Grade: C-
Synopsis: A former child star (Bette Davis) torments her crippled movie star sister (Joan Crawford) in a gloomy Hollywood house.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? begins as a camp-fest, with Bette Davis in pancacke makeup overacting to the max, but, as the film unfolds, it descends into genuine psychological horror.
It’s difficult now to appreciate the stunt casting of Davis and Joan Crawford, but at the time, their feud was widely known amongst audiences. Casting them opposite each other was viewed as the catfight of the century.
For what its worth, Davis won. She goes all out, abandoning any reservations and throwing herself into a decidedly unglamorous role with memorable results. Crawford comes off as much more timid and reserved, in a role that’s frustrating until the payoff at the film’s conclusion.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? also features some great cinematography from Ernest Haller. The gothic black and white tones complement the claustrophobic sets well.
Unfortunately, Davis’ gusto performance and the great photography can’t overcome the film’s length. At 134 minutes, it’s just too long. While Davis’ cruelty is shocking early on, by the time the film winds down it’s bordering on repetitive. Tighter editing would have gone a long way toward making the film a real nail-biter.
Bottom Line: While it features a bravura performance from Bette Davis, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is far too long to be truly terrifying.
