Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (1962)
Grade: A+
Cast: Bette Davis and Joan Crawford


"Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" is the ultimate story of power and jealousy. A classic struggle against good and evil staged in a suburban atmosphere with one very demented and disillusioned woman at its core. One of the best films of the 60s, Baby Jane has earned comparisons to 1950s Best Picture nominated "Sunset Blvd." I agree with those comparisons and that's a great compliment from me because Sunset is my favorite movie of all times. The stories are similar, but wholly different.

Baby Jane tells the story of Baby Jane Hudson (Davis) and her sister Blanche (Crawford). Back in her heyday, Baby Jane was a big star. A cute kid who sand and danced and was managed by her father. With all the fame and adoration from her fans, Baby Jane thought she was hot stuff. Because of this, her father and her put Blanche down all the time. They treated her horribly and often made her cry. Their mother made Blanche vow that when she became famous, she would never treat Jane and her father as they do her.

Well, fast-forward a few years. Jane was out of the public spotlight, but Blanche is the cream o' the crop, the end all beall of movie starlets. Her contract, however, required the production company to make a picture with Jane for every one they made with Blanche. As it turns out, Jane doesn't have any talent, and the production company wants to get rid of her. When Jane finds out, she wants Blanche to go down with her. So, one day, she stages an accident and Blanche ends up in a wheelchair. Unable to work, she is kept in their childhood home in a bedroom on the second floor. What ensued is one of the best psychological thriller over to grace the silver screen.

It's hard to pinpoint one characteristic that makes this film great. The score is haunting and perfectly orchestrated. It's cinematography is absolutely stunning. The screenplay is top notch, A-1. But perhaps most of all, it's the virtuoso performances of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Davis is a revelation. She'd been amazing before in 1950s "All About Eve." Here, she's your not-so-typical woman scorned. She has a deep loathing for her more talented sister. But it's not merely a deep loathing, it's jealousy. Jane envies what her sister became and now wants to get back at her. By doing this, she keeps her upstairs; unable to communicate to the outside world. She feeds Blancher vermin and pet birds for lunch. Davis pulls this role off perfectly. She's an old hag (Jane that is, not Davis), and Davis (who was an unusual beauty back in the better days of her career) sheds her glamour-puss image and runs with it.

The same could easily be said about Joan Crawford. Davis has the flashier role, but Crawford's character is more soft-spoken and easier to both sympathize and empathize with. Hers is the more reasonable and thoughtful role. She remains calm under pressure, and the harshest of circumstances. Crawford is beautiful in doing this. This pairing reminded me of a more current pairing, Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder in "Girl, Interrupted."

The chemistry between these two is off the walls. Maybe its because Davis and Crawford had a longtime Hollywood feud. During the filming of Baby Jane, Davis publicly complained about Crawford's acting skills. I'm glad they did put their differences aside to make this wonderful picture, but I have to wonder how much was acting?

The final scene of the film is one of the most surreal moments I recall seeing in film. The movie evokes this throughout, along with a sense of fear. The film is also very confident. Perhaps this is due in whole to the musical composer, cinematographer, director, and most of all, the two brilliant actresses at its core. All of these elements blend together to create one of the all-time great films.