What Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological-horror horror film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, about an elderly former actress holding his younger sister who is a former paraplegic movie star captivated in an old Hollywood house. The scenario by Luke Heller is based on What Ever Happened to Baby Jane's novel? by Henry Farrell. After the release of the film, it was greeted with critical recognition and an extensive box office and later nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for Best Costume Design, Black and White.
The fierce rivalry between two movie stars, Davis and Crawford, is crucial to the early success of the film. This in part leads to a career revitalization which is subsequently reduced from two stars. In the years after its release, the critics continue to praise the film for black comedy, camp, â € <â €
Video What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962 film)
Plot
In 1917, "Baby Jane" Hudson was a vaudevillian star who was glorified but not angry while her sister Blanche lived in her shadow. By 1935, their fate had reversed: Blanche was a successful film actress and Jane lived in obscurity, her films failed. One night, Jane mocks Blanche at a party, leaving Blanche to cry. That same night, Blanche was paralyzed from the waist down in a mysterious car accident unofficially blamed on Jane, who was found three days later in a drunken drunken state.
In 1962, Blanche (Joan Crawford) and Jane (Bette Davis) stayed together at Blanche's home, purchased with the income of the Blanche film. Blanche now uses a wheelchair. Today, Jane has become a heavy alcoholic, mentally ill and treats Blanche with cruelty to punish her for stealing her attention. Later, when Blanche told Jane that she would sell the house, Jane's mental health began to deteriorate further. During the argument, he moved the phone from Blanche's room, cutting Blanche from the outside world. Later, Jane begins to refuse Blanche's food, until she serves Blanche her dead parakeet on a plate - and, later on, a mouse she killed in the basement.
Jane became obsessed with recapturing her childhood fame and placing a newspaper ad for a pianist to accompany her singing. When Jane leaves home, Blanche tries to get the attention of her neighbor, Ny. Bates (Anna Lee), by writing a note pleading for help and throwing it out the bedroom window. Jane returned in time to look at the note and to prevent Mrs. Bates saw it. As Jane read the note, the brothers argued again.
When the caretaker Blanche, Elvira Stitt (Maidie Norman) came to clean up the house, Jane paid for it and gave it a day off, but when Elvira got back, Jane suddenly fired him and sent him away. After Jane went to the bank to get some cash, Elvira came back and found that Jane had locked Blanche in her room. When Jane came back, Mrs. Bates told her that she saw Elvira coming into the house. Jane faced Elvira. Meanwhile, Edwin Flagg's eccentric and cash-strapped (Victor Buono) sees Jane's newspaper ad and arrives at the mansion, where Jane hires him as his accompanist. Desperate for cash, Edwin does not sincerely flatter Jane and encourages her to revive her actions. When Jane drove Edwin home, Blanche searched the house for food and found Jane had faked her signature on the check. Desperate for help, Blanche crawled down the stairs and called their doctor, informing him of Jane's uncertain behavior and begging him to come home. Jane returns in time to find Blanche on the phone and knock her unconscious before imitating her voice over the phone and telling the doctor not to come. He then tied and rang Blanche and locked his back in the upstairs bedroom. Elvira, still suspicious of Jane, returned the next day and found Blanche starved and threatened to go to the police. Before he can save her, however, Jane defeats Elvira to death with a hammer and throws her body away.
A few days later, the police called Hudson's house and told Jane that her waiter's cousin had reported that she was missing. The frantic Jane prepares to leave, taking Blanche with her. Before they left, Edwin appeared uninvited and drunk, and found Blanche in his bed, tied, clogged, and emaciated. Edwin escapes to a pharmacy where he notifies the authorities.
Jane pushed Blanche to shore and returned to her own childhood. Nearly dead, Blanche admits that the accident that caused his paralysis was his own fault: on the night of the accident, he tried to run Jane because he was angry at his sister for taunting him, and ever since he let Jane believe him. he was to blame for his spine breaking up when the car crashed into their iron house gate. Sadly, Jane asked, "You mean we can be friends all the time?" With joy like a child, Jane goes to a snack bar by the beach to get ice cream for herself and her sister, and then dances in front of a frightened crowd, believing her once more "Baby Jane", performing for the fans adore him. Two police officers, who had come to arrest Jane for Elvira's murder, saw Blanche lying motionless in the sand and hurrying toward him. The movie ends here, without revealing whether Blanche has survived his ordeal.
Maps What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962 film)
Cast
Production
Bette Davis came up with her own makeup for her role. The exterior of the house from Hudson's house is located at 172 South McCadden Place in the neighborhood of Hancock Park, Los Angeles. Other residential exteriors feature cottages on DeLongpre Avenue near Harvard Avenue in Hollywood without its enclosed courtyards. The scene on the beach was shot in Malibu, reportedly the same site where Aldrich filmed the last scene of Kiss Me Deadly (1955).
The recordings of the Bette Davis film Parachute Jumper and Ex-Lady (both 1933) and the Joan Crawford film Sadie McKee (1934) were used to represent the acting film Baby Jane and Blanche respectively.
The neighboring daughter was played by Davis' daughter B. D. Merrill who, following in the footsteps of Crawford's daughter Christina, later wrote a memoir depicting her mother in an unfavorable light.
Crawford was scheduled to perform with Davis on the Baby Jane's publicity tour but was canceled at the last minute. Davis claims that Crawford backed down because he did not want to share the stage with him. In a 1972 telephone conversation, Crawford was associated with future writer Shaun Considine that after seeing the screening, he urged Davis to go and have a look. When he did not hear from his opponent, Crawford called Davis and asked what he thought about the movie Davis was asking, "You're right, Joan, the picture is great, and I'm great." Crawford replied, "That's it, he never said anything about my performance, not a word." Considine alleges that this rejection from Davis (related to Joan's talent as an actress) prompted Crawford to cancel a publicity tour and surpass Davis at the Oscars.
Prior to the Oscar ceremony, Crawford contacted Best Actress nominations who could not attend the ceremony and offered to receive awards on their behalf if they won. Davis claims that Crawford lobbied him among Academy voters. When Anne Bancroft was declared the winner for The Miracle Worker, she was in New York appearing in a drama, and has agreed to ask Crawford to accept her award if she wins. Crawford wins on stage to take the trophy. Davis then commented, "That would mean a million dollars more for our movie if I win." Joan is glad I did not. " Because Davis and Crawford received a lower salary in return for a share of the film's earnings, Davis considers it very fool Crawford has worked against their common interests, especially at a time when the role for their generation actress is hard to find.
During the filming of Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), Crawford confessed to visiting reporter/writer Lawrence J. Quirk the difficulties he faced with Davis because of the Oscar incident but added, "He acts like > Baby Jane is a one-woman show after they nominated her What do I do, let her glorify all the glory, act like I've never even been in the movie? Get nominated I'm not jealous of her, but it would be better if she a little friendly in the interview and give me a little praise.I will do it for him. "
Critical reception
The film received very positive reviews and invited mixed responses to the Davis/Crawford combination. In his review at The New York Times, Bosley Crowther observes, "[Davis and Crawford] really come out of some ridiculous and ultimately horrible display of blood from shouting hatred hatred and general ugliness... The weak effort Mr T. Aldrich has made to suggest the irony of two once-idolized and wealthy women living in such depravity, and the profound sadness of those who have brought them here, washed quickly under a flood of disgust. "
Variety states, "Although the outcome is very profitable for Davis (and he gets credit), it must be admitted that the plot, the need, allows him to run unfettered through all the stages of incoming madness... Crawford provides a quiet interpretation, very well from the paralyzed Blanche, held emotionally by the nature and temperament of the role. "
In a retrospective review, the TV Guide awarded a four-star movie star, calling it "Star wars, trenchantly serve" and adding, "Sometimes it looks like a senior-poisoned show of over-the-top spoiled ham. , try to turn around... As in the best Hitchcock film, the tension, rather than the real mess, drives the movie. "
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film earned 92% approval ratings based on 48 reviews.
Accolades
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for Best Costume Design.
- Academy Award for Best Actress (Bette Davis, nominee)
- Academy Award for Best Actor in Supporting Role (Victor Buono, nominee)
- Academy Award for Best, Black and White Costume Design (Norm Koch, winner )
- Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black and White (Ernest Haller, nominee)
- Academy Award for Best Sound (Joseph D. Kelly, nominee)
- BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress (Crawford, nominee)
- BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress (Davis, nominee)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Moving Drama (Davis, nominee)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Moving Image (Buono, nominee)
- Laurel Award for Golden Laurel for Sleeper of the Year ( Winner )
- Golden Palm - Cannes Film Festival 1963 (nominee)
Box office
The film is a box office hit, grossing $ 9 million at worldwide box offices and $ 4.05 million in cinema rentals in North America. Estimated budget is only $ 980,000. [1]
In the United Kingdom, the film was certified X by BBFC in 1962, with some small pieces. This deduction was abolished for video delivery, which was certified 18 in 1988, meaning no one under the age of 18 could purchase a copy of the film. However, in 2004, the film was re-submitted for theatrical release, and was given a 12A certificate, now means people under 12 can see it when accompanied by an adult. It stays in this category.
Legacy
The success of the film spawned a succession of horror/thriller films featuring psychotic older women, later dubbed the psycho-biddy subgenres, among them, Aldrich's Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte , What Has Aunt Alice Been Alive? , and director Curtis Harrington Who Misses Aunt Roo? and What's the Problem with Helen? . It's parodied by the Italian comedy film What Happened to Baby Toto?
Shaun Considine's 1989 book Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud tells the rivalry of the actress, including the recording experience of the film.
The French and Saunders (Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French) comedy duo performed a BBC episode entitled â € Å"Whatever Happened to Baby Dawnâ € on March 22, 1990.
The film was remade in 1991 as a television movie starring real brothers Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave.
In 2006, Christina Aguilera adopted a new alter ego called Baby Jane after the character of Bette Davis in the film.
In episode 4 <<> RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars (season 2), the queen acting fox is tested in a sequel to RuPaul's favorite movie parody. Parody '' What Happened to Baby Jane? '' Called '' What 'Ha' Happens to Baby JJ? '' Made by Alaska and Alyssa Edwards.
The backstage battle between Crawford and Davis during the film production was the basis for Feud: Bette and Joan, the first season of 2017 from the television series Ryan Murphy Feud . It stars Jessica Lange as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis. It aired on March 5, 2017.
References
External links
- What Happened to Baby Jane? in the American Film Movie Catalog
- What Happened to Baby Jane? on IMDb
- What Happened to Baby Jane? in the TCM Movie Database
- What Happened to Baby Jane? in AllMovie
- What Happened to Baby Jane? in Rotten Tomatoes
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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