“A lurid melodrama of hate, revenge and murder, a high-class horror film, in the Hitchcock vein, with virtuoso performances from Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and moments both searing and poignant.” - James Powers, The Hollywood Reporter
“What so often gets lost about WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? is that it's a real thriller, dark, suspenseful, and intense.” - Jason Bailey, Flavorwire
Sunday, June 22, 2:00 p.m. | In the chilling BABY JANE, two aging actresses, “Baby” Jane Hudson (Bette Davis, in an Oscar-nominated performance) and her wheelchair-bound sister Blanche (Joan Crawford) live in obscurity in a Hollywood mansion, where Baby spends her days terrorizing Blanche. Much ink was spilled about on-set drama, with gossip rags declaring that Davis and Crawford despised each other—is BABY JANE camp because of the alleged feud? If it was real, and these women were out for blood, then what a campy show indeed, but if you ignore the lore, Davis and Crawford’s performances, while not subtle, are sensational.
Awards & Nominations
Nominee - Best Actress in a Leading Role (Bette Davis), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Victor Buono), Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Academy Awards
Winner - Best Costume Design, Academy Awards
Nominee - Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival
Summer Camp | June 2025 Specialty Series
In 1964, the essayist Susan Sontag wrote “Notes on Camp,” where she endeavored to define “camp,” an artistic and cultural sensibility. The essence of camp, Sontag wrote, is “its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration.” In the 60 years since that publication (a brisk, 14-page read), camp has evolved and flourished: in drag culture, the queer community, and the fashion and music industries. In cinema, camp can be found in the extravagance of a sweeping melodrama or the movie that’s so-bad-it's-actually-brilliant, a film may read as “campy” because of its opulence or extreme performances, or we might call a movie a camp classic because its earnest seriousness makes us laugh all the way to the credits. For Summer Camp, we abide by one of Sontag’s most salient points: “Camp is, above all, a mode of enjoyment, of appreciation—not judgement.” Pack your bags, we’re going camping!
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu