Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte

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.

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.

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

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.