Review of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Since I'm writing a short story and since the story's main villain falls under the horror-of-personality sub-genre and since this film came highly recommended with it, I decided to download it and watch it, not expecting much I must say. 20 minutes into the film and it proves itself worthy against most of Hitchcock movies and more than 95% of the movies released from the 80's till now. The thing that fuels the engines of the movies are the performances by the two main leads: Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. They are so flawless in their respective roles and the chemistry towards each other is so impeccable that they play less as just two actresses and more as real-life sisters. I think the film, in a way, embodies the celebrity culture of the now. The way Baby Jane acts and behaves throughout the film, generally and towards her sister, reminds me of the models and celebrities of the now and how they dish out on each other. *gasp* how did they know?

Anyway, the art of story-telling is brilliant. It's was akin to a very demented ritual in progress. The suspense is at the right time and knocks you by its devastating punches. There is nothing in this film that can be said as boring or wasteful. From the scary opening (OK, the jack-in-the-box was scary to me, if not to you) to the dead rat and bird in the tray, this film has all the best touches.

More than 85% of the film's high status comes from the performances. It's not a world-wide known fact, just something from me, something I observed. What exactly made the film memorable has to be the legendary performance by Bette Davis, as Baby Jane Hudson, the villain of the film, and one of the greatest of all time. She was so chillingly effective and so into her role that it was hard to see Bette Davis anywhere. That's talent beyond the average limit. She pushed the envelope further than probably anyone ever did or has done ever since. Should there be a movie performances hall of fame, then Bette Davis gets my nomination for her role in this film. But of course, she is not alone, for she has Joan Crawford by her side as Blanche Hudson, her much abused sister. Crawford was equally superior in role as Davis was. While the latter was trying to put on an impressive, meant-to-shock performance, the former settled down for natural. She was so unearthly natural in her role that me thinks she didn't know the camera was ON half the time. All the others were just fine. If Davis provided both the shoulders for the film, then Crawford provided the backbone. Both were impressive and masterful in their respective characters and truly bought life and value to them.

In conclusion, What Ever... exceeded my expectations, a rarity I must admit. It full of shocking moments filled with two of the arguably perfect performances I've ever seen in my life. Horror fan or not, this is a must-watch!

9.0/10