Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.