What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

 

A former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion.

Delightfully over-the-top psychological horror thriller gives Davis and Crawford the opportunity to go into full throttle competition with their performances; full of memorable moments - and some shock along the way.

Halliwell*: "Famous for marking the first time Hollywood's ageing first ladies stooped to horror, and followed by Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte and the other Whatevers, this dreary looking melodrama only occasionally grabs the attention and has enough plot for about half its length. The performances, however, are striking."

Maltin***1/2: "Far-fetched, thoroughly engaging black comedy...Bette has a field day in her macabre characterization, with Buono a perfect match." 

 

The Movies I Watched in March

A.I. Rising 2018  7/10

L'art du crime, season 1 2017  6/10

Bad News Bears 2005  6/10 

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms 1953  6/10

Benedetta 2021  6/10 

The Big Bang Theory 2007-2019  8/10

 

Dai-Nihonjin 2007  6/10

Dersu Uzala 1975  8/10

Fractured 2019  6/10

Fright Night 1985  5/10 

Gretel & Hansel 2020  7/10

L'homme qui aimait les femmes 1977 6/10

House of Gucci 2021  7/10

 

Mijn beste vriendin Anne Frank 2021  6/10

Of Human Bondage 1934  7/10

 

Nightmare Alley 2021  7/10 

Pig 2021  7/10

 

Pleasure 2021  6/10

Le pornographe 2001  6/10

Price Wars 2021 5/10

A Reflection of Fear 1972  6/10 

Rim of the World 2019 6/10

Rocketship X-M 1950  6/10

Seijû gakuen 1974  7/10

Seventh Heaven 1937  7/10

 Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake 1942  7/10

 

Song of the South 1946  6/10

Them! 1954  6/10 

Underwater 2020  6/10

The Weekend Away 2022 5/10

Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us 2005  7/10

 

 West Side Story 2021 6/10

 

The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)

When acerbic critic Sheridan Whiteside slips on the front steps of a provincial Ohio businessman's home and breaks his hip, he and his entourage take over the house indefinitely.

Fast-paced, lively and witty variation on the oddball comedy full of absurd ideas and situations.

Halliwell ***: "Delightfully malicious caricature of Alexander Woollcott which, though virtually confined to one set, moves so fast that one barely notices the lack of cinematic variety, and certainly provides more than a laugh a minute, especially for those old enough to understand all the references."

Maltin ***1/2: "Delightful adaptation of George S. Kaufman-Moss Hart play, inspired by the celebrated critic and columnist Alexander Wollcott."

The Petrified Forest (1936)

A waitress, a hobo and a bank robber get mixed up at a lonely diner in the desert.

Talkative, not particularly exciting and very stage set melodrama.

Halliwell**: " Rather faded melodrama (it always was), which is important to Hollywood for introducing such well used figures as the poet idealist hero and the gangster anti-hero, and for giving Bogart his first meary role.
Otherwise, the settings are artificial, the acting theatrical, the development predictable and the dialogue pretentious."

Maltin***1/2: "Stagy, but extremely well-acted and surprisingly fresh. "

The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)

A financially-strapped charter pilot hires himself to an oil tycoon to kidnap his madcap daughter and prevent her from marrying a vapid band leader.

Although this sounds like it could be a madcap screwball comedy the humour is sparse and the pacing is not fast but rather patchy. Amazing, if you consider the talent involved.

Now, Voyager (1942)

Boston spinster blossoms under therapy and finds impossible romance.

This is the ultimate classic of the woman's picture, a historically limited subgenre, also known as the weepie. In this picture everything fits together like a glove, and Bette Davis delivers one of her best and most sophisticated roles. Altogether a meticulous example of Hollywood at its best.

Famous quote:

"Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars."

In This Our Life (1942)

A young woman dumps her fiancée and runs off with her sister's husband and causes trouble wherever she goes.

Superb melodrama with two great stars doing their thing (good sister - bad sister): Olivia de Havilland and Bette Davis!