is no shock value in this film anymore because it has become so dated, but it is still worth the while to watch because of how interesting it is to watch both actresses interact with one another. Davis plays the mad Jane with perfect mannerisms and eerie hysterical expressions as she torments her sister, costumed in ghostly white, caked makeup and golden curls in her hair.
It is kind of ironic because it has been speculated that Davis and Crawford really despised each other behind camera, they were both major award winners with legendary status in cinema, practically rivals themselves, which could have played into the way they treated each other in the film... or maybe not? I'd say it was very likely though. To sum it up this review, "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane" is a dated but exceptionally-crafted thriller. Modern day audiences will not be frightened, but the film itself was very, very well done. 9/10.