What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1991)
Directed by David Greene
Genres - Drama, Horror, Comedy, Thriller |
Sub-Genres - Psychological Thriller |
Release Date - Feb 17, 1991 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 100 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Whoever hit upon the idea that What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? would make a good TV movie remake forgot one essential fact. The original 1962 Baby Jane was at best a ludicrous melodrama, which only reached the level of art thanks to the bravura performances of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. This time around, real-life sisters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave play, respectively, invalid former film star Blanche Hudson and her insanely jealous sister "Baby" Jane Hudson. As before, Jane launches a campaign of terror against her helpless sister, all the while planning her own show business comeback with a smarmy musician (John Glover). Part of the problem with this misfire remake, beyond its overall lack of tension, is the character makeup: With her head shaved, Vanessa looks more like Susan Powter than a former cinema queen, while Lynn, decked out in garish "little girl" makeup, resembles Bozo the Clown. The 1991 Whatever Happened to Baby Jane should be seen at least once just to satisfy the curiosity.
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Keywords
comeback, invalid, mansion, movie-star, sadist, sister, torture