Even 50 years after it was released, this movie is shocking. The betrayal is appalling. The incest is not romanticized or played for any sort of laughs. The physical violence is both subtle and horrifying: We don't quite see what Cliff Robertson does to typist Joan Crawford but we get the idea very clearly. And it is shocking almost beyond words.
Crawford does a fine job. She may have been better in a couple other movies -- her signature, "Mildred Pierce"; "Sudden Fear." But as entertaining as "Mildred Pierce" is and as beautifully made as "Sudden Fear" is, I'd choose this as the best movie in which she appears (if possibly not her single best performance.) Cliff Robertson is perfectly cast as the handsome young man who woos her. He IS handsome. But this character is troubled, and Robertson plays that brilliantly. This is the movie for which he should have won as Oscar.
Lorne Greene is a sneering villain. He's even farther from "Bonanza" here than Raymond Burr was from "Perry Mason" in the many film noir outings that predated that series.
Vera Miles turns in a fine, evil performance too. She did well for Hitchcock but I think this is the best I've ever seen her.
Ruth Donnelly is Crawford's landlady and pal. She is cast against the type she played in her standard movie. And she's very good. I'm not entirely sure the slightly light touch she gives the character is right in this context. But Aldrich knew what he was doing; so it must be.
I saw "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" when it first came out. I was a child and had never seen Bette Davis or Joan Crawford before. I was totally confused by the whole thing. In later years, I've seen it again and it's fun.
But though it shares one star with Autumn Leaves," "Autumn Leaves" is closer to Aldrich's greatest picture in style: "Kiss Me Deadly." "Autumn Leaves" seems like a high toned soap opera on the surface. It's about an older woman who allows herself to fall in love. Etc. But that's not what the movie is. It's dark and it's deep.
I can't quite figure out whether it could have been better with a less turgid actress. In a way, some of its themes presage those of "Room at the Top." Signoret could have blown us away in "Autumn Leaves." So could Jeanne Moreau. But would the movie have been as believable? Maybe not. It may be just about perfect as it is.
Crawford does a fine job. She may have been better in a couple other movies -- her signature, "Mildred Pierce"; "Sudden Fear." But as entertaining as "Mildred Pierce" is and as beautifully made as "Sudden Fear" is, I'd choose this as the best movie in which she appears (if possibly not her single best performance.) Cliff Robertson is perfectly cast as the handsome young man who woos her. He IS handsome. But this character is troubled, and Robertson plays that brilliantly. This is the movie for which he should have won as Oscar.
Lorne Greene is a sneering villain. He's even farther from "Bonanza" here than Raymond Burr was from "Perry Mason" in the many film noir outings that predated that series.
Vera Miles turns in a fine, evil performance too. She did well for Hitchcock but I think this is the best I've ever seen her.
Ruth Donnelly is Crawford's landlady and pal. She is cast against the type she played in her standard movie. And she's very good. I'm not entirely sure the slightly light touch she gives the character is right in this context. But Aldrich knew what he was doing; so it must be.
I saw "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" when it first came out. I was a child and had never seen Bette Davis or Joan Crawford before. I was totally confused by the whole thing. In later years, I've seen it again and it's fun.
But though it shares one star with Autumn Leaves," "Autumn Leaves" is closer to Aldrich's greatest picture in style: "Kiss Me Deadly." "Autumn Leaves" seems like a high toned soap opera on the surface. It's about an older woman who allows herself to fall in love. Etc. But that's not what the movie is. It's dark and it's deep.
I can't quite figure out whether it could have been better with a less turgid actress. In a way, some of its themes presage those of "Room at the Top." Signoret could have blown us away in "Autumn Leaves." So could Jeanne Moreau. But would the movie have been as believable? Maybe not. It may be just about perfect as it is.