bfjrnski

It's a shame that I am really no fan of Gene Wilder! In most of his movies he simply gets on my nerves! This is pure irony because Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory could never have succeeded as the classic that it has become WITHOUT the superb performance of Gene Wilder!

In the original novel by Roald Dahl "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory"(actually currently remade and due for release in 2005) the "Willy Wonka" character was an eccentric elderly genius.Perhaps a little "odd" but nonetheless refined and "sane" in his approach to his visitors to his factory! In "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" Gene Wilder pulls out ALL the stops! His "Willy Wonka" carries the film with a vigor and a sense of mystery that the viewers cannot even figure out until the ending! This is clearly the role Gene Wilder wanted to play all of his life.And he does it his own way..like no one else EVER could!!

"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!

Originally intended as a flat-out biography of Janis Joplin's last days titled "Pearl" ( Janis' nickname and alter-ego ) the filmakers allegedly ran into privacy issues with the Joplin family which caused them to take a more "loosely based" approach of a "composite" character! Even Bette Midler herself had some ideas of her own that promised to provide a fictious portrayal! Since I had always found Janis Joplin's life both fascinating and tragic I had to write off seeing this movie in the theatres when it first came out in 1979.It wasn't until sitting through it on HBO that I could truly appreciate how utterly great Bette Midler's performance was!It certainly stayed close enough to the "truth" while adding some dynamic elements that a Janis biography portrayed by anyone else would have sorely lacked! Bette Midler is truely at her best! She pours out her heart and soul into this role and leaves nothing behind!Her rock concert scenes alone show her broad talent as a stage performer! Her scenes drunk & stoned give a rare glimpse into a lonely and crazy world of rock stars(like Janis Joplin was!) Her scene with her childhood country-music idol reminded me of a similar situation between Janis and Johnny Cash! Her former lesbian lover is reminiscent of Janis' one-time "biographer/lover" Peggy Caserta! The "homecoming" concert at the film's end reminded me of Janis' 10-year-highschool reunion which she attended only shortly before her death! All in All I regret not having seen (in the theatre) this "loosely based" and yet "thinly disguised" story of Janis!With Bette Midler at center stage it stands as both a glowing tribute to Janis AND Bette!