What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

From Viennale

The fact that Robert Aldrich was able to make a triumphant comeback after years of exile from Hollywood is the ultimate proof of his gift for subverting the system: WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? is a horror film about the crippling effects of the dream factory (and showbusiness itself). The two sisters, “Baby” Jane (Bette Davis) and Blanche Hudson (Joan Crawford), were once stars, but now lead a life of seclusion and horror, trapped in a relationship of dependency fuelled by guilt and hatred: Jane, with her grotesque make-up, mistreats Blanche, who is confined to a wheelchair, and absurdly dreams of a return to the limelight. With black humour and relentless suspense, Aldrich explores the theme of loss and directly challenges the audience with his apocalyptic worldview and utter ambivalence, while the casting coup featuring the two feuding divas caused a sensation. A global hit, a classic, a camp cult film, a masterpiece. Aldrich: “We thought that if you made a movie about the periphery of Hollywood which had something to do with the ancient Hollywood, and you put in two stars who were getting old, people would read into that picture a secret show biz mythology. The audience feels they are privy to real life secrets about Crawford and Davis.” (Christoph Huber)