A Film Review : "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)"

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? is a 1962 film directed by Robert Aldrich and stars Bette Davis & Joan Crawford.

Unfortunately, there will always be insane and demented people who will forever torture the innocent, oh wait she isn’t innocent. To me, that is the biggest societal transgression of “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane” released In 1962 and 1964 in Brazil. For context, in 1962, although the Hays Code had informally ended well before, it still echoed in the culture of films. During the time from the 1930s to the 1960s, Films (subtlety and not-so-subtlety) framed rivalries in films as guides of morality. Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, until the final half, shows off its distinction from other “Hag Horror” films of the 1960s by it’s excellent acting by Bette Davis & Joan Crawford. And this was the big selling point of the film (The Real Life Rivalry Of Davis & Crawford) and what is commonly thought of when someone hears the title, “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane”. But to be honest, I think that sells the film kind of short. Let’s start with one thing that I think this movie does spectacularly, it’s more sad than scary. Those 2 are not often feelings that combine, as horror is a stimulant and sadness is a depressant. But Jane’s Character Arc (and Davis’s Spectacular Acting) sell the film. There’s a seriously disturbing, yet sad at the same time, scene where Jane sees a doll of herself and starts singing her old act, and once she sees herself in the mirror she cry’s at it, and only Blanche’s Buzzer can snap her back to reality (mirroring something later in the film). But let’s get to the 2 nitty gritty points. #1, It’s not like any horror film of this era or anything today. The best way I can describe it, is a film noir, a slasher, and a thriller. It shares more in common with films like “Touch Of Evil”, “The Third Man”, “The Postman Always Rings Twice”, and particularly “SUNSET BLVD.” rather than films like (although they are great) The Haunting, The Birds, and Rosemary’s Baby. Even films that are technically the same genre, like “Lady In A Cage”, “Whoever Slew Aunt Roo”, and even “Berserk” and “Straight Jacket”, which both starred Joan Crawford. The only 2 films from this era that come close to emulating the feel of “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane” are “Psycho” (Although admittedly a better film) and “Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte” (Baby Jane’s Sequel). What I mean is that it rather mashes the style and framing of the film noirs Of The 40s & 50s with the realistic horror films of the 1960s. In my opinion, although I could be very wrong here, is that this represents refusing to let your previous self die out (fitting, as Davis & Crawford had once Made much of their careers on Film Noirs), mirroring Jane’s refusal to let her former self leave her and go to the normalcy of adulthood. But let’s get to my bigger point, The Big societal transgression that Baby Jane made in it’s final minutes. In the film, we find out that Blanche (Joan Crawford) was crippled due to a car accident blamed on Jane’s drunk driving (and this subplot is a presence looming over the film, and there’s gigantic tension from Blanche whenever she brings it up, almost as if she knows there’s more to it, and feels guilty herself. And it’s usually Blanche who changes the conversation away from the car accident). At the end of the film, Jane kidnaps Blanche and reverts to her former self (This is where the film noir aspect is most Omnipresent in the entire film by the way). At the beach, Blanche reveals that she was crippled while trying to run over Jane. This was big back then, as it wasn’t something ever really seen at the time. But this isn’t my big thing about the film. It uses one of my favorite storytelling techniques, which is the Unpunished Anti-Hero. Tell me, watch Baby Jane, Which One Was the villain in your eyes? Now read my review again. Which one was the villain in AFI’s eyes? Now think about the Hays Code, that was still technically in effect when the film came out. One of their rules was that the villain had to be punished. Watch it again, which one is the punished party. This is one of my Top 20 Favorite Movies, now I hope you can see why.

5/5 Stars