Peppermint Friday Review #31: Whatever Happened To Baby Jane

I think I've found my new favourite film guys. I'm being serious its so good I can't explain its that kinda good. Plus its got Bette Davis and Joan Crawford and as its the only film with the two of them in, were gonna talk about it and personally its one of their best individually. Its also my kind of horror as its not all bloody, guts and gore like some horrors now its just very human and that's terrifying.

The film is about two sisters called Jane or Baby Jane her stage name and she is this very Shirley Temple character in little puffy dresses and singing sweet songs, and she's this huge child star. Her younger sister Blanche is lived in her shadow until the decline of Baby Jane goes down and Blanche who is an actress now goes up. One night Blanche was hit by a car and became wheelchair bound and lives with her sister Jane in Blanche's mansion which was left by their father. Blanche wants to sell the house, as Jane's mental health starts to deteriorate and becomes obsessed with her past life as Baby Jane.

I love Jane as a character because I feel we're all at fault with this, where we ruminate over past thoughts and everything good or bad you've done in your life. That's what this is, its so easy I think, because all it starts with is overthinking and then paranoia and one thing leads to another suddenly you're driving yourself crazy and you're a villain and we're all the villains. Bit deep for Peppermint Friday but its true and we shouldn't hate Jane too much as she's just jealous and annoyed that her sister is this huge star and she isn't, and she's obsessed with her past life which isn't healthy for anyone. She sings the songs she used to sing when she was about 7 and now she's in her 50s I think, still wanting to act like a child, you feel sorry for her more than anything I think.

For Joan Crawford she plays the obvious victim, its very yin and yan with their relationship as sisters, its Jane being the crazy, obsessed one and Blanche just the grateful actress whose happy and appreciates things in her life and doesn't take it for granted. It's a shame as in the end scene Blanche says that she's sorry and feels guilty for her now being the big star and Jane in her shadow, and Jane just turns to Blanche and says something like 'All this time we could of been friends' and it just breaks your heart. I think that quote applies to Joan Crawford and Bette Davis's friendship as they're both such strong independent women, you'd think they'd have loads in common and are lifelong friends obviously not. 

The minor characters like Edwin Flagg who answers this advertisement that Jane put up to revive her singing career, I love how English he is and polite, the fact the Jane is crazy and trying to look calm and normal, he can see through the lines I reckon. The neighbours Mrs Bates and Liza Bates who is played by B D Merrill, are brilliant Mrs Bates is so taken aback by things and very sweet, but Liza is abit more streetwise and just knows somethings going on and I love that its just brilliant as it shows everyone is different with different outlooks and such. One thing I love about this, is that yes its a horror but noone screams that much and I felt like it was the beginning of women of an older age to play characters like this and physiological horrors. 

 Costumes of the film is brilliant I love that Jane constantly is reapplying her makeup, so it just looks cakey and pastey. She is always wearing old fashioned dresses, dresses that a Victorian Doll would wear its just so eerie and you feel sorry for her. With Blanche she's very modern, well modern as you can be for a woman in the 60s in her 40s I guess. The dialogue is brilliant aswell, when Blanche is talking about the films she's done, and Jane says the one film she did. Blanche just goes 'oh yeah that comedy you did I know that, I saw it' and Jane just goes 'no it was a romance' I love that its so 'I know what you do I just don't take notice of it' 

I also love Edwin's mother Dehlia she is such a mother character, overbearing very suspicious but rightly so as the film goes on and Jane and Blanche starts to deteriorate everything comes out. One moment I just thought 'oh god' when I was watching it was the bit with Jane's dinner to Blanche and its the budgie thats in Blanche's room, and later on Jane gives her a rat for lunch. It's just so gross and disturbing again you feel sorry for her, as what makes you think its alright to give your sister that for dinner/lunch? Its just crazy and weird but that's a horror, and at least noone will say Jane's boring. Love the cleaning lady Elvira she wasn't that stereotypical black woman that you see alot of, which I loved as it was refreshing. She was a brilliantly written character I felt and she was played by Maidie Norman who is an actress I've never heard of that much and is so unique and wonderful, I've never seen an actress like her before. 

                                                               
This film, is why I love films well not entirely as I love films for a multitude of reasons, but with this film its brilliant. I love the story of this film, its my kinda horror I love the relationship between Jane and Blanche even though its totally dysfunctional, but its so good and I love it. The film goes from A all the way to Z with no interruptions that have nothing to do with the plot, I just feel like this film achieves everything it set out too. I'd definitely watch it again and if like me you like Horrors, but not the blood and guts one, just the psychological ones. Then you'd love this, hope you all have a wonderful Easter Weekend! 

Davis Vs Crawford

This 'verses' is alot more interesting and juicy as these two women are obviously extremely talented and very well respected. But with these women a big difference between them and the rest of the reviews of Actors/Actresses I've done so far have all had similarities between them, whether they're styles or they've been in alot of films, or they're rivals but its not feud like with these ladies.

I don't know why I didn't do this sooner as the intensity and the hatred these women had towards each other is so juicy and intriguing its been made into a TV Show called Feud which was created by Ryan Murphy who I love and no I haven't seen it yet, but the two women are being played by Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon so I immediately think its gonna be good and I need to see it now. Anyway, let's start as always at the beginning of both of they're lives. Bette's life seems pretty normal her parents did split up when she was about 7, she had a younger sister and was encouraged by her mother to do Acting and her mother even went to New York with her, so she can study Theatre as that was her main speciality before films became bigger and needed more actors rather than Joe from the street. Joan on the other hand was experienced with dancing that was her thing and her mother and father separated and Joan didn't even know her real father, as her mother remarried and had a stepfather who owned a theatre and that's when Joan loved dancing and wanted to be a dancer. Although Joan's stepfather got in a bit of legal trouble involving embezzlement and soon after her mother and stepfather split up and I think it really affected Joan and her relationships with men.

So their beginnings are quite different, but abit similar as they both have divorced parents, and that's pretty much it both have wanted to perform from an early age, one was encouraged, the other just liked it. Joan is alot more tougher if that makes sense, like she has done all the crappy jobs and dealt with some real arseholes. Bette Davis is tough aswell, probably just as tougher I guess, because she had a strong woman her mother in her life and found the first few years on screen really difficult as actresses at that time who worked in film were all beautiful and were usually sweet and endearing. But Bette was just the opposite of that and had very strong facial features like her beautiful eyes and her voice was strong and very screechy and theatrical in a way. Whereas Joan Crawford found it fairly easy being a dancer and the vaudeville circuit being popular they were just churning out actors from there. Also Joan Crawford was typically very beautiful and started being a body double for Norma Shearer who was the most popular actress at the time and also had the gift of the gab in a way being quite streetwise with things but in a classy way, things were just different for them both. But they are amazingly strong, fantastic no nonsense women. 

In terms of roles they both have played its very similar as they've both had the privilege I think of playing truly unique women who are independent, sassy, and outspoken. At that time those kinda characters for women were coming into they're own, back then female characters weren't very three dimensional and it was either a sweet doting wife, or a doting mother. There wasn't many characters depicting women who are real and women you see in real life. So in some ways these women are real pioneers in that field, because crazily enough women arn't always cheerful, smiling housewives they can be real bitches. 

In terms of there feud, they only worked on one film together called 'Whatever Happen To Baby Jane' and they hated each other I will talk more about that film soon. Sometimes I reckon from the huge feud they had, was probably overexaggerated as that something that happens, particularly with two very famous and successful actresses, who also has very strong personalities. They did hate each other, but I like to think its not as bad its really made out, because thats when things turn into gossip and hear'say.

In 1963 Oscars, Joan Crawford, Hedda Hopper tried to sabotage Bette Davis so that she wouldn't win, and I can understand why Joan would be annoyed that she didn't get nominated because she did the same film, and was just as good in that as Bette, and had the utmost hatred towards her at all. But I do think that was the wrong thing to do, as I think it should be a fair game, and whoever wins, wins and that's it. I just seemed abit childish I think, but then again it could be hear'say as apparently she persuaded Geraldine Page to take the night off when she won, Joan would take the Oscar as a sort of favor to her. The actual winner of the night which was Anne Bancroft and she wasn't there so Joan persuaded again the Oscars if she could that the award as a favor to Anne. Even though Joan didn't win, I guess she wanted the whole 'I have an Oscar do you?' to Bette backstage. Again like I said it could be hear'say, but I have a feeling they couldn't exaggerate that.

Personal lives of both, are quite similar as they both have had a lot of husbands, and had children in which they have been very domineering towards. Like with Joan Crawford her daughter Christina wrote a book called Mommie Dearest and it was made into a film, and it basically was a horror. Apparently she was a very domineering, and just not a great mother but I don't believe it was as bad as it's made out again, things can be misinterpreted I don't think you should take things as fact and figure. I believe this could be the case, as Joan was a strong woman with a very outspoken personality on life. Bette Davis's Daughter B.D wrote a book about her relationship with her mother and again she was a domineering woman, but I think Bette forgave her and completely understood, as with Joan I guess she didn't like to be made out like some Villainess.

I love these two women, as they are both so colourful and flawed which is something I admire and love in people. We've seen them, threaten, showing attitude, and just explode in general both onscreen playing amazing characters anyone would be jealous of, and in there day to day life aswell. Whoever you prefer you can't deny you wanna be, either one of them I know I do, as they are both just so brilliant you'd love to have a drink with them and a chat about anything. Basically what I'm trying to say is they are my kinda women, independent, sassy, don't take shit, complete leaders. Joan was in a way much more versitile where she did other things than Acting, she was a business woman and a Dancer with Bette she was just an Actress, but an amazing one.

I honestly can't decide, as there is no competition between them both because like I've said before and I'll say again they are both so brilliant. I'm gonna say and I only say this because I just do and maybe she wasn't a little bitch at the Oscars, I prefer by the slight bit Bette Davis, as I just love her that bit more, and also I've heard of Bette Davis's name more. I've really enjoyed writing this post, and talking about amazing women which is something you all know I love, especially Classic Hollywood. I'd love to know who you prefer, or what film you like of them, and I'll speak to you all on Friday! 

Review: The Women

So we're gonna talk about Joan Crawford abit this week as I wanna talk more about Bette Davis, and Bette and Joan had quite a history so why not. Plus this film is very interesting and totally unlike any film that I ideally like to see, basically I didn't think it'd would be my cup of tea as it just sounded like a Bridget Jones Chick Flick from the plot summery that is. 

What this film is about is a group of friends who all live in fairly middle class standards, one of them called Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) who's husband called Stephen may or may not be having an affair with this beautiful, flirtatious woman called Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford). When Mary finds out about this and confronts Crystal about it and tells her to stop, Crystal just refuses and Mary and Stephen get a divorce. 2 years later Crystal and Stephen are married and Crystal has been having this affair with this new man who is married to one of the friends who's a countess and it just blows up. 

The plot of the film annoys me somewhat as the friends are good and so is Mary's mother as they're both very supportive of Mary because she's the innocent one and going through quite a bad time with everything. Also none of Mary's friends who are played by Rosalind Russel, Paulette Goddard and Joan Fonatine and a plethora of other brilliant actresses, none of the friends seem to like Crystal which is justified I guess as its the thing where its 'you've hurt my friend so automatically I don't like you' but it just seems like they all just gang up on her, which is horrible.

Crystal's character is someone I actually like, because she is a woman who knows who she is and is fine with it. She is very much of this bacheloresque woman in a way, because she is so strong and doesn't care what people think of her or her relationships, which I think is great as you shouldn't care what people think, but at the same time you should take people's feelings in to account if you're doing something like what Crystal did and she was very selfish and hurt other people. I mean she's a bitch but she admits it and is fine with it and not shady or denying that she is. 

Mary the main character is something I can't relate to or understand as she in the end and this frustrates me. In the end she goes back to Stephen the man who cheated on her in the first place! It annoyed me that Mary confronted Crystal and not Stephen who did the dirty and its more of a marriage and couple thing rather than it being another issue, but that's just me. They really tried to make Crystal a real bitch, from her costumes she wore to her attitude towards people, particularly towards her Step-Daughter little Mary. I like little Mary she is very passive aggressive towards her and it just makes me love her so much, because she does it in such a polite way you can't be annoyed at her. 

 Overall this film is good, but some of the characters are abit crap I should say, like Mary she just annoyed me at the end where she went back to Stephen who broke her trust but she loves him anyway. I feel like there should have been more of Stephen in the film, because that way he's more 3D you didn't even see his face throughout it. Love Joan Crawford in this obviously, and Paulette Goddard was brilliant aswell, because both are so mesmerising you can't stop watching them.