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Directed by
Robert Aldrich
USA 1962
Two faded stars caricaturing themselves,
one Hollywood-baiting director snapping at the hand that feeds him, and a Grand
Guignol hothouse of jealousy and celebrity fuel What Ever Happened To Baby
Jane?, a nightmarish psychodrama from Robert Aldrich. Silver screen legends
Joan Crawford and Bette Davis play two sisters desperately clinging to their
long lost glory days. Grotesquely camp, it's one of the most acidic indictments
of Tinsel Town since Gloria Swanson got ready for her close up in
Sunset Boulevard.
A coup of ironic casting, Aldrich's film is one of the great movies about the
movies. Enticing legendary enemies Crawford and Davis on-screen together,
Aldrich cooks up some brilliant chemistry between them. Davis becomes 'Baby
Jane', a vaudeville child star while Crawford stars as her movie star sister,
Blanche. After a car accident leaves Blanche housebound in a wheelchair, Jane
begins to crack up, tormenting her sister with beatings, imprisonment and rat
suppers.
Excerpt from BBC films located HERE
Trivia: During production, Bette Davis had a Coca-Cola machine installed on the set to anger 'Crawford, Joan' , whose late husband was an executive at Pepsi.
Posters
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Theatrical Release: October 26th, 1962
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC
| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: |
| Also available in The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2 with Marked Woman / Jezebel / The Man Who Came to Dinner / Old Acquaintance and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Two-Disc Special Edition: | ||
| Distribution | Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC | |
| Runtime | 2:13:32 | |
| Video | 1.78:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.29 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate: |
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| Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0), DUB: French (Dolby Digital 2.0) | |
| Subtitles | English, French, Spanish, None | |
| Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details: • Commentary
by: Charles Busch and John Epperson (same as original release) |
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| Comments: |
NOTE: There was a single layered non-anamorphic DVD of this film put out by Warner in 1997 (yes, they were making DVDs back then!). It came in the dreaded snapper case and had a pan-and-scan version on the opposite side. We have posted a sample comparison image below - obviously the anamorphic image here is far superior in detail and contrast. No contest. The new image looks great and only some very minor digital noise separating it from perfection. Black levels are very strong and I am totally satisfied overall. This commentary is a duplicate of the one originally done almost a decade ago by Busch and Epperson and it shows how far DVDs have come. It sounds as though they are ill prepared and there are gaps - no where near as complete as it could have been for this film - certainly the weakest commentary of the boxset. The second disc of extras is superb - a lot of valuable and interesting facts are discussed. In my opinion the new package is a must-own. I mean, does it get any better than this? Hollywood at its most toxic and enchanting. I love the all the hints at blurring the line between reality and the 'dream factory'. There will never be another star like Bette Davis and this film ranks as another penultimate foray in her impossible and extensive career. Somehow the caricature performances work to a 'T'. |
DVD Menus
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Disc 2
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Subtitle Sample
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Screen Captures
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(Warner (non 16X9) - Region 1 - NTSC TOP vs. Warner (2-disc Special Edition) Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from: |
| Also available in The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2 with Marked Woman / Jezebel / The Man Who Came to Dinner / Old Acquaintance and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Two-Disc Special Edition: | ||
| Distribution | Warner Home Video - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC | |
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