- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
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5 out of 5
This innovative and much imitated chiller set the trend for ageing Hollywood divas to revive their careers by playing unhinged maniacs - but no one beats Bette Davis or Joan Crawford in the snarl-and-shriek department. Here, the former queens of Hollywood play actress sisters divided by age-old Tinseltown resentments, with Davis's grotesquely made-up former child star "Baby" Jane Hudson torturing her paralysed sister Blanche (Crawford). The on-screen fireworks were reportedly fuelled by off-screen hatred, but the chemistry between the stars is unquestionably hair-raising and upped the Gothic stakes to camp shock levels. On a more serious note, this Grand Guignol-style Sunset Blvd deals with the frightening decay of illusions by cleverly incorporating both actresses' earlier work into the psychodrama.
Plot Summary
Gothic drama starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Former movie star sisters "Baby Jane" and Blanche Hudson live alone in a decaying Hollywood mansion. Blanche, now confined to a wheelchair, is at the mercy of the increasingly demented and sadistic Jane.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Jane Hudson
- Bette Davis
- Blanche Hudson
- Joan Crawford
- Edwin Flagg
- Victor Buono
- Mrs Bates
- Anna Lee
- Elvira Stitt
- Maidie Norman
- Della Flagg
- Marjorie Bennett
- Liza Bates
- Barbara D Merrill
- Ray Hudson
- Dave Willock
- Cora Hudson
- Ann Barton
- Young Jane
- Julie Allred
- Young Blanche
- Gina Gillespie
Crew
- Director
- Robert Aldrich
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