Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)

8/10

BA_Harrison23 May 2020

Following the success of camp classic 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?' (1962), producer/director Robert Aldrich once again cast Bette Davis in the lead for his follow up 'Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte', this time with Olivia De Havilland as her co-star. One might expect this to be an inferior imitation of Baby Jane, repeating that film's formula of outlandish melodrama and twisted characters, but although it does share some similarities with its predecessor (most notably, Davis's eccentric performance), I consider it to be the superior film, a gripping murder mystery that serves up a large helping of Southern gothic, grand guignol, and the macabre.

The film opens in 1927, at the antebellum mansion of the Hollis family, where patriarch Big Sam (Victor Buono) confronts John Mayhew (Bruce Dern), the married lover of his daughter Charlotte, and orders him to end the relationship. The next evening, during a party at the Hollis house, John meets Charlotte in the summerhouse and tells her that he no longer loves her; distraught, Charlotte runs away. Moments later, John is brutally murdered, his hand and head hacked off with a meat cleaver (this scene being surprisingly gory). Wandering into the party covered in blood and in a state of shock, Charlotte is ushered away by her father.

37 years later, Charlotte (Davis) still lives in the mansion, her father having used his connections to prevent his daughter from being charged or tried. The only other occupant is Velma the housekeeper (a wonderfully unconventional turn by Agnes Moorehead), but this all changes when Charlotte writes to her cousin Miriam (de Havilland), hoping that she can somehow prevent The Louisiana Highway Commission from evicting her from her home. Miriam comes to the house soon after, but helping Charlotte couldn't be further from her mind: with the help of old friend Drew (Joseph Cotten), she intends to push the already mentally fragile woman over the edge and have her certified insane so that she will gain control of the family fortune.

While perhaps not as iconic as Baby Jane, 'Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte' trounces that film's tale of bitter sibling rivalry with its engrossing mystery that, while not always unpredictable, provides bags of atmosphere, lots of suspense, and plenty of opportunity for Davis to do her demented thang. It also neatly switches things around at the halfway point, allowing De Havilland her chance to act deranged, the seemingly sweet Miriam proving to be just as nutty as her cousin. Also a delight to behold: Cecil Kellaway as insurance investigator Harry, who ties up the loose ends nicely.

Like Baby Jane, Sweet Charlotte is perhaps a little overlong for this kind of thing (under two hours would have been nice), but Aldrich maintains a steady pace, and the game cast (which includes silent movie star Mary Astor, as John's widow, and disaster movie regular George Kennedy as the foreman of the crew come to flatten Charloote's home) ensures that there is rarely a dull moment.

7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

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8/10

''Chop, Chop Sweet Charlotte!''

phillindholm11 August 2005

Warning: Spoilers

"Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" was, as most people know, intended as a follow up (not a sequel) to the first and most influential "horror hag" film of them all, "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?". Producer/director Robert Aldrich who had helmed "Jane" wanted to repeat that film's box office success. He re-teamed Bette Davis (as Charlotte) and Joan Crawford (as her cousin Miriam) but, in events that have become the stuff of Hollywood Legend, Crawford became "ill" and checked into the hospital and wouldn't come out. She was eventually replaced by Bette's long-standing friend, Olivia de Havilland, fresh from "Lady in a Cage" (1964).

Although many find the plot somewhat convoluted, it is basically rather simple. Aging southern belle Charlotte Hollis lives in decayed splendor in the Louisiana mansion where, thirty seven years earlier, a horrible murder took place. The victim was none other than her married lover John Mayhew (Bruce Dern, in an early screen appearance) whom Charlotte fears was killed by her overbearing father (Victor Buono) who was against their affair. Over the years, however, the local townspeople have concluded that Charlotte herself was responsible, but escaped punishment due to her father's political connections. As it happens, the highway commission is planning on building a bridge where Charlotte's house stands, and are tirelessly trying to remove her from the property. She is just as doggedly determined to remain, because she fears demolition of the house will reveal proof of her father's guilt. Charlotte's only companions are her old, white trash housekeeper, Velma Crother (Agnes Moorehead) and the family doctor, Drew Bayliss (Joseph Cotten). Charlotte's attempts to hold off the sheriff are finally beginning to weaken, so, in a last attempt to hold onto the old plantation, she sends for her Cousin Miriam Deering, hoping she can help. Miriam does, eventually arrive, but it's soon obvious that she is there for reasons other than to comfort and aid her cousin.

The film is well photographed in eminently suitable black and white, and the haunting musical score by an Oscar-nominated Frank DeVol (as well as the beautiful nominated title song) aid it immeasurably. The performances are what makes the movie so much fun. Bette Davis, as usual, goes all out as the tormented cousin, moaning, whining simpering and,especially shrieking her way through her part. In contrast, the still very attractive de Havilland is, at first, a model of restraint. Matching Davis in the histrionics department is Moorehead (who was also Oscar-nominated for her performance) as she carries on, sometimes so hilariously, it's difficult to understand what she is saying. (Oh well, that's what DVD subtitles are for!) At the same time, she can be moving as well. Cotten gets to do his own (relatively restrained) scenery-chewing , but the scenes in which Davis, de Havilland and Moorehead scream at each other in very thick southern accents could be right out of the old "Mama's Family" TV series. As Jewel Mayhew, widow of Bette's lover, Mary Astor gives her usual excellent performance, so subdued and realistic, that she seems to be in a different film. Ditto Cecil Kellaway as a curious insurance investigator. In the end, though, it's all the overplaying and gaudy scene stealing which makes "Charlotte" so much fun. A remake would be not only redundant, but a mistake. "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" is truly one of a kind. The just-released Fox DVD includes a great widescreen transfer of the film, an audio commentary, and, best of all, a trailer, teaser trailer and three television spots, which emphasize the movie's lurid aspects--what else could you want? GET IT NOW!

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8/10

A Fun, Frantic, Over-the-top Gothic Melodrama!

djkent10 November 1999

Well, I loved Bette Davis' performances, as a rule. But I'm willing to bet that even NON fans of Davis would appreciate her tour in this particular movie. Following two years after "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" is nevertheless four times the film of its more noted predecessor. The reasons for this are four=fold. The script, though occasionally unintentionally funny, is still crisper, more believable and contains a more satisfying ending. Next, Davis' is more balanced by the performances of DeHavilland, Cotton, a more mature Victor Buono, and the great Agnes Morehead. Thirdly, we have a better set and setting, more attuned to the genre. Finally, the cinematography is several notches better, in my opinion. Adding it all up, you have an exceptionally fine example of that unique genre, the gothic melodrama. In this movie, the genre is virtually defined! If asked to name an example to a "top twenty" or "top fifty" movie list, "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" would definitely make the cut.

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10/10

Grand Southern Gothic

Lechuguilla29 March 2011

What an entertaining movie! It's the Southern setting that gives the film its potent flavor, with that overwrought plantation house, the Southern accents, the small town gossip, antebellum attitudes, and the music at the party in 1927. The script's dialogue also reflects this Southern tint. Mournfully reflecting on the past, Sam Hollis (Victor Buono) says near the beginning: "My daddy sat out there on that veranda; let this whole place slide to dust; when he died there was nothing but debts and dirt; I touched that dirt and made it blossom".

The story's theme is a preoccupation with the past, with ghosts not properly buried, and with family secrets, repression, and subterfuge. Charlotte (Bette Davis) is a pitiful woman because she is not rational. Like her daddy, she can't let go of the past. Living all alone in that big house with just her housekeeper Velma (Agnes Moorehead), Charlotte obsesses about bygone days. But if her own delusions contribute to her misery, she at least has the presence of mind to understand that those who come to visit her may not have her best interests in mind, hence the story's conflict as she attempts to fight back.

All of the major roles are ideally cast. I would not have made a single change in casting. Acting trends a tad melodramatic at times, but that's part of the fun. Agnes Moorehead gives one of the great supporting performances of all time. And Olivia de Havilland, with her vocal inflections, shrewd smile and stylish behavior, adds elegance that contrasts nicely with the shabby and humorously uncultured Velma.

B&W cinematography also contributes to the film's high quality. Dramatic lighting, interesting overhead camera angles, lots of interior shadows, and quick zoom-ins all add visual interest.

Plot structure is okay, but the runtime is a bit lengthy. I wish they had edited out some of the campy scenes in the second half.

"Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte" is a grand movie, with grand actors and grand moments. The story contains mystery, spine-tingling suspense, and it veritably drips with Southern angst. Though the film is a tad campy in a few spots and is a bit long, nevertheless it's wonderfully entertaining.

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Southern Discomfort

BaronBl00d26 September 2000

Warning: Spoilers

Few films have the ability to show the decay of plantation life in the South better than Hush...Hush sweet Charlotte. The setting is a rural plantation home that in 1927 was the scene of a brutal murder where an unfaithful husband was beheaded and behanded. Next we fast forward to 1964 and see the effects of this crime on Charlotte Hollis..the young girl accused of the crime and bordering on mental instability. Bette Davis plays Charlotte and her performance is a tour-de-force as she plays a woman under stress with a zeal that would make any ham actor proud. Davis tops her baby Jane performance by not only creating a character with obvious problems, but also giving this character feeling, compassion, and an air of pity. The plot of the film involves Davis's descent into madness as she thinks she sees things..or really does. The rest of the cast is first-rate with Joseph Cotten playing the stereotypical Southern doctor with the over-pronounced inflection only Cotten could provide. Olivia De Havilland creates one of her better roles, and makes a superb wicked woman. The real treat to watch is Agnes Moorehead who plays a wise-cracking, crotchetey housekeeper. Rounding out the superb cast are a few nice performances from the ever affable Cecil Kellaway as one of the few humane people in the film, a nice cameo by Mary Astor, Bruce Dern and Victor Buono in flashback sequences. The movie tells a pretty inventive tale...but really is a showcase for great talent, good direction, wonderful atmosphere, and a rather perverse thematic underpinning. To use a well-worn cliche....they just don't make em like this anymore. Ain't it a shame!

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8/10

A Cast of Class!

dougandwin22 September 2004

Following soon after "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane", I originally thought that "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" would be a letdown - far from it, in my opinion, much better due a great deal to the cast of great actors and actresses. Bette Davis was in her element in this role of Charlotte, while Olivia de Havilland in the role originally planned for Joan Crawford was superb, and was an inspired piece of accidental casting! Agnes Moorehead deserved her Academy nomination, while Mary Astor was a most welcome sight. Joseph Cotten normally seems very wooden in his parts, but does an excellent job here. The Black and White photography adds a great deal to the mood, and is far better than Colour would have been. The ending was very well planned and carried out, and you feel after the film ends there is something else that happened that the viewer never saw. Get it on Video - it is well worth the experience.

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7/10

The Lonely Life

bkoganbing18 March 2006

A few years before this film came out Bette Davis penned her first set of memoirs, The Lonely Life. She might well have been setting the stage for this film, Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte.

Bette is a lonely old spinster woman who back in the day was set to run off with married lover Bruce Dern. Bette's father wouldn't hear of it and paid Dern off. But he wanted Dern to keep a scheduled rendezvous with Davis's character. In keeping that rendezvous Dern was done in with a well wielded meat cleaver.

She's lived in that old mansion, quite a showplace during her youth, for 40 years with only Agnes Moorehead her maid for company. Of course she was suspected in Dern's murder and a whole lot of legends have grown up about her as she's grown older.

People are terrified of who they believe is their own southern fried incarnation of Lizzie Borden. But during the film Bette is more put upon than anything else by some rather unscrupulous people.

Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte is Davis's obligato to her well received Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. She's joined in this film by former work colleagues, Olivia DeHavilland, Joseph Cotten, and Victor Buono.

Olivia's quite a wonder in this. She substituted for Joan Crawford who after the well publicized battles during Whatever Happened to Baby Jane decided she wasn't up to rematch. DeHavilland and Davis were old friends from Warner Brothers. And those of us who remember Olivia from her salad days at Warner Brothers will not be used to seeing her in the kind of role she has her.

Both Charlotte and Baby Jane were well done horror flicks. Unfortunately for Bette some of the later ones she chose weren't quite so good and didn't add anything to her reputation.

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8/10

Bette and Olivia, together again.

AlsExGal10 October 2020

This film was meant to be a kind of sequel to "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?". However, this film is missing the dynamic of those dueling actresses, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, present in the first film. Instead we have the perennial sweet thing of the golden age of Hollywood, Olivia de Havilland, playing opposite to Bette Davis. Plus Olivia and Bette were always friendly in spite of both being very ambitious at the same time and the same place - Warner Brothers of the 1930s and 40s.

As a teenager Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis) was presumed guilty of killing her married lover. And no wonder, she wanders into the family mansion during a society ball the night the man was killed covered in blood and in shock. Her wealthy father managed to fix it so she never faced charges, but Charlotte has lived as a recluse ever since, always presumed guilty by her neighbors and the press, and therefore shunned for the past 37 years.

She is facing eviction from the family plantation since her property is in the path of a new road that is being built. Her cousin Miriam Deering (Olivia de Havilland) comes to visit during this time to try and get her to come to terms with moving. With Mary Astor as Jewel Mayhew, the widow of the murdered man, and Agnes Moorhead as the housekeeper.

Charlotte's problem besides being evicted? She has been receiving anonymous mail for years tormenting her about the killing and she is starting to see things that are not there. Or are they?

I actually liked this film better than "Baby Jane" because I always felt that film was too long and too claustrophobic. Plus for once I liked the production code ending, the twist at the end, and justice like it was out of a Looney Tunes cartoon.

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7/10

Some judicious cutting would have made a big difference...

Doylenf4 April 2001

A more judicious use of editing could have trimmed at least half an hour off this overlong dark house melodrama which begins to lose steam midway before revealing some surprising twists. As it stands, it's still a very watchable, very entertaining film of its kind.

Winner of seven Academy Award nominations, it borrows heavily from the French film "Diabolique" for its main plot twist. Still, it's vastly entertaining with some really fine performances--although restrained acting is not evident except for two performers--Mary Astor in a wonderful five-minute encounter with Cecil Kellaway at an outdoor patio and Olivia de Havilland, offering a counterpoint to Bette Davis' wilder performance as the pathetic Charlotte suffering from delusions. Davis actually has some toned down moments where she makes her character pitiful and sympathetic--but most of the time she is shouting like a mad witch at everyone in sight. If it were not for the calmer performances of de Havilland, exquisitely refined and elegant as the visiting cousin, Joseph Cotten, Mary Astor, Cecil Kellaway, the film would be too far over the top to be believable. Bruce Dern, George Kennedy, Ellen Corby and others in supporting roles do fine work.

Agnes Moorehead is enjoyable as a slatternly housekeeper protecting Charlotte from her wicked cousin--but she too is given to outrageous moments of mugging. If Robert Aldrich had been able to tone down the whole thing and keep Davis and Moorehead in check, this might have been handed even more kudos than it received.

Mary Astor in a pivotal role lingers in the memory for a marvelous scene in which she mouths dialog that sounds like Tennessee Williams, talking of "ruined finery" as she toys with her lace sleeves. Her acting is so restrained it seems to belong to another film. It is the most genuinely moving moment in the entire picture.

Summing up: Excessive footage should have been trimmed and more restrained acting from Davis would have helped--but it still manages to be an absorbing dark house mystery.

Trivia note: It began shooting with Joan Crawford in de Havilland's role until Crawford feigned illness to bow out. Script changes were made to give the character "more refinement" for Olivia--and it works beautifully for better counterpoint between Davis and de Havilland.

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10/10

Bette's Brilliant Performance

olet19 August 2001

For those who find the performances in this film to be overdone, it should be noted that this is intended to be an intensely dark, gothic horror film. Bette Davis' character, Charlotte Hollis, is an emotionally unstable woman who is being victimized and manipulated in a way that is exceptionally cruel. Most people in such a desperate situation might have the urge to scream and yell.

Agnes Moorehead's portrayal of Velma the maid is comically over the top to prevent the film's more disturbing scenes from making the movie unpleasant. Olivia de Havilland's Miriam is quite subtle, until a twist in the story requires her to change drastically. Ms. de Havilland handles the dual nature of her role marvelously. Mary Astor as Jewel, is required to be understated and mysterious, which she is. The actors perfectly matched their performances with the roles they played.

Bette Davis makes Charlotte believable right from the beginning credits, using only her eyes to communicate. She has many scenes demanding a wide range of emotions. When she is cruelly deceived later in the film, Bette's horrified and stunned reaction is very real. It's hard to imagine any other actress then or since who could have played Charlotte so magnificently.

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7/10

Top cast in atmospheric Southern story

blanche-210 August 2005

After seeing Olivia De Havilland in this film, it's hard to picture Joan Crawford in the role, as I believe she would have ruined the twist in the plot. De Havilland was perfect. She took the role of Miriam after Bette Davis personally appealed to her and after nearly everyone else had turned it down. Vivien Leigh allegedly said, when offered Miriam, "I can face a southern plantation at 7 in the morning, but I cannot face Bette Davis." Too funny if true.

But the combination of Davis, De Havilland, and Joseph Cotton is an excellent one, three stars from Hollywood's heyday in a turgid southern drama. Charlotte is a woman ostracized by her community after the vicious murder of her fiancé 40 years earlier. Her guilt was never proved, but assumed, and she lives in solitude, a joke among schoolchildren, who sing "Chop, Chop, Sweet Charlotte". When the town needs her land and she has to move, her cousin Miriam arrives to help her.

This film, in black and white, has a rich atmosphere as well as some very good performances. It was intended, of course, as a follow-up to "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" but never reached camp status. It probably would have with Crawford in it. As it is, it's a pretty good drama.

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8/10

Exceeded my expectations!

Shaun Yen Metcalfe30 August 1999

Warning: Spoilers

It all begins in 1927 during a society party in Louisiana when Jewel Mayhew's (Mary Astor) husband has been found decapitated...the head is never recovered. There are suspects galore. Could it have been his mistress Charlotte? Could it have been his loveless wife, Jewel? Could it have been Charlotte's domineering father (Victor Buono)? Or could it have been the over-protective servant (Agnes Moorehead, in an Academy Award-nominated performance)? Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte is an engrossing film about the ruthless machinations of Miriam Deering (Olivia de Havilland) and her doctor lover (Joseph Cotten) as they try to push her cousin, the disturbed Charlotte (Bette Davis) over the edge in order to get Charlotte's inheritance. Blackmail and deceit abound in this psychological suspense drama which exceeded my expectations; much better than the cheap blood and gore that I thought it would be. Bette's performance was at times heart-breaking, sometimes humorous and mostly macabre. One of the better performances she gave towards the end of her career. Olivia de Havilland gave a chilling performance as a scheming, vicious vindicator of envy...a long cry from her roles as the good woman in such films as To Each His Own and In This Our Life. The film made me sit up and watch, some scary bits, some humour, some malevolent emotions. All very exciting. Very well executed. Very much worth watching when you're in the mood for something highly entertaining.

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7/10

Chop Chop

Prismark106 January 2018

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte directed by Robert Aldrich, is a Southern Gothic horror psycho-melodrama. In the last third of the drama the film reveals its intentions as some of the characters drop their facade. Until then the film keeps you guessing.

In 1927 John Mayhew (Bruce Dern) is a married man who plans to leave his wife and run off with sweet Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis). Charlotte's father, Sam (Victor Buono) is the local big shot and plans to have none of it. He forces John to tell Charlotte that it is all off. It seems in a fit of anger, Charlotte brutally kills John with his hand and head being chopped off. All this happens before the opening titles.

Thirty seven years later, Charlotte is regarded as a local psycho, she lives alone in her family mansion, being irate with her servants. She is being forced out from her house as a highway will be built across her land.

Her long time friend and physician, Dr Bayliss (Joseph Cotton) calls in Charlotte's cousin Miriam (Olivia de Havilland) to come over after some years to deal with Charlotte. Her housekeeper Velma (Agnes Moorehead) is suspicious of Miriam, poking her nose after so many years away.

Yet Miriam thinks strange things are happening, her old clothes get ripped, Charlotte thinks she is hearing or seeing things. People start to disappear.

This starts of very grisly and then becomes rather twisted. Davies really is effective as someone who is unhinged after getting away with murder all those years ago. Also good performances from the Cotton as well as De Havilland who returns to the mansion almost as a stranger until the past reignites other passions.

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5/10

Hush...Hush, Dear Bette

brefane-4116218 April 2017

Warning: Spoilers

Not a sequel to 1962's What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, but an obvious attempt to duplicate Baby Jane's success with Davis once again playing a character haunted by the past until the last scene reveals the truth. Despite a classy production with a plot lifted from Gaslight and Diabolique and 7 Oscar nominations, Hush...Hush comes closer to Strait Jacket(63) than to Baby Jane. Davis and Moorehead are shameless, Davis' non-stop screeching becomes annoying, and Aldrich's direction drags out the cumbersome plot. Victor Buono, Mary Astor and a perfectly cast Olivia DeHaviland provide some compensation, but couldn't someone have taken a cleaver to Cecil Kellaway? Davis' fans will be pleased though I prefer The Nanny 1965, The Anniversary 1968 and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

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8/10

Whatever happened to Sweet Charlotte

TheLittleSongbird7 August 2020

On my first viewing of 'Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte' a few years back, it did strike me as a very good film if not quite masterpiece level. Decided to see it again to see whether my positive memories of it would hold up. Being somebody that loves many of the actors involved, especially Bette Davis, and who has liked to loved most of what has been seen of Robert Aldrich's work ('The Grissom Gang' being the only exception), especially 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane' and 'Attack'.

The good news is that my positive initial feelings of 'Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte' on my long overdue recent re-watch are not just unchanged (so still feel very positively about it), my basic thoughts on the film's many strengths and not near as many flaws are also pretty much exactly the same. Actually appreciated 'Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte's' many good things even more this time round. Most of the cast give some of their best performances and as far as Aldrich's films go, it is towards the better end.

My biggest criticism of 'Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte' is the overlong length, it could easily have been just over an hour and a half which would have been achieved if some of the middle was tightened up in the pace or trimmed.

Some of the middle's writing falls into the unintentional camp territory, which is a shame as much of the film is genuinely atmospheric and unnerving.

On the other hand, no fault can be had with the cast. Davis is very over-the-top, especially some of her line delivery, but thrillingly and chillingly so. Over-the-top is not always a good thing, but it proved to be a lot of fun here with Davis as it did suit the character perfectly and it was the type of role that she did better than most at this point. Olivia De Havilland is a lot more restrained but just as monstrous and effectively unsympathetic, very different type of role for her and one she initially had reservations about. Agnes Moorehead is delicious fun and suitably beastly and Mary Astor gives a heartfelt and nuanced performance, making a big impression in short screen time. Aldrich directs with a lot of tension and atmosphere, especially in the early stages with for example the shocking murder. The characters may not be subtle but they are interesting.

'Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte' looks wonderful. The cinematography is hauntingly exquisite, with some creative shots (without being gimmicky) in the more horror-oriented moments, and the Gothic production design is hugely atmospheric. The music does nothing to detract from the creepiness, not resorting to over-obvious music cues, and the title song is memorable and is a beautiful song on its own. Some of the script is on the camp side and it is unashamedly melodramatic, but it is also quite intelligent and very Tennessee Williams-like (that's a compliment). The story has a flawed mid section, but it starts off brilliantly and one scene in particular in the early stages stays with one for a long time after. The final twenty minutes are also genuinely shocking. There is a genuine creepiness to the horror-like elements, the build ups biting the nails, while the mystery side intrigues.

In summary, very well done. 8/10

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Top-Notch Performances

numberone_115 February 2001

They don't make 'em like this anymore, and, sad to say, we Americans don't have as many actors and actresses of this caliber anymore today, either. Nevertheless, despite its spotty campiness, unintentional funny moments, borderline flashback sequences, storyline holes and generally predictable plot, this is a spectacular film, especially considering the era in which it was made.

All the performances are strong, intense and excellent. Perhaps the best ones, however, are given by Olivia de Havilland and Agnes Moorehead, who have been more or less associated or stereotyped in other venues. Yes, this is the same Agnes Moorehead who is probably best known as Endora from "Bewitched," but it only serves as testimony that she was one actress who could steal thunder with any role.

Overall, the story is a good one, and realistic to the location given. The story would absolutely not work, for example, in a large urban area. The film is great fun, and knowing how the whole story plays out is an excellent reason to watch it again, as you know what the characters know. Sit back and enjoy the brillant acting on all counts!

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8/10

Great film but slightly flawed in the middle

BrandtSponseller14 January 2005

John Mayhew (Bruce Dern), a married man, is having an affair with Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis). When Charlotte's father, Sam (Victor Buono), a local bigwig (the town is even named after the family) finds out that John was planning on eloping with Charlotte, he demands that John tells Charlotte during a big party that he's breaking off their relationship. John ends up dead, and Charlotte is the likely suspect. Thirty-seven years later, Charlotte is still living as a recluse on her family's plantation, but now she is being forced to move, as a highway is going to be built across her property. Gradually, people come back into her life to ostensibly help her.

For at least the first 45 minutes to an hour or so into the film, Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte is a 10 out of 10. Unfortunately, given a 133-minute running time, director Robert Aldrich can't sustain the intensity for the length of the film, but Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte finishes as an 8 out of 10 for me.

Although there are some thriller and horror elements, both take up relatively little screen time. At that though, these elements are extremely effective. Some parts are surprisingly graphic for 1964--just enough to be a surprise and evoke the appropriate sense of shock. The best horror/thriller material in the film is in the haunted house vein, and for a time, we wonder if Hush . . . Hush, Sweet Charlotte is going to end up being a ghost story.

But the focus here is primarily on Charlotte and Miriam Deering (Olivia de Havilland) and their relationship to one another. Davis and de Havilland are both incredible in the film, and both go through a very wide range of emotions. Oddly, Agnes Moorehead (as Velma Cruther) was more recognized for her performance than the rest of the cast in terms of awards and nominations, with de Havilland receiving neither. Not that Moorehead wasn't good, but in my view, she wasn't the standout performance. However, that's just further fuel for my belief that the Academy Awards have little to do with rewarding the best films, actors and filmmakers.

There are also broader themes explored as a subtext, including the changing way of life in the southern United States between the early and mid-20th Century.

I subtracted two points because the film lost a bit of its momentum and direction in the middle, but the last half-hour is as exciting as the beginning.

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7/10

Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte

huckleberry6711 February 2009

Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte: I watched this movie in December of 1964, when I was only 5 years old, at a movie theater in Portland, Oregon.

I made a trip about 60 miles north with my pop, he was buying a new car. For some reason the purchase of the car was delayed, so Pop and me went to watch a movie that night at a Portland movie theater. It was a cold night, I still remember steam pouring out of the manholes on the street, and the city smelled. I was not used to that smell. Urban.

The movie was "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte", starring Bette Davis. That movie chilled me to the bone.

I still remember scenes from the movie, the hand crawling across the floor. I had nightmares about that for years.

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8/10

Memorable Characters, Song

ccthemovieman-17 October 2006

It's tough to beat this for a good, deep cast: Bette Davsi, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorhead, Cecil Kellaway, Victor Buono, Mary Astor and Bruce Dern.

My favorite character in here was played by Moorhead. She was excellent as the eccentric (but very perceptive) housekeeper. I wish Kellaway's role had been bigger. It was interesting, too, to see such a young Dern. Davis looked really grotesque, but that was the idea. Kudos for her to not care about her looks.

Speaking of looks, the best feature in here might have been the cinematography. I have not seen this on DVD but I'd like to and wonder if it looks tremendous. It sure looked good on VHS. And that theme song! It is played throughout the movie and once you hear it, as I first did in the theater over 40 years ago, you never forget it.

My lone complaint is the length of the film. At 133 minutes, I think it would have been a lot tighter and better at about 110. However, even though there were definite lulls in the story, they were never that long in length.

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7/10

"You're my favorite living mystery."

elvircorhodzic23 August 2017

HUSH...HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE is a mysterious horror drama which, in addition to the general madness on the surface, has a great deception designed in the background. This is a film about a mysterious murder, deceptions and torture. A gruesome and grotesque secret is hidden behind the walls of a luxurious mansion. What ever happened to Baby Jane?" the second part...

A Southern belle Charlotte is lonely in her house. She is haunted by personal tragedy of the past, which includes the murder of her lover. When a distant relative comes to stay at her mansion, tensions and conspiracy beginning to boil in a pot, in which the truths take human lives...

The plot is a somewhat vague, and the procedures of the antagonists are predictable. Mr. Aldrich has offered, again, an array of shocking twists and turns, which include a harsh truth, but he, this time, did not take into account the probabilities. The truth in this story is something like waking up from a horrible nightmare. Mr. Aldrich has relied too much on the relationships between the characters, emotional turmoil and hidden intents.

Bette Davis as Charlotte Hollis is a strange combination between a crazy old woman and confused lady. A melodramatic tone in her character is mixed with horror that surrounds her. Nevertheless, Ms. Davis has offered a great performance. Olivia de Havilland as Miriam Deering is a hidden devil under a curtain of goodness. The face of Ms. de Havilland is the embodiment of compassion and kindness. She can be a strong and shrewd woman, but a villain .... Joseph Cotten (Doctor Drew Bayliss) is too theatrical. Agnes Moorehead (Velma Cruther) is energetic and exciting as a loyal servant. Cecil Kellaway (Harry Willis) and Mary Astor (Jewel Mayhew) are pale appearance as a homing pigeon and an eternal enemy.

This is not bad ... not at all.

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10/10

This is a great horror/suspense movie

smclarty30 January 2009

About 10 years ago a friend and her twin daughters and I viewed this film as the first of our Friday Night Fright films. It was an excellent way to introduce the 13 year old girls to "horror" films, as there's not a lot of graphic gore - a little to make it exciting, but not a lot to make us all sick! The performances of Bette Davis and Olivia DeHavilland are superb - and excellent examples of the acting requirements for psychological suspense.

Bette Davis playing a "teen" in the flashback sequences is a bit much, but overall, this is one of my most favourite "horror" flicks of all time! And the 13 year olds loved it as well, despite the fact it's in black & white!

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7/10

Solid little shocker

tomgillespie200216 April 2011

In 1962, when the careers of acting heavyweights such as Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Olivia De Havilland were beginning to subside as the years took their toll, director Robert Aldrich directed Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?, a story of sibling jealousy and sadism that saw Davis and Crawford go head to head. The film was notorious not only for it's brilliance, but for it's genuine rivalry between the film's two leads. The film was a success, and unwittingly gave birth to a new genre that has since become known as 'hagspolitation' or 'psycho-biddy thrillers', a splurge of films that usually portrayed a psychotic older woman played by a 1940-50's superstar. Davis and Crawford were the key players in the sub-genre, and they were both cast by Altman in his next film, Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, only for Crawford to drop out due to 'illness', when in reality it was because she just couldn't take Davis' bullying and general nasty behaviour. She was replaced by De Havilland, and although the film doesn't come near to capturing the greatness of Baby Jane, it is still a nice little shocker.

Beginning with a shocking murder that sees a married man who is having an affair with Charlotte (Davis) have his arm and head hacked off with a huge cleaver, the film jumps forward four decades, where the ageing Charlotte lives alone in her giant mansion that is being torn down by city developers. Haunted by the murder of her former lover (for which she may or may not have been the culprit), Charlotte is losing her mind when her cousin Miriam (De Havilland) comes to stay to try and convince her to leave before she is arrested by the developers for failing to leave her home. What follows is Charlotte's fast decent into insanity, but is she being played and manipulated by people after her vast fortune?

The film is a solid horror film with some genuine shocks and extreme gore for its day. Of course, the ever-reliable Bette Davis is superb as the squeaky-voice southern gal seemingly with the mind of an infant. Although the film works well as both a Southern Gothic horror and as a thriller, the film doesn't have the intensity to last out the 2 hours and 15 minute running time and slightly outstays his welcome. But their is solid support from Joseph Cotten, an actor who has never been recognised enough for his excellent body of work, and Agnes Moorehead, another main player in the genre.

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10/10

Gets better with each viewing.

denise-882-13902312 October 2021

This is such a well crafted movie.

I was too scared to watch it when I was young; that was how good the the trailer and the the talk around this movie was. I also thought it could not live up to Baby Jane.

I adore this movie now. All that melodrama, histrionics and a let's face it, a fine story, are perfectly put together.

It is great to see actors playing against type, a real bonus. Olivia De Havilland plays a blinder.

Bette, ah Bette, plays the lost little girl, the strident harridan and the nervous wreck all in one movie.

A classic movie that entertains and does what all good movies do, takes you into another world.

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7/10

Who Done it?

bsmith555225 April 2017

Warning: Spoilers

"Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" was intended as a follow-up to the highly successful Bette Davis/Joan Crawford/Robert Aldrich success, "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" (1962). However, after filming had begun, Crawford began causing lengthy delays through her frequent "illnesses" and hissy fits. She was subsequently removed from the project and replaced by Olivia DeHavilland.

The story opens in a 1927 prologue where rich and powerful southerner Big Sam Hollis (Victor Buono) is confronting his daughter Charlotte's illicit lover, the married John Mayhew (Bruce Dern). He cajoles the man into breaking up the affair just as the couple were about to run off together. That same evening, Mayhew is brutally murdered and Charlotte is assumed to have committed the act.

Fast forward to 1964 where we find Charlotte (Bette Davis) living as a recluse in the Hollis mansion with her creepy servant Velma (Agnes Moorehead, Big Sam having died several years earlier. The mansion however, is slated for demolition and Charlotte is being forced to abandon her home. In the meantime she is being comforted by Dr. Drew Bayliss (Joseph Cotton) her family doctor. Charlotte sends for her cousin Miriam (De-Havilland) to help her face this crisis.

A British journalist, Harry Willis (Cecil Kellaway) arrives on the scene to investigate the original unsolved crime of 37 years earlier. He interviews the murdered man's widow Jewel Mayhew (Mary Astor) who provides some insight. She gives him an envelope to be opened only upon her death.

Meanwhile back at the mansion, we learn of a plot between Dr. Drew and Miriam to drive Charlotte insane in order to get their hands on Charlotte's considerable fortune. As they proceed with their plans, things go awry and.............................................

Bette Davis was becoming adept at playing slightly off their rocker middle aged ladies. Charlotte was no exception. She moves from sanity to unstable moments quite convincingly. The moment that she finally literally scared out of her wits is mesmerizing. DeHavilland, still showing bits of her "Melanie Wilkes" character form "Gone With the Wind", makes her nasty side seem more believable. Cotton as always, is excellent as the two faced doctor.

Victor Buono, who is billed as a guest star, impresses as Big Sam. Buono, who never got the recognition he deserved, was only 26 years old at the time of this film. Agnes Moorehead almost steals the film as the mysterious housekeeper. Also in the cast are George Kennedy as the demolition foreman, William Campbell as a reporter for a crime magazine, Frank Ferguson as the newspaper editor and Dave Willock as a taxi driver.

I wonder how the film would have been received had Joan Crawford not been fired?

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5/10

Not in "Baby Jane"'s league...

moonspinner5528 October 2007

Southern-fried frights from screenwriters Henry Farrell (author of the novel "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?") and Lukas Heller (who adapted the "Baby Jane" screenplay) has Bette Davis trying to hold onto her sanity and her plantation after scheming cousin Olivia de Havilland comes to town. The thickly-applied Gothic atmospherics aren't convincing, and Agnes Moorehead is over-the-top as loyal housekeeper Velma, though the picture is still entertaining due to Robert Aldrich's brusque direction and de Havilland's juicy performance. Farrell and Heller keep Bette's Charlotte on the verge of hysteria throughout, borrowing a bit from "Les Diaboliques" to give their story a twist. The overlay of camp--beginning with an outrageous prologue--helps make the picture shamefacedly enjoyable, though it isn't up to the heights of "Baby Jane". ** from ****

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