Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
They use to say that blood is thicker than water. Logically, Nature would not want its own kind to destroyed. The selfish gene must surely want its continuity of species. The last thing that it would wish for is for hosts carrying somewhat similar genetic materials going for each other's jugular.
In life, however, sibling rivalry is genuine. Tales of the vengeful Cain over his younger brother, Abel, is one which had been in the annals of mankind as long as Man can remember (being Adam's offspring). Siblings, fighting for recognition over the other and yearning for requited love from their elders, have plunged them into the abyss of darkness to prove their point, sometimes unsuccessfully, with disastrous outcomes. Many victims of depression and adjustment disorders have blamed the stress of growing up with a high achieving person as possibly the prime cause of their malady.
In the Hollywood circle, primadonnas Betty Davis and Joan Crawford were notorious for running each other down; each trying to outdo the other. What better way to capture this animosity than through a movie about a feud between two sisters with showbiz thrown in for good measure?
In this 1962 psychological drama, Davis and Crawford are paired as Hudson sisters, Jane and Blanche. Their hatred towards each other goes as far back as 1917 when Jane was an acclaimed child vaudeville star, and her sister was the plain Blanche. Jane got all the attention whilst Blanche was the one who seems to give in. Their roles reversed as they got into adulthood when Blanche became a famous movie star and Jane had lost her spark. After a mysterious motor vehicle accident, Blanche became paralysed from her waist down. Hence, ended their movie careers. In the present (1962), they led quiet lives with Jane caring for her Blanche and Blanche confined to the upstairs.
Jane is somewhat drinking too heavily and is mentally disturbed by her indulgence. Jane, still sore about her sister's previous success and her own loss of youth, that she has decided to put her bitterness on her sister. The strain of losing the limelight and people's recognition of Blanche as the star, rather than herself, added the pressure to already unstable emotions.
If the movie were indeed a showdown between these two doyens of the silver screen, Davis, being given a meatier role as the antagonist wins with hands down. Crawford, despite her excellent depiction of a paraplegic, had a somewhat subdued role to showcase her acting.
I could not help but compare this movie to the 1950 hit 'Sunset Boulevard' that also told the story of over-the-hill actress and her denial that her showtime is over. Herein must lie the problem, failure to accept that their time to take the bow is due!
https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
They use to say that blood is thicker than water. Logically, Nature would not want its own kind to destroyed. The selfish gene must surely want its continuity of species. The last thing that it would wish for is for hosts carrying somewhat similar genetic materials going for each other's jugular. In life, however, sibling rivalry is genuine. Tales of the vengeful Cain over his younger brother, Abel, is one which had been in the annals of mankind as long as Man can remember (being Adam's offspring). Siblings, fighting for recognition over the other and yearning for requited love from their elders, have plunged them into the abyss of darkness to prove their point, sometimes unsuccessfully, with disastrous outcomes. Many victims of depression and adjustment disorders have blamed the stress of growing up with a high achieving person as possibly the prime cause of their malady.
In the Hollywood circle, primadonnas Betty Davis and Joan Crawford were notorious for running each other down; each trying to outdo the other. What better way to capture this animosity than through a movie about a feud between two sisters with showbiz thrown in for good measure?
In this 1962 psychological drama, Davis and Crawford are paired as Hudson sisters, Jane and Blanche. Their hatred towards each other goes as far back as 1917 when Jane was an acclaimed child vaudeville star, and her sister was the plain Blanche. Jane got all the attention whilst Blanche was the one who seems to give in. Their roles reversed as they got into adulthood when Blanche became a famous movie star and Jane had lost her spark. After a mysterious motor vehicle accident, Blanche became paralysed from her waist down. Hence, ended their movie careers. In the present (1962), they led quiet lives with Jane caring for her Blanche and Blanche confined to the upstairs.
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Reminds you of Kim Carnes' 80s hit
'Betty Davis' Eyes', does it not?
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Jane is somewhat drinking too heavily and is mentally disturbed by her indulgence. Jane, still sore about her sister's previous success and her own loss of youth, that she has decided to put her bitterness on her sister. The strain of losing the limelight and people's recognition of Blanche as the star, rather than herself, added the pressure to already unstable emotions.
If the movie were indeed a showdown between these two doyens of the silver screen, Davis, being given a meatier role as the antagonist wins with hands down. Crawford, despite her excellent depiction of a paraplegic, had a somewhat subdued role to showcase her acting.
I could not help but compare this movie to the 1950 hit 'Sunset Boulevard' that also told the story of over-the-hill actress and her denial that her showtime is over. Herein must lie the problem, failure to accept that their time to take the bow is due!
https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
