What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

My philosophy on remakes is if you can't outdo the original, why bother? Although there are several remakes that I like, this is one of those "why bother" films. Don't get me wrong, the cast did a decent job with what they had to work with, and it was interesting to see the characters moved into the ‘90s, but where the original had a little too much backstory this version didn't have enough. But allowing time for commercials took away from the story, leaving this version nearly an hour short of the original. It was interesting to see the characters moved into a world with video stores, prostitutes, and drag queens -- which may be the only saving grace for the remake.

I saw this version when it premiered, but didn't yet know the original, thus I didn't care for it that much. Seeing it again over 10 years later, now that I've seen the Davis/Crawford version, it made me like this one slightly better, but only slightly. The original is deservedly a classic, and the behind-the-scenes story is just as, if not more, interesting as the movie itself. When it comes to this version, there were no behind-the-scenes battles, being as the leads are real-life sisters.

At the beginning of this version, the Redgrave sisters seem to be more friendly towards one another than Davis and Crawford were at any point of the original, but it still works. Lynn does a descent job as over-the-top Baby Jane, but she only plays it over-the-top, unlike the schizophrenic portrayal that Davis gave. Vanessa, on the other hand, lacked the depth that Crawford had as Blanche, which made her seem less like a victim and more like she just can't act, particularly the closer it got to the end of the film. Case in point, the final scene. Where Crawford gave an honest, breathless confession on the beach, Vanessa Redgrave studders her way through the dialogue as if she's reading it from cue cards perched above her head. John Glover, taking over the Victor Buono role, did a good job with his part, though it was a little disconcerting seeing the character in drag (though Buono could have never pulled that off).

At the very most, this version was interesting. ‘Nuff said.

There is a great deal of pathos about the original movie with Davis and Crawford. It is difficult to determine exactly how you should feel about the remake. It is so superficial, suburban and character-deficit. The former child star character has the infantilism of Edina on Absolutely Fabulous, except she isn't funny. Just kind of dreary and pathetic.

Some films are such classics that remakes are doomed to failure before a word is spoken. This is one of them. In its favour, Lynn Redgrave seems to have enjoyed herself and her version of Jane was a lot less cruel than David's. Vanessa Redgrave seemed to be sleepwalking through the entire film. For me, trying to modernise it while also attempting to keep to the original film just didn't work. This is a picky point but the Redgrave sisters are very tall and watching Lynn trying to run about like a child was probably unintentionally hilarious. I'd say just watch the original.

An excellent remake of the 1962 classic, with real life sisters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in the old Bette Davis and Joan Crawford roles.

I am a big fan of the original film, and was pleasantly pleased when I watched the remake and it was a lot better than I thought it would be.

Although based on the same story, the events in the two films are staged completely different, which was good because I can't stand a remake that is just a total rip-off of the first film.

The basic story is as follows...

Jane Hudson (Lynn Redgrave) is a former child star who was forgotten when her sister Blanche (Vanessa Redgrave) became famous and stole all of Jane's former success.

Now middle-aged, the two sisters live together and Jane takes care of Blanche after a horrific accident leaves Blanche unable to walk. When a TV network starts to show a season of Blanche's old movies, Jane's forgotten jealousy returns, as she has always held her sister responsible for the loss of her career...

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. 4 stars.

This film is a masterpiece! Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave show once again why they are both such successful actresses. This version of Baby Jane rivals if not surpasses the original with Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. Both actresses give astounding performances, and deserve the accolades of critics and the film industry for such a great movie. This film deserved better coverage and a wider audience.