What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) brought Bette Davis together with Joan Crawford in a gothic thriller that became a late-career sensation for both stars.
Davis played Jane Hudson, a former child star who now lives with her sister Blanche, played by Crawford, and torments her. Davis embraced Jane’s grotesque make-up and childlike cruelty, creating a character who is frightening and, at moments, strangely pitiable.
The film revived Davis’s career and showed that she was still willing to take risks. Jane Hudson is not a glamorous role, and that is the point. Davis gave herself completely to the character, and the result is one of her most unforgettable performances.
Image: Bette Davis in Photoplay, June 1938, Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bette_Davis_-_Photoplay,_June_1938.jpg