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Movies / On DVD / What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

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Reviews Counted:37

Fresh:33

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7.6/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 15 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: As a child, Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) was a pampered vaudeville star known to the world as Baby Jane while her younger sister, Blanche (Joan Crawford), led a quiet life in her considerable shadow.... As a child, Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) was a pampered vaudeville star known to the world as Baby Jane while her younger sister, Blanche (Joan Crawford), led a quiet life in her considerable shadow. Decades have passed and now Blanche is a beautiful, talented movie idol and Jane a lowly extra. When a car accident cripples Blanche, binding her to a wheelchair, Jane sees her opportunity for revenge and assumes the role of caretaker. Her newly gained power completes the transformation of the sugar-sweet child star into a nightmarish caricature of Baby Jane. As she does everything she can to make her sister's life a living hell--including feeding Blanche a dead rat and brutally beating her when she tries to phone for help--Jane plots a comeback, aided by shifty musical director Edwin Flagg (Victor Buono). Director Robert Aldrich (KISS ME DEADLY) composes the strangest and most unsettling film of his career, creating a blueprint for future psycho-thriller filmmakers to follow. Renowned offscreen rivals Davis and Crawford revived their flagging careers with two stunning performances, and Buono received an Academy Award nomination for his supporting role. Creepy, campy, grotesque, and terrifying, the wildly over-the-top WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? is a disturbing and unforgettable film. [More]

Starring: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono, Anna Lee

Starring: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono, Anna Lee, Maidie Norman, Marjorie Bennett, Dave Willock, Bert Freed

Director: Robert Aldrich

Director: Robert Aldrich
Producer: Robert Aldrich
Screenwriter: Lukas Heller
Composer: Frank DeVol

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 30, 2006

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

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1 - 20 (sorted by source)
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No review available.

comment Comment
09/19/03
Rebecca Murray
Rebecca Murray
About.com

No review available.

comment Comment
08/12/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

It's a film that's a little slow to start and could benefit from a faster pace. But this is still essential viewing with the superb Davis in legend mode and Crawford wisely under-playing her role as the victim.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/01/00
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC

No review available.

comment Comment
10/04/02
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

Creepy, freaky and memorably histrionic.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/24/07
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film

Aldrich's direction and dynamite performances from the two old troupers make this film an experience.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
09/24/07
Don Druker
Don Druker
Chicago Reader

No review available.

comment Comment
11/24/03
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

Sick! Sick! Sick!

comment Comment
09/24/06
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

While Crawford is rather subdued throughout the film, Davis chews up the scenery as one of the most bizarre, depraved villainesses you'll ever encounter.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
05/26/06
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

A Gothic Hollywood horror tale at its most grotesque, Robert Aldrich's Oscar-nominated film revitalzed the careers of both Bette Davis (overacting) and Joan Crawford (underacting), turning them into campy horror queens.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
07/01/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

For the viewer, too, this creepy mood-piece is far from a comfortable watch.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/24/07
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine

No review available.

comment Comment
06/04/04
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

comment Comment
10/09/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

The 1930s Lugosi/Karloff match-ups at Universal Studios only suggested the potential of what a decades-long feud like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford could produce.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
06/21/08
Matthew Sorrento
Matthew Sorrento
Film Threat

as close to genre perfection as one is likely to come

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/16/05
Joel Meares
Joel Meares
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
09/06/02
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium

It's still vivid, barnstorming stuff.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
09/24/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]

A chilling, disturbing movie.

comment Comment
12/04/04
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

It's a classic of sorts, but too depressing to be much fun

comment Comment
07/30/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
 
 
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