This film was made in 1962 and starred Bette Davis and Joan Crawford who according to the Hollywood legend just didn't get on.
It's become a classic film, one of those 'must see's' one of those 'you haven't seen it? oh darling you simply must!' a legendary film that didn't get any Oscars supposedly scuppered by Joan Crawford as had Bette Davis got one it would have been her third and a record.
It's the sort of film you think you have seen as its shown quite regularly but I don't think we'd ever watched it from start to finish. It was on again over xmas so we settled down with a glass of something nice to watch it.
It's in black and white which I think works, it was originally to be shot in colour but Bette Davis objected saying it would make a sad story look pretty. It does have a certain starkness which I like and of course Davis's grotesque make up looks all the worse for it. She did her own make up apparently, when the writer of the book Henry Farrell first saw it he said it was exactly what he had in his mind for Baby Jane.
If you haven't seen it, its well worth a watch even though it only got one star rating in Halliwells Film Guide. Bette Davis plays Baby Jane a former child star who's star has long since faded. She thinks she is to blame for the accident that paralysed her actress sister. Baby Jane , full of guilt I think devotes her life to looking after her sister Blanche & goes loopy in the process. However Blanche isn't the goody goody you'd think as she blamed Jane even though it was her own fault. Padded out abit more than that of course, there's a great character called Edwin played by Victor Buono with a cod English accent and his 'gor blimey cockney Mum (even though in reality the actress Marjorie Bennett was born in Australia).
It's a good film, probably won't watch it again but good to say you've seen it.
It's become a classic film, one of those 'must see's' one of those 'you haven't seen it? oh darling you simply must!' a legendary film that didn't get any Oscars supposedly scuppered by Joan Crawford as had Bette Davis got one it would have been her third and a record.
It's the sort of film you think you have seen as its shown quite regularly but I don't think we'd ever watched it from start to finish. It was on again over xmas so we settled down with a glass of something nice to watch it.
It's in black and white which I think works, it was originally to be shot in colour but Bette Davis objected saying it would make a sad story look pretty. It does have a certain starkness which I like and of course Davis's grotesque make up looks all the worse for it. She did her own make up apparently, when the writer of the book Henry Farrell first saw it he said it was exactly what he had in his mind for Baby Jane.
If you haven't seen it, its well worth a watch even though it only got one star rating in Halliwells Film Guide. Bette Davis plays Baby Jane a former child star who's star has long since faded. She thinks she is to blame for the accident that paralysed her actress sister. Baby Jane , full of guilt I think devotes her life to looking after her sister Blanche & goes loopy in the process. However Blanche isn't the goody goody you'd think as she blamed Jane even though it was her own fault. Padded out abit more than that of course, there's a great character called Edwin played by Victor Buono with a cod English accent and his 'gor blimey cockney Mum (even though in reality the actress Marjorie Bennett was born in Australia).
It's a good film, probably won't watch it again but good to say you've seen it.
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