Review of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) by Kevin R — 30 Mar 2011

All this time we could have been friends?

Two sisters experienced success in show business at different points in their careers. One sister was a child star that never experienced success as a professional actress and one sister was overshadowed by her sister as a youth but blossomed into an outstanding actress as an adult. The sister that blossomed as an actress suffers an unfortunate accident that leaves her paralyzed and confined to a wheel chair. The successful sister now finds herself dependant on the unsuccessful sister to survive and their relationship may become very volatile...

"You aren't ever going to sell this house. You ain't ever going to leave it either.".

Robert Aldrich, director of The Longest Yard (1974), The Frisco Kid, The Dirty Dozen, The Flight of the Phoenix, 4 for Texas, Apache, and The Angry Hills, delivers What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. The storyline for this picture is brilliant and well delivered by both the cast and the director. The script is well thought out and delivered and the characters are wonderfully presented and developed. The cast includes Joan Crawford, Better Davis, Victor Buono, and Maidie Norman.

"You know we've got rats in the cellar.".

Every aspect of this film is amazing. This reminded me of a combination of Misery and Rear Window. Stephen King should actually give credit to this movie for both his novel and the movie success. This felt like a better version of Misery as the story unfolds (the end of this film is mesmerizing and concludes the picture to perfection). I strongly recommend seeing this film.

"You weren't ugly then. I made you that way.".

Grade: A.