Review of Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?

Introduction

In 1964, Robert Aldrich directed Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, an award-winning film which had a whole host of films trying to imitate its success by imitating the film itself. Then in 1969, Aldrich produced Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?, which didn`t meet with the acclaim of the previous film, but which is probably one of the better imitators.

Geraldine Page and Ruth Gordon (fresh from her Oscar winning performance in Polanski`s classic Rosemary`s Baby) are the stars here, and their bickering is the highlight of a film which will introduce you to some innovative new methods for improving the soil in the Arizona desert. It`s unlikely we`ll ever see Alan Titchmarsh recommending them though.

Video

A non-anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer is on offer here, and the lack of anamorphic enhancement hinders the image in some ways. It is refreshingly free of dust and dirt, with hardly any "flecks and specks" visible during the film. The visuals clearly place this film in the 1960s, but there are some nice shots of the Arizona desert. Something else that you`ll spot is the amount of smoking in the film, as it`s something seen less and less in modern films.

Audio

A DD2.0 stereo soundtrack, which is the original mono track replayed over both channels. There`s nothing outstanding about this track, and it sounds reasonable for its age with hardly any distortion, and all dialogue clear and audible.

One thing that also helps to date the film is the sledgehammer style of the soundtrack, with some very unsubtle jarring chords and jarring strings serving as an "early warning system" when something bad is about to happen.

Features

Just two simple text biographies of the two lead actresses. Nothing to get excited about.

Conclusion

An entertaining film, but not without its flaws. When concentrating on the two leads, it works. When moving off to the minor characters, it stops working. Two good performances from Page and Gordon make this film a "must see" for fans of either, but only a "maybe rent" for the more casual viewer of older films.

The DVD is technically good, although it would have been nice to see an anamorphic transfer and some more extras, even just the trailer that appears on Anchor Bay`s region one version. A purchase for fans only.