What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

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.

There goes 90 minutes I'll never get back. I've seen the original too many times to count. I like the Redgrave sisters and was hoping for a good remake. No such luck. This loosely followed the Davis/Crawford original, but updating the movie was a bad idea and made it lose it's appeal.

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.

"whatever happened to Baby Jane?" remains a stunning,horrific story well ahead of it's time (1962) Joan Crawford and Bette Davis left memorable & nightmarish examples of how to play a role for all it will get you! However, it's 1991 remake with the lovely and talented Redgrave sisters promised to leave viewers with the same creepy chills & thrills! Unfortunately, this simply dosen't happen here!

Don't get me wrong! The 1991 version of "Whatever happened to Baby Jane?" holds up as it's own story: set in modern-day Hollywood with it's all-too-familiar band of groupies,druggies,drag-queens & has-beens,who will forever lurk in the video stores and back streets, hoping to meet aging or ailing celebrities in order to "break-in" to the big-time! This TV movie actually draws the viewer in to a modern version of a hybrid between "Sunset Boulevard" and "Midnight Cowboy"

But, in deference to it's original.I must confess that as the ailing,aging Blanche, Vanessa Redgrave manages to hand in an adequate if not wooded portrayal.AS the nutty Jane,Lynn tries her best to NOT imitate Bette Davis and it does work-at least her portrayal is more remorseful and concerned about her crippled sister! In THIS version we actually FEEL for poor Jane as she's led to believe that SHE had caused the accident! When she finally learns the truth she actually seems to have been "set free" from 20 years of guilt,depressionn & alcoholism! Of course,it's too late now,we realize, as we watch the police chase her on the beach in the final shot!

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.