What Ever Happened To...

Starring:Redgrave
Studio: Good Times Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Baby Jane? Who the hell is Baby Jane?
Here's A Timeless Classic Well Worth Seeing!
Good ol' movie
Baby Jane

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Bette Davis , Joan Crawford , Victor Buono , Wesley Addy , and Julie Allred
Director: Robert Aldrich , and Susan F. Walker
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B000EU1Q4A
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Amazon.com essential video

A cultish horror favorite, 1962's What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? will make you think twice before hungrily unveiling a covered plate of food. Bette Davis stars as Jane Hudson, a onetime child actress and singer. As an elderly woman, she wishes to revive her vaudevillian career, but she has become a grotesque caricature of her former self. Over the years as her star faded, the star of her older sister Blanche (Joan Crawford) rose, outshining the career of the has-been Baby Jane. Jane was relegated to minor roles, which she only won when Blanche demanded that she be awarded them. The film opens years after a calamitous car accident leaves Blanche in a wheelchair, with no one to care for her except the increasingly insane and sadistic Jane and their servant, Norman. Trying to punish Blanche for her years of success, Jane tortures the housebound woman, slowly trying to starve her to death, all the while attempting to recapture the fame of her youth. This dark drama also stars Victor Buono as the hefty pianist who answers Jane's ad for an accompanist, hoping to milk some money off the demented old woman. Both Buono and Davis were nominated for Oscars for their roles in this suspenseful and somewhat sick thriller that exploited well the real-life antagonism between Davis and Crawford, while at the same time rejuvenated both their careers. --Jenny Brown

Customer Reviews:

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?.......2007-07-02

Aldrich's campy cult classic still chills, thanks to a deliciously creepy premise which borrows from "Sunset Boulevard" in exposing the mental disintegration of a one-time star. Still, this is a more ghoulish affair, with Jane finding a variety of sinister ways to torture poor Blanche. Leads Davis and Crawford had parallel Hollywood careers, and their rivalry was famous, yet they'd never worked together before this (nor would they again!). Davis in particular is fearless as demented harridan Jane, and corpulent Victor Buono adds a revolting touch as Jane's smarmy accompanist.

Baby Jane? Who the hell is Baby Jane?.......2007-06-08

"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" was originally billed as a horror movie, but by today's standards is more of a thriller. No one could have asked for a better star pairing. Joan Crawford plays the sympathetic 'good sister' Blanche, a faded screen starlet wheelchair bound and left tormented at the hands of her psychotic sister, Jane. Jane was once a cutesy childhood performer, groomed and dresed up like a little doll. Like Shirely Temple, her performances probably made pedophiles grin. An embittered, nasty woman who never quite grew up past being a spoiled child, Jane is eager for any audience. Bette Davis really nails the part of Jane, as viewers are given no choice but to simply HATE her character. She really steals the show. Crawford is also very good too, as viewers feel pity for her, hoping she'll make it in the end. The ending is ambiguous. An excellent movie that provides an interesting character study of child starlets, fame, sibling rivalry, and the dire for attention.

Here's A Timeless Classic Well Worth Seeing!.......2007-05-26

This movie made its original debut during my childhood. It stars 2 of the most famous American actresses of the 20th century---Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. The story is intriguing and, at times, chilling. I feel comfortable recommending it to all viewers who love the Hollywood classics...

Good ol' movie.......2007-05-13

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a memory from my childhood. I remember being four maybe five years old when I first saw this movie. It wasn't until now that I decided to get my own copy on DVD. I would not consider it a scary movie, just a thriller with plenty of black humor. It almost reminds me of Alfred Hitchcook's mini episodes that sometimes run on TV. Anyone who likes good old classics should consider having this movie in their collection.

Baby Jane.......2007-05-09

I first saw this movie as a child and it continues to amuse me and at the same time make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I enjoyed passing this down to the next generation, this movie is a timeless masterpiece!

The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2 (Marked Woman / Jezebel / The Man Who Came to Dinner / Old Acquaintance / What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Excellent Collection of Bette Davis Classics- It's Volume 2 Darling!
Volume 3
Bette Davis Part 3
The Bette Davis Collection Vol. 2
Great actress, great set

The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2 (Marked Woman / Jezebel / The Man Who Came to Dinner / Old Acquaintance / What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Bette Davis , Miriam Hopkins , Gig Young , John Loder , and Dolores Moran
Director: Vincent Sherman , William Wyler , and Lloyd Bacon
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B000EU1Q40
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Amazon.com

Bette Davis's long career as a Warner Bros. contract star is crowded with decent movies, so it's no surprise that Vol. 2 of The Bette Davis Collection is about as strong as the first such DVD bundle. Even so, it strays from the classic years by including the latter-career What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, also made at Warner, and an entire disc given to a new feature-length documentary. The earliest title here is 1937's Marked Woman, a tart vehicle from the busy period following her first Oscar. Bette plays a clip-joint girl recruited by D.A. Humphrey Bogart to rat on a Lucky Luciano-style mob boss. Here Davis spits and sparks like a young dragon, so electrically "on" that other actors sometimes look a little afraid of her.

Jezebel is one of the best-remembered of Davis's performances, and the second of her Oscar wins. Something of an audition for the Gone with the Wind lead (of course she didn't get that part), Davis plays a scheming New Orleans belle whose headstrong behavior brings grief to fiancé Henry Fonda--and eventually to herself. This was the first time William Wyler directed Davis, and the intensity of their collaboration (and affair) is visible. The Man Who Came to Dinner, while a fun movie, is not a Davis vehicle; she takes a distinctly supporting role to Monty Woolley's deliciously nasty re-creation of his Broadway triumph. He plays the famous writer Sheridan Whiteside, waylaid by a cracked hip in the home of some squares in small-town Ohio.

Old Acquaintance (1943) is a trademark Warner "women's picture," with Davis and Miriam Hopkins as childhood friends who become rival writers in adulthood (the John Van Druten play was later remade as Rich and Famous). Hopkins has the showier role, but Davis shines by contrast. Davis and Hopkins hated each other in real life, which must have been good preparation for Davis on What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, her epic showdown with Joan Crawford, filmed as both actresses found their careers well into eclipse. The two former screen queens were not friendly and had never worked together, but their inspired casting in this Grand Guignol tale resulted in a surprise box-office smash. Robert Aldrich brought his smart sensibility to the story of two showbiz sisters living a grotesque existence well out of the public eye. The movie has become a camp classic in the years since its release, a phenomenon acknowledged by the disc's commentary track featuring veteran female impersonators Charles Busch and John Epperson ("Lypsinka"). The set also includes a bonus disc of supporting short documentaries and archival footage.

Stardust: The Bette Davis Story is a feature doc that gives a thorough cruise through Davis's life and career, with an emphasis on the warts-and-all side of biography (an admiring Susan Sarandon narrates). It's well paced and heavy with good clips, although it does render some the supporting bios on the Baby Jane bonus disc redundant. --Robert Horton

Description

A seven-disc set of Marked Woman, Jezebel, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Old Acquaintance, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Two-Disc Special Edition, and the 2005 documentary Stardust: The Bette Davis Story. With expert commentaries, new and vintage documentary profiles, new and vintage featurettes, and more.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Collection of Bette Davis Classics- It's Volume 2 Darling!.......2007-04-25

I, like many other die-hard Bette Davis and classic movie buffs, have awaited this release mainly for the DVD debuts of, "The Man Who Came To Dinner" and "Old Acquaintance," both great Davis films. I was very pleased to see that the film "Jezebel," which was Davis' calling card for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Selznick's "Gone With The Wind" had undergone a beautiful job of remastering! The "2 disc Special Edition" of the ultimate pairing of legends Bette Davis and Joan Crawford puts icing on the cake with "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?" I wasn't too familiar with "Marked Woman," however, it's an interesting film and is a nice addition to the set. Also included is the 2005 documentary entitled, "Stardust; The Bette Davis Story," which shines some light on Davis' career -and some nice footage of her classic films.

"Marked Woman" (1937)
Mary Dwight (Bette Davis) works as a hostess at the Club Intime run by ruthless gangster Johnny Vanning (Eduardo Ciannelli). When one of her "clients" is murdered prosecutor David Graham (Humphrey Bogart) questions Mary but she won't cooperate and Vanning is acquitted. When Mary's sister Betty (Jane Bryan) is killed by one of Vanning's thugs she decides to spill the beans and is beaten into disfigurement. At her bedside all the witnesses agree to testify.

"Jezebel" (1938)
Set in antebellum New Orleans during the early 1850's, this film follows Julie Marsden (Bette Davis) through her quest for social redemption on her own terms. Julie is a beautiful and free spirited Southern belle who is sure of herself and controlling of her fiancé Preston Dillard, (Henry Fonda) a successful young banker. Julie's sensitive but domineering personality--she does not want so much to hurt as to assert her independence--forces a wedge between Preston and herself. To win him back, she plays North against South amid a deadly epidemic of yellow fever, which claims a surprising victim.

"The Man Who Came To Dinner" (1942)
Sheridan Whiteside, (Monty Woolley) an eccentric and acid-tongued radio lecturer, is disabled on the doorstep of a prominent Ohio family and must remain confined to the unwilling family's home for a few days. Discovering what he believes to be problems within the household, Sheridan ("Sherry") discovers his leg is fine. Bribing the doctor to declare him unfit to leave for a few weeks, Sherry hatches a plot to fix all of the household's problems, including his loyal secretary Maggie Cutler (Bette Davis) who has just discovered her true love Bert Jefferson (Richard Travis). Lots of fun here with great performances by the entire cast which also include Ann Sheridan, Billie Burke, and the wonderfully comic Jimmy Durante.

"Old Acquaintance" (1943)
Established serious author Kit Marlowe (Bette Davis) inspires hometown pal Millie Drake (Miriam Hopkins) who writes a trashy novel published with Kit's help. Millie's husband Preston (John Loder) leaves her. Ten years of trashy novels later Millie tries to reconcile, but Preston is marrying another. Millie accuses Kit of husband stealing. Later Kit learns of Millie's daughter Diedre's (Dolores Moran) affection for Rudd, (Gig Young) whom Kit was thinking of marrying. Kit blesses their union and makes up with Millie.

"What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?" (1962) -2 disc Special Edition-
Two aging film actresses live as virtual recluses in an old Hollywood mansion. Jane Hudson, (Bette Davis) a successful child star, cares for her crippled sister Blanche, (Joan Crawford) whose career in later years eclipsed that of Jane. Now the two live together, their relationship affected by simmering subconscious thoughts of mutual envy, hate and revenge. Spiteful pranks and bitchy dialogue make this one a jewel in the "Crown of Camp!"

"Stardust: The Bette Davis Story" (2005) -documentary-
Covering the early and later parts of the legendary star's vast film career, "Stardust" captures the allure of Davis in her early films and goes on to show her courage and in-your-face attitude which mesmerized her fans and made her a box office draw even in her golden years. Some of the material can also be seen on Disc 2 of the `What Ever Happened To Baby Jane" DVD, however, there is enough in "Stardust" to make it a nice addition to the set, as well.

A rumored "Bette Davis Collection: Volume 3" is supposedly in the works and set for release this year, however, nothing official has been announced of the titles to be included or the date of release. Hopefully a box set entitled "The Joan Crawford Collection: Volume 2" will accompany Davis third box set release -there's a lot of Crawford classics still awaiting a DVD release, as well. But until then, enjoy this "Volume 2 collection of Davis classics, it will sit well next to your Volume 1 set of your Classic DVD Library.

Volume 3.......2007-04-06

Volumes 1 & 2 are fine. Some suggestions for Volume 3:
-"Beyond the Forest" (camp noir classic with immortal line: "What a dump!" All those viewers who've only heard the line parodied in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" could hear the original source! King Vidor's direction is full of mood and evocative of German expressionism.)
-"Dangerous" (Davis' fresh, dynamic performance in this film resulted in her first Oscar for Best Actress. Isn't that enough reason to release it? Far better than her performance in "The Star")
- "The Little Foxes" special edition (this film is one of the greatest filmizations of a stage play & deserves a special edition. The current DVD release doesn't have a single extra on it! A shame! A 2-disc DVD is called for!
- "The Old Maid" (far better than "Old Acquaintance", this is one of the best soap opera tearjerker period piece women's films. Davis gives one of her most sensitive, vulnerable performances and ages quite realistically in this film.)
- "In This Our Life" (another camp classic with Davis playing a bad girl to the hilt. John Huston's direction is colorful.)
- "Juarez" (although Davis has a small part, the film is historically interesting and as the Mexican Empress Carlota, Davis gives a vivid portrait of a woman going mad.)

Bette Davis Part 3.......2007-04-03

Parts 1 & 2 are fantastic, but when are we going to get Part 3.

The Bette Davis Collection Vol. 2.......2007-02-23

I love this collections - it is a wonderful addition to my 'Bette Davis Library'.
Regards

Great actress, great set.......2007-02-05

Among the great movie actresses of the first half of the Twentieth Century, there was arguably no one better than Bette Davis. Although good-looking, she didn't really have the same great Hollywood beauty that other well-known actresses had. Her greatness came from much more from pure talent than from appearance; in fact, some of her best roles were rather unflattering. Volume 2 of the Bette Davis Collection showcases five of her roles in a variety of genres: gangster film, Southern romance, comedy, "woman's" picture and horror.

The first movie (chronologically speaking) is Marked Woman, which fits right into the classic Warner Brothers gangster movies, albeit with a female protagonist. Davis plays Mary, a "dancer" for a nightclub run by a crooked mobster. Ambitious and independent, she is comfortable enough with her career as long as it finances her sister's college education. Eventually, things go sour and she is forced to make some hard choices. Humphrey Bogart has a supporting role as a noble D.A.

Nex is Jezebel, sometimes described as Davis's consolation for not getting cast in Gone With the Wind. As the rebellious Julie in antebellum New Orleans, she has some similarity to Scarlett O'Hara, but is generally different. Her efforts to defy the customs of Southern aristocracy - culminating in her wearing an inappropriate dress to a ball - costs her dearly. Henry Fonda plays her fiance who comes to find her renegade ways too much. Davis would win an Oscar in her role; ironically, this movie actually preceded Gone With the Wind in the theaters.

The Man Who Came to Dinner is an adaptation of a stage comedy. Davis plays the personal assistant to an arrogant writer who comes to dine in the house of a fan and winds up confined there after an accident. Davis plays a significant but smaller part in this ensemble comedy which is still quite amusing.

Old Acquaintance tells the story of two friends over the course of twenty years. Davis is a literary author who is well-respected; Miriam Hopkins has lesser skills but churns out the best-sellers. Often times they are more rivals than friends, as Hopkins sacrifices all for hollow success.

Finally, there is What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, which co-stars Davis's real-life rival, Joan Crawford. Davis plays Jane, a former child star in the days of vaudeville. Crawford plays her sister, who was a successful actress until being crippled in an accident. Now Crawford is being tormented by her sister. Davis's version of Jane is wonderfully crazed.

There is a boatload of special features in the set, including one disc that has Stardust: The Bette Davis Story, a sometimes cheesy but generally informative biography that shows that even if Davis was a great actress, she was not a very nice person. There are shorts and mini-documentaries on the films, along with commentaries on Jezebel, Old Acquaintance and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? This final movie also has a whole disc of bonus features including a second biography of Davis. All the movies are either four or five-star quality, so the set as a whole merits five stars. If you are a Davis fan, this will be a delight to watch; if you're unfamiliar with her work, this set is a good place to start.

Average customer rating:

Decent remake starring the Redgrave sisters!!

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Starring: Vinny Argiro , Art Chudabala , John Scott Clough , Barry Dennen , and Roy Fegan
Director: David Greene
Manufacturer: Direct Source Label
ProductGroup: DVD
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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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ASIN: B000O785XI
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Customer Reviews:

Decent remake starring the Redgrave sisters!!.......2007-04-21

This was a 1991 made-for-tv remake of the classic Whatever Happened to Baby Jane starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Obviously someone realized how popular it was and what a strong fan following it had and so they finally decided to release this one to the public and I'm glad they did! While most originals are always the best, this one is definitely worth watching if you don't sit through the entire movie constantly comparing it to the original. I enjoyed both, this one just has a more modern touch to it. Lynn and Vanessa Redgrave are terrific actors so they make this film their own here. I give the original 5 stars and this one 4 stars! Check it out!

Average customer rating:

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Baby Jane? Who the hell is Baby Jane?
Here's A Timeless Classic Well Worth Seeing!
Good ol' movie
Baby Jane

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Starring: Bette Davis , Joan Crawford , Victor Buono , Wesley Addy , and Julie Allred
Director: Robert Aldrich
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

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Mommie Dearest (Special Collector's Edition)
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ASIN: 0790732246
Release Date: 1997-10-01

Amazon.com

It's brash! It's grotesque! It's a blistering display of psychological terrorism! One of the blackest comedies ever made, this 1962 thriller rejuvenated the careers of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford and played heavily on their own Hollywood legends, incorporating film clips from their earlier stardom to add depth and realism to a severely twisted tale of sibling rivalry. Davis plays the former child star turned wrinkled hag Jane Hudson, whose sister Blanche (Crawford) eclipsed her star in Hollywood, and has been paying for it ever since. Now confined to a wheelchair, Blanche is held prisoner in the musty mansion she shares with Jane, who terrorizes Blanche with maniacal control (and dead rats for dinner), and embarks on an absurd campaign to revive her career, curly-haired wig and all. A deranged showcase for its stars, the film also introduced Oscar nominee Victor Buono as the sycophantic pianist hired to accompany Jane's bizarre vaudeville revival. Hilarious, frightening, and not to be missed! --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?.......2007-07-02

Baby Jane? Who the hell is Baby Jane?.......2007-06-08

Here's A Timeless Classic Well Worth Seeing!.......2007-05-26

Good ol' movie.......2007-05-13

Baby Jane.......2007-05-09

Average customer rating:

What Ever Happened to Alice
Starring: Linda Larson , and Nancy Lincors
Director: Linda Larson
Manufacturer: Action Cat
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? [Region 2]

Average customer rating:

Good acting, but not much more
whatever happened to aunt alice?
A NOSTALGIC PIECE OF MACABE.............
Fun and intrigue
Surprising, compelling, funny and masterful - Contains Spoilers!!

What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? [Region 2]
Starring: Geraldine Page , Ruth Gordon , Rosemary Forsyth , Robert Fuller , and Mildred Dunnock
Director: Lee H. Katzin , and Bernard Girard
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JCB6

Customer Reviews:

Good acting, but not much more.......2007-05-21

Storywise this stylish movie made in the Arizona desert does not offer anything special, it's been done before and after: Older women who are deliciously bad and do not hesitate to plan and commit murder. The performances of the main actresses are a great delight to watch (especially the opening scene). Geraldine Page is hamming it up nicely, Ruth Gordon for once does not play a brash, vulgar loudmouth but is emulating the great character acress Thelma Ritter as Page's servant. At moments this movie made me think of John Sayle's Passion Fish. Was it an inspiration for that truly great piece of art?

whatever happened to aunt alice?.......2007-04-11

I have always liked ruth gordon. I liked this movie also because geraldine page was a bit subdued at times and let ruth gordon take the lead. If you like geraldine page,and love ruth gordon , this is a great movie.

A NOSTALGIC PIECE OF MACABE....................2007-01-04

If you like old feature mystique with great actors, try and buy this DVD. Ruth Gordon and Geraldine Page are icons in the movie business and show their great acting ability in this mystery. Now this is the movie they should remake with some current stars. A little updating would put this film in a class by itself.

Fun and intrigue.......2006-09-06

An elderly widow finds herself left nothing in her husband's will, so she takes to employing housekeepers and murdering them for their life savings. She meets her match when one comes along who is not as meek as she looks, but is actually investigating the disappearance of the last housekeeper, who was her friend. The scene is set for a little old lady showdown!

I agree with most other reviewers in that "Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice" is a black comedy rather than a thriller, and it succeeds thanks to the bravura performances of Geraldine Page and Ruth Gordon, particularly Page as the villain Claire Marrabel, who really carries the whole film. Her very first scene shows us just the sort of woman she is, when her barely concealed excitement at the reading of her late husband's will turns to rage and bitterness when it turns out he had sunk all their assets into huge debts without ever telling her. Page plays the role magnificently, really throwing herself into the part, and continues in a vein of scarcely controlled wildness throughout the rest of the film. Two scenes stood out for me; firstly when she commits her very first murder, she is required to bury the body in a hole and plant a sapling pine tree over the top of this (this ever growing row of new trees becomes a visual gag for the rest of the movie). Page launches herself into the task with vigour, seemingly doing the full job while the camera and credits roll over the top of the scene. The second great moment is much later on in the movie when Claire has drugged two potential victims and tries to set their house on fire. It is Page we see (not a stand-in) crazily flinging a lighted cushion around the house trying to get the rest of the furniture to catch on fire. It looks quite dangerous, and my admiration went out to the actress for doing this scene herself. But even in the more sedate scenes, Page fills the character of Claire Marrabel with seething greed and madness, and she's always a joy to watch.

In contrast to this, Ruth Gordon takes on a far more subtle turn as Alice Dimmock, the housekeeper that fights back. Playing much of the film as a meek doormat to her employer, she really shines in scenes when she confers with an accomplice she has helping her on the outside, and the spunky character of Miss Dimmock finally comes out, and her feisty words made me feel that here was a worthy opponent for the evil Mrs Marrabel. And it's here that the meat of the film lies. Gradually, both women start to snoop into each others business and, entertainingly, both become suspicious of the other at about the same time. This leads to the best section of the movie: when both women are just starting to square up to each other over their suspicions, and every kline of dialogue contains a barbed hint or a subtle accusation. Sadly this tension cannot last, as all too soon the gloves come off and it becomes a battle for survival. After a great chase and even a physical battle inside Marrabel's house has ensued, the audience is totally rooting for poor Alice to make her getaway and expose the true murderous nature of her employer.

I won't reveal what happens, but I did find the final climax of the film slightly disappointing, so see what you think. But the film does work, despite very unnecessary support and subplots involving all manner of forgettable side characters. Not one of the rest of the cast comes close to holding your attention in the way that Page and Gordon can, in fact the film could easily have been made as a two-hander, although I suppose this would have made it less marketable. Mind you the terrible publicity images on the DVD releases don't do a very good job either - there are no visible dead bodies in the film - why can't the sleeve designers repect the fans and package the film with it's stars on the front? Just because they are too far over 25 years of age, I suppose.All in all, great fun, thanks to the efforts of it's two stars.

Surprising, compelling, funny and masterful - Contains Spoilers!!.......2006-06-19

"Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?" is, I believe, often overlooked for flashier, more renowned entries in the same vein of Grand Guignol - movies like "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?", "Lady In A Cage", "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte", and so forth.

But in "Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?" we have something that none of those other movies had: a lack of Legend and a sense of Cult Following, and next-to-no expectations when viewing the movie for the first time. And so what we see when we sit down to watch it is something fresh, exciting and very, very good indeed.

"Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?" stars the very wonderful Geraldine Page as the recently widowed Claire Marrable, who, in the wake of being left destitute by the financial wasteland that is her late husband's estate, moves to an isolated part of rural Arizona, and takes on a succession of tight-lipped, downtrodden housekeepers. The reason for the succession soon becomes apparent: Mrs. Marrable is murdering these women in short order, after they've signed their life savings over to her, and using them as fertiliser for what must be said is a remarkably verdant desert garden.

Enter the seemingly innocuous Alice Dimmock (the equally wonderful Ruth Gordon), who, after the briefest of introductory periods, sets about working to her own agenda: discovering the whereabouts of Mrs. Marrable's last housekeeper.

Performances are incredibly, incredibly good: Geraldine Page is a delight to watch in almost all of her movie roles, and this proves no different: she's a magnetic, charismatic powerhouse who breathes a pathos and a kind of twisted empathy into the murderous role of Mrs. Marrable. Ruth Gordon, riding on a high from her 1968 Academy Award for the role of Minne Castavet in "Rosemary's Baby", gives a similarly inspired performance as the titular Alice: this could have easily been a one-dimensional reading of the character, but Gordon's low-key, understated screen presence and hugely entertaining mannerisms propel the character of Alice Dimmock right off the screen and into our minds: she's real, and Gordon is excellent.

The supporting cast is of a very high standard, too: Rosemary Forsyth is believable in her very small supporting role as Mrs. Marrable's young neighbour Harriet Vaughn, and Robert Fuller gives a good turn in his supporting role as Alice's nephew Mike Darragh. But this show belongs lock, stock and barrel to Gordon and Page: the supporting cast simply provides a solid backdrop to their excellent performances.

Direction is great - the late swingin' sixties colour clashes of the fabrics and furnishings make the interior scenes a beautiful contrast to the exterior sparseness of the Arizona landscape. Lighting, too, is used to great effect: rather than feel hopelessly dated, as many of the early seventies thrillers do now, the well-lit, almost soap-operaish quality of the photography actually serves to compliment the unstructured, loose flow of director Lee H. Katzin's confident, narrative camerawork. I can't name many other movies of this period that work visually as well as "Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?", and that's high praise, indeed.

All in all, "Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?" has certainly stood the test of time as a record of the talents of Page and Gordon - but more importantly, remains as relevant and enjoyable today, and on the same levels, as it did on its initial release. This isn't a movie you love for the camp value, because there's not many camp laughs to be had - it's simply an excellent film, and one well-worth owning.

DVD-wise the print is excellent, and while the sound sadly is mono, it's not that big of a deal with some decent television speakers.

Wholeheartedly recommended.

Average customer rating:

What Ever Happened To...
Starring: Vinny Argiro , Art Chudabala , John Scott Clough , Barry Dennen , and Roy Fegan
Director: David Greene
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006GQMXW
Release Date: 2005-07-26

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