What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Two-Disc Special Edition) |  | Directors: Robert Aldrich, Susan F. Walker
Actors: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono, Wesley Addy, Julie Allred
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $26.98
Buy New: $12.51
as of 2/9/2010 20:35 EST details
You Save: $14.47 (54%)
New (43) Used (5) Collectible (1) from $12.51
Seller: goodemotions
Rating:  186 reviews
Sales Rank: 4032
Format: Black & White, Widescreen, NTSC, Dubbed, Subtitled
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 134 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 012569683686
UPC: 012569683686
EAN: 0012569683686
ASIN: B000EU1Q4A
Theatrical Release Date: October 31, 1962
Release Date: May 30, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential video
A cultish horror favorite, 1962's What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? will make you think twice before hungrily unveiling a covered plate of food. Bette Davis stars as Jane Hudson, a onetime child actress and singer. As an elderly woman, she wishes to revive her vaudevillian career, but she has become a grotesque caricature of her former self. Over the years as her star faded, the star of her older sister Blanche (Joan Crawford) rose, outshining the career of the has-been Baby Jane. Jane was relegated to minor roles, which she only won when Blanche demanded that she be awarded them. The film opens years after a calamitous car accident leaves Blanche in a wheelchair, with no one to care for her except the increasingly insane and sadistic Jane and their servant, Norman. Trying to punish Blanche for her years of success, Jane tortures the housebound woman, slowly trying to starve her to death, all the while attempting to recapture the fame of her youth. This dark drama also stars Victor Buono as the hefty pianist who answers Jane's ad for an accompanist, hoping to milk some money off the demented old woman. Both Buono and Davis were nominated for Oscars for their roles in this suspenseful and somewhat sick thriller that exploited well the real-life antagonism between Davis and Crawford, while at the same time rejuvenated both their careers. --Jenny Brown
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 186
 Maybe the Best Movie About Sibling Rivalry Ever! February 8, 2010
David B. Nesbitt Jr. (United States)
"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" marked the first movie I'd seen (embarrassingly enough!) by either Bette Davis or Joan Crawford. It didn't take long for me to learn that the two actresses were supposed to have been bitter rivals in real life and that many people were fans of one or the other but not both. Whether or not the actresses were rivals and whether or not you're a Bette Davis or Joan Crawford fan, this is a movie filled with drama, camp, humor, horror, and suspense!
This is a tale of sibling rivalry between two sisters, Jane (Davis) and Blanche Hudson (Crawford). The movie begins with their childhood, Jane Hudson is the star of the family due to the relentless, if not shameless, promotion by their father. The beginning sequence of Jane singing "I've Written a Letter to Daddy," at first seems like an overly-long inclusion, but Aldrich (director) is laying down the foundation for Jane's character. As she sings, Blanche seethes backstage, both jealous of her sister's fame and the attention given to Jane by their father. Shortly after the show, Jane throws a temper tantrum in front of the same fans that had come to see her, thus prematurely ending her young career.
The movie flashes forward to the sisters as young women, both actresses at this point, but now Blanche is a star in major motion pictures and Jane is a no-talent(and alcoholic!)only buoyed by her sister's success.
The movie flash forwards again to an "accident" that causes Blanche to become paralyzed from the waist down. Flash forward once more and it is now "tomorrow" or present day (1962) and Jane and Blanche are living together in a deteriorating mansion, and are now in their 50's. This is where the movie really begins to take shape! Blanche's old movies have recently been released to television to her (and her neighbor's) delight, but causes still-fresh feelings of resentment and jealousy in Jane. At first, Blanche seems content, much like the caged bird she keeps in her room. However, her caretaker brings to her attention that Jane has been going through her mail, and has started drinking again "coincidentally" around the same time Blanche took steps to sell the house.
Bette Davis is sensational as Jane, a garish creation of pancake make-up and tattered baby doll dresses. However, these are the least disturbing things about this character! With each scene, one can feel Jane's mounting desperation and depravity as she begins to torture Blanche by serving her "questionable" entrees, spouting veiled threats, and cutting her off from the outside world. Joan Crawford wisely pulls back, balancing Davis' histrionics and gives a restrained, deceptively subtle performance. Upon first viewing, her character is almost unsympathetic. There's seemingly plenty of opportunities for escape or rescue that aren't taken, leaving the viewer to ask "why?!" But upon second viewing, Blanche's actions make more sense and highlights the subtlety of Crawford's performance, which may have not been as apparent in the shadow of Davis' more meaty role and wonderfully bombastic performance.
For me, the most macabre and disturbing part of this movie is when Jane drunkedly sits at the piano and starts singing "I've Written a Letter to Daddy" and performs it just as she did as a child until she catches sight of herself in the mirror and screams. It's a sympathetic and condemning moment for Jane: you see that though she is aware of reality, but prefers the safety of her dream, her childhood. After this point in the movie, her cruelty to Blanche reaches new heights, and one realizes that Jane is not so much mentally ill as she is self-absorbed and desperate.
Jane eventually tries to revive her career with a broke piano player who is happy to ignore her eccentricities and come-ons for the promise of a paycheck. Buono is great comic relief in a movie that could've felt claustrophobic or heavy-handed otherwise. Once he comes to realize that there's no paycheck and what's really going on in the house, Jane realizes for the first time that her actions will have consequences and takes Blanche away to the beach for the shocking ending. I won't spoil it for you, but it'll make you want to see the movie again I promise you!
Everything works in this movie, Aldrich is at the top of his game, the sets and lighting heighten the drama, and all the actors give brilliant performances. The most powerful thing about this movie though is its statement about the depth of sibling rivalry and its impact on the lives of these two women (or anyone who had a rivalry with a sibling!). I highly recommend this movie to not just people who like old movies or these great actresses, but to anyone looking to watch a compelling movie that stays with them long after its over!
Also: the special edition of this movie is fantastic! I've seen a lot of old movies adapted to DVD and sometimes the sound and/or picture is poor, but this was transferred masterfully and the extras are a fun watch!
A Musical Comedy It Isn't... December 28, 2009
Kenneth A. Nelson (Pensacola, FL)
The first time I saw "Baby Jane" I was 14 years old. I remember being plastered to the seat in the Mayfair Theatre in Hillside, New Jersey. I had never seen anything like it before.
To this day, I dont think of this film as a "Horror" Movie. Oh yes, it's a rough film to watch. Some of the situations are severe. The characters may be outragous, but... there isn't the blood and gore I think of as basics in a Horror flick. Jane was certainly a sick puppy and Blanche wasn't always the poster child for "Loving Siblings," but it may show them as horrible, but not people in a Horror Movie.
In any case, the entire cast shows their professionalism by allowing the director to make them look their worst (and best) and play the parts of bizarre, obviously mentally challenged characters in a very dark film. It's wonderful!
Everything melds together perfectly... story, cast, support staff, art direction and director. Perfection in black and white.
If there is a bird missing, I am NOT having din-din...
Easy to Watch Again October 19, 2009
Ann Sherry (Michigan)
This is a great movie to add to your DVD collection because chances are you'll watch it more than a few times. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford at their best. Davis ('Baby Jane') was famous as a child vaudeville star; Crawford ('Blanche Hudson') as a movie star now in a wheelchair. Bette is an unbalanced drinker whom Joan Crawford wants to put in a sanitarium. Bette tries to avoid that at all costs. She thinks she is going to revive her 'Baby Jane' act and be famous again. Davis is superb in makeup and adult-sized little girls' dress. A total classic. Watch for the teenaged girl next door. It's Bette Davis's real daughter, B.D. (who wrote the Mommy Dearest-like book on Bette, 'My Mother's Keeper').
 "Black comedy"? September 15, 2009
C. Rocklein
I wouldn't call it 'edge of your seat' - it builds quite slowly - and i wouldn't call it 'black comedy' either. Certainly there are touches of the absurd - well, the whole story is somewhat absurd, but Leonard Maltin's quote on the back of the box "Thoroughly engaging black comedy" is way off the mark. For most people, I don't think a first viewing will yield much in the way of laughs - unless you found movies like "Misery" funny.
Another thing that bugged early on in the movie was the fact that while she was trapped in her upstairs room, with her neighbor working in the garden just below - she can throw a note down to her, yet she somehow can't manage to shout to her for help? There are 2 or 3 scenes like this in the first half of the movie that seem to insult the audiences' intelligence. Other than that, the movie is interesting for what it is - a showcase of 1962 theatre of the macabre, and the talents of Betty Davis and Joan Crawford. Filming and acting are fine all around, and the story slowly but surely builds interest and horror until it reaches its memorable and shocking conclusion. This is a good movie, maybe even a great one for some. It will hold more interest for the connesseur of old, unusual or even campy movies - not necessarily for the modern movie thrill seeker - for modern thrills in the macabre, check out Dexter. ;)
As for the packaging and treatment of this movie on DVD, you couldn't ask for better. Disc 2 puts the movie and it's stars into historical perspective with 3 documentaries, behind the scenes featurette, and an Andy Williams Show segment with Betty Davis. The Betty Davis documentary is substantial at over an hour giving us Davis's life story with many clips from the vast multitude of movies she made and a career that spanned 6 or 7 decades. Love that it ends with Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes". Jody Foster hosts. The second documentary spotlight on Joan Crawford consists of a BBC interview filmed in black and white in the 60s some time after Baby Jane was made. The interview captures Joan (and the times) as it recounts her filmography and the latest tabloid gossip. The special features were great and make this edition a real value for money purchase. It's great to see movies get treatment like this.
WOW!!! This movie is a Classic. August 6, 2009
B. Cazador (Silver Spring, Maryland USA)
I remember seeing this movie for the first time when I was 10. It scared me then and I watched it again in 2008 and I was on the edge of my seat again. This movie is a must see if you like the way movies used to be, having an actual plot. This movie has an original one.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 186
|
|
|
