The two hated each other.
So it was a stroke of genius when director Robert Aldrich convinced the two to play sisters in the now classic “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” The off-screen rivalry carries over perfectly on screen to create a dramatic and uncomfortable tension between the two icons, which leaves the audience believing either one of these starlets just might be capable of killing the other.
Jane (Davis) had her glamour heyday in pre-depression vaudeville. She was a child star known for her song-and-dance act. Her sister Blanche (Crawford) was a star of the silver screen, making headlines in many movies.
But those days are long over. Blanche is wheelchair-bound after a suspicious car wreck paralyzed her from the waist down, and Jane is stuck taking care of her. The sisters are now aging has-beens living in their dead father’s decrepit Hollywood mansion.
Jane blames Blanche for ruining her career, and she takes every opportunity to terrorize and torture her. Blanche, unable to climb stairs, is stuck in the house having to rely on Jane.
While Davis and Crawford both hit their career peaks much earlier on, this film will always be remembered as their career definer.
Davis’ Jane is especially terrifying – a psychotic woman, stuck in the past, who gets pleasure out of making her sister’s life miserable. She’s particularly chilling when she dons her “Baby Jane” dress, complete with baby doll makeup, to sing “I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy.”
Davis’ performance was so excellent that it garnered her an Academy Award nomination. Crawford should have received a nod, as well.
Pay attention specifically to Aldrich’s camera angles. He was an expert when it came to use of angles and perspective. The scene in which Jane serves Blanche a dead rat for lunch is a fabulous example of how camera placement can exponentially increase the intended emotion in a scene.
The story, the script, the acting and the directing make this not only one of the best movies of its time, but one of the better movies of all time.
– by Matthew Jacobson
