what do you think is the best bette davis performance (not necessarily the best movie.....)?

Question

so what do you think is her most memorable and/or impressive performance?
i love her in whatever happened to baby jane. she was so pathetic & creepy as baby jane hudson. she nailed it & no one else could have played it that well. what do all of you think?

Answer 1

I agree with you, and it's certainly not in hopes of points. Baby Jane Hudson is the bravest thing she ever did in films! She plays it to the hilt and risks people hating her without a moment of pity, yet it's pity she deserves.

She is absolutely brilliant in that film~every moment, every word, how her expression can alter from twisted hatred to the trace of the young woman she was, especially when Jane is flirting with the man who has entered her life. Watch her face when Blanche admits to Jane what really happened: that Blanche attempted to run down Jane with the car and ended up crippling herself. She admits that she allowed people to believe that Jane did it, that she allowed her sister to be blamed and hated for this throughout their lives. The accepting look on Jane's face is heartbreaking. She basically changes the subject by going for ice cream.

Again, someone else in that role might not have been able to walk that fine line all the while she was delivering this Grand Guignol performance.

In "Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte", she was allowed to look semi-attractive, a faded belle. Bette Davis had to look a horror and act loud, brassy, and cruel. She had to be willing to let Joan Crawford look like a saint~even though we finally learn about Blanche's dark side. These were Hollywood glamour girls, and Bette threw that aside in favor of delivering a powerhouse performance that makes us laugh one moment and gasp the next. She holds nothing back!

THAT is the mark of a brilliant actress.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Little Foxes

Answer 4

She was good in Little Foxes, and I enjoyed watching her in Jezebel.

Answer 5

All About Eve, which is also her best movie. In my opinion, she's never been as good.

Answer 6

I thought she was really great in "Elizabeth and Essex." Her interpretation of Elizabeth's persona was unique, and I think she captured Elizabeth's fire.