In the psychological thriller “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane” the film focuses on the strained relationship between two sisters. In summary, it’s a story of extreme jealousy and two cases of mental illness, even though the focus seems to be on one sister’s delusion. In this movie the director, Robert Aldrich, uses various camera positions and forms of lighting to extenuate Jane’s mental illness and Blanche’s jealousy.
In the scene where Jane hears the Baby Jane doll singing, it opens with a medium shot of Jane playing “A Letter to Daddy” on the piano. In the frame it shows a drink on the piano, something that has contributed to her psychological decline. Also, there is underlighting coming from the bottom right of the frame that’s highlighting Jane’s sadness and casting her shadow on the wall as a symbol of her past. The scene continues like this until she hears the voice of her younger self coming from the Baby Jane doll. Then the scene cuts to a medium long shot of the Baby Jane doll in the crowded room, to emphasis Jane’s solitude in a world that’s forgotten about her. Soft top lighting in used to extenuate the Baby Jane doll and also how it was a major part of Jane’s life. Meaning, a time where she wasn’t as harsh as she is now.
The scene cuts back to Jane with a medium close up shot and side underlighting to enhance Jane’s longing for her past. It also shows how this longing has made her disheveled and deranged. In this frame the audience can see more clearly her heavy makeup and messy hair which gives her a ghostly appearance. Basically a ghost of her childhood self. Then the camera cuts to a long shot of the room to show the clutter, shadows, and harsh lighting coming out of various places. This shot shows how Jane is now “blending” into the clutter and is no longer relevant, while top lighting is used on the Baby Jane doll to emphasis the only time she felt like she mattered. The streams of “random” light and shadows start at the very back of the shot. It’s lighter towards the back and shadowy near Jane and around the doll. These lighting positions show how Jane’s life was once lively, now it’s dark and the only thing that’s keeping her motivated is that Baby Jane doll. Then the scene cuts to a medium shot of Jane and the doll to show her closeness with her past. Harsh lighting is used on the doll to emphasis the intense emotions Jane feels about her former self. Jane continues to stare at the doll as she “hears” her former self sing “A letter to Daddy” then she proceeds to sing. The scene then cuts to a medium shot of Blanche from low angle possibly to mimic how she feels as if she’s “above” her sister. In the frame you can see her “assistance” contraption in the background casting an eerie shadow, foreshadowing her being strung up on this apparatus by her psychotic sister. Harsh lighting on Blanche to emphasis the intense emotions of fear and jealous. At this point she’s sure her sister is mentally ill and that it’s her fault. The scene cuts back to a medium shot of Jane and the Baby Jane doll. She’s still singing “A Letter to Daddy” while stroking the face of the doll. Using this shot gives the audience a close up of her mental state, which has just gotten worse. The scene cuts back to the medium shot of Blanche from a low angle, as fear and guilt sinks in, she wheels herself out of the frame. The scene then cuts back a medium long shot of Jane reciting lines from her routine. The camera pans up, leaving the doll out of frame, focusing on Jane underneath harsh top lighting emphasizing her delusion. The audience can clearly see her heavy makeup, sunken face, and also her “child-like” hairstyle. After the line “I’m much too young to know…” she snaps back to reality and screams, solidifying her psychotic break. This entire scene constantly cuts from on image to another to heighten the tension between Jane, her past, and Blanche.
The final scene in the movie fades into a beach setting at a high angle from an extreme long shot. You can see a Jane in a white dress walking along the each alone. In the frame you the audience is able to see her extreme solitude and how “insignificant” she’s become in a big space. The camera cuts to a long shot of Jane stumbling along the beach showing again her deranged state of mind. At this point she’s not completely in focus but she keeps walking towards the camera which then pans towards the top half of her body. Then the camera pans down as Jane sits next to her dying sister on the beach. Using this technique the viewer is shocked by the image of Blanche, who is now extremely pale and dying.
Now, using a medium shot, Jane and Blanche are in the frame showing their current states. Jane is wearing an all-white dress and hair styled in curls to match her past self. While Blanche is wearing an all-black dress to match the guilt and sorrow she feels towards Jane. The scene then cuts to another high angle extreme long shot of the beach, which is now crowded with people. The news of Blanche’s maid has spread, there are constant cuts to different people on the beach hearing the news. Then the scene cuts to a medium long shot of Jane playing with children, again trying to relive her childhood. The camera cuts to a close up of Jane’s face, which is now illuminated by the sun and is no longer sunken in or looks ghostly. He face now reflects how she feels in side: childlike. The camera then cuts to a long shot of Blanche dying on the beach, mimicking how mentally far away the sisters are from each other. After more cuts of Jane and Blanche, there is there close of Blanche’s face as she confesses what she really did. The scene then cuts back to a close up of Jane using a POV shot indicating how Blanche used to look up to Jane. After the confession Jane goes to get ice cream. There is a medium shot of her at the food stand, with the sun illuminating her features. She looks healthy and youthful in contrast to her sister who now looks like a corpse. After Jane gets the ice cream and the police spot her, she proceeds to perform. The camera is on Jane from a high angle using a long shot to show all of the people around her. Then the camera cuts to a medium shot from the POV of the people watching. The Aldrich used a handheld camera to create an unsteady scene to parallel Jane’s current state of mind and also the uneasiness of everyone around her. The scene cuts to a medium long POV shot from Jane dancing dizzily in circles in front of a crowd of people. Using this shot the audience can see the worry of the random people watching her “perform”. The camera then cranes up and back to reveal Blanche’s dead body, the beach goers uneasily stepping away from Jane, and finally Jane still dancing in circles. In this frame the audience can see Jane has gotten everything she wanted: an audience and to get rid of sister.
In conclusion, through the use of various types of camera positions, mostly medium and long shots, the director is able to show the emotions and stages of mental illness. Also, the use of different forms lighting Aldrich is able to convey the weight of said illness in not only Jane but Blanche as well.
