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‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’ : Jane et Blanche
Joan Crawford (Blanche) et Bette Davis (Jane) dans What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Après une enfance de vedette, « Baby Jane » Hudson (Bette Davis) s’avère être une piètre actrice de cinéma, rongée par l’alcoolisme. Sa sœur Blanche (Joan Crawford), au contraire, fait une brillante carrière à Hollywood, et s’emploie tant bien que mal à trouver des rôles pour son ingérable aînée. Hélas, un accident lui brise les deux jambes, et la pauvre Blanche, clouée dans un fauteuil roulant, subit dès lors la jalousie et les cruautés de Jane. Elle en vient à jeter un appel au secours par la fenêtre, demandant la venue d’un médecin pour sa soeur, mais le papier est ramassé par Jane… (Une traduction en français suit le script original en anglais.)
Version originale
[Jane enters the room carrying a supper tray. She puts the tray on a table, picks up the lunch tray that was there and proceeds to get out without a word.]
BLANCHE: Did you have a nice drive?
JANE: What are you talking about?
BLANCHE: Nothing, dear. It’s so long you were out of the house. I thought perhaps you’d gone for a drive or something. You know, I was thinking… It’s ever so long since… we had a talk. Uh, you know, a real talk. About the future and everything. Jane… I didn’t want to be worried about the house. Even if I do have to sell it, we’d still be together.
JANE: Blanche, you’re not gonna sell this house. Daddy bought this house. And he bought it for me. You don’t think I remember that, do you? [She puts the supper tray on a table.]
BLANCHE: You’re wrong, Jane. You’ve just forgotten. I bought this house for the two of us, when I signed my first contract.
JANE: You don’t think I remember anything, do you? They’re a whole lot of things I remember. And you never paid for this house. Baby Jane Hudson made the money that paid for this house. That’s who!
BLANCHE: You don’t know what you’re saying.
JANE: Blanche… you aren’t ever gonna sell this house. And you aren’t ever gonna leave it! Either. [Jane walks to the window.]
BLANCHE: Jane… [Blanche turns her wheelchair around.] Jane! Do you remember when I first came back after the accident?
JANE: [Silent for a while.] You promised you wouldn’t ever talk about that again.
BLANCHE: I know I did. But I’m still in this chair. After all those years, I’m still in this chair. Doesn’t that give you some kind of responsibility? Jane, I’m just trying to explain you how things really are. You wouldn’t be able to do these awful things to me if I weren’t still in this chair!
JANE: [After a silence, she turns around.] But you are, Blanche! You are in that chair! And tell me, what are these awful things I’m supposed to be doing to you?
BLANCHE: Oh, I… I… I meant… You wouldn’t have to work so hard. I was thinking maybe… maybe Elvira could come in more often… maybe she could even live with us…
JANE: We don’t need Elvira.
BLANCHE: But… You got so tired… There’s so much to do and you’re not well.
JANE: Maybe you’re right… Maybe I should get a check-up or something.
BLANCHE: That would be wonderful. Perhaps, we could… we could find a really good doctor.
JANE: Yeah, we could get hold of that nice old Doctor Shelby, couldn’t we…? Yeah, let’s see… what’s his number again? [She hands out a paper to Blanche before picking up the tray and exiting.] And under no circumstances tell my sister the contents of this note. It’s not me that needs a doctor, Blanche. [She slams the door with her foot.]
Version française
(à venir.)
Scène pour deux femmes (3-4 minutes). Extrait du film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (VF : Qu’est-il arrivé à Baby Jane ?) réalisé par Robert Aldrich (1962), d’après le roman d’Henry Farrell. N’oubliez pas qu’il est impossible de travailler une scène sans connaître l’oeuvre intégrale. Vous pouvez acheter le livre en ligne et le récupérer dans la librairie la plus proche via ce lien Place des Libraires : Qu’est-il arrivé à Baby Jane ? − Henry Farrell
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