 "FANTASTIC PERFORMANCES" | 2009-09-26 |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User |
| Bette Davis, Olivia deHavilland & Agnes Moorehead gives fantastic performances in this wonderful if slightly over the top horror classic. This film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards and when you watch it you can see why. In my opinion this film is even better than "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" Just the dialogue and snappy lines alone is worth watching this movie and having Bette, Olivia & Agnes deliver those lines is pure fun! Some of the lines that Bette says in the film: "Where you are I could spit in your eye...with no strain at all", "What do you think I asked you here for...company?!", and the best line of all (directed at Olivia deHavilland)- "You're a vile, sorry little [...]!" Wonderfully witty and campy dialogue that is a joy to watch and see. Agnes Moorehead has some great lines with her drawn out southern accent: "You know she broke that dadburn teapot up there...tea running all down the walls! Shooooweeee! "She nottin but a chil'" and my favorite (also directed at Olivia deHavilland) "Oh so your finally showin' the right side of you'face ain't ya...well I seen it all the time". If you can't find something to love about this film, then there is something wrong with you. They don't make classic suspense/horror films like this anymore. |
| |
 "Great Performances, Some Unintentional Humor and A Tad Bit Junky" | 2009-07-21 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte by Robert Aldrich has a some very tacky elements to it. The conspiracy from two "good" characters to "nobody" playing the piano in the wee hours of the morning compile with some, surprisingly, excellent acting and some funny scenes. The scene that really got me laughin' was the first murder. "OH NO MY BELOVED HAND! OH MY GOD!" throw in the incredibly fake severed hand and I do believe we have a comedy. Another thing that confused the hell outta me was the countless twists and turns that came. First Charlotte killed John, then her dad, then **SPOILERS** Jewel, Charlotte's rival.
The film really catapulted off of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'s success, and HHSC portrays no comparison to WEHBJ, it was actually intended to be a follow up with Joan Crawford. The similarities between the two are uncanny, aging woman, going crazy, hostages, murder the list goes on.
Performances in Hush... Hush are actually great. Bette Davis is great, as usual, Agnes Morrehead is brilliant as loyal servant, Velma, Olivia de Havilland is intriguing toward the end of the film. But, Joseph Cotten sort of drifts away from the rest of the cast but somehow finds his way back.
Cinematography is simple and quite boring. Joseph Biroc provides no interesting shots what so ever.
The plot and idea in general is quite cliche and unoriginal. Murder from many years ago, conspiracy against murderer, murderer is not who you think. Seen it before? I seriously think that you have. |
| |
| ""Bette and Olivia Nearly Destroy Each Other In This!"" | 2009-04-10 |
| - Reviewed By Terry Richard from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada |
It was announced in December, 1963 that the two stars of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, would be reunited for "Hush, Hush...Sweet Charlotte". After the huge financial and critical success of "Baby Jane", studios were fawning all over themselves for a vehicle the would bring these two movie goddesses back together. Before "Baby Jane" no one wanted Davis and Crawford in their movies, as the film studios felt they did not appeal to the box office. Once Joan and Bette's careers were reignited again, Hollywood was knocking down their doors. "Hush, Hush..." was suppose to star the two, but because of ill health and Davis' harsh treatment of her on the set, Joan fell ill and was hospitalized. What a terrible loss the studio had, as well as us fans, as we never saw Joan as Miriam in the final film. It would have been so neat to see Joan, as Miriam, beating the crap out of Bette as Charlotte, as the complete opposite happened in "Baby Jane", where Bette's character was the antagonist and abuser.
Olivia DeHavilland does, however, give a remarkable performance in this film as Miriam. Olivia detetested doing bitch roles, but both Bette and director Robert Aldrich persuaded her to do the film. What makes her character so evil is the subtext in which she uses in her portrayal: we, as the audience, at the beginning of the picture, believe that Miriam is such a kind-hearted, soft spoken woman who's best interest is her cousin Charlotte's welfare: we soon discover none of this is true as Olivia portrays one of the most evil, psychotic women ever on film.
The rest of the cast is first rate, from Agnes Moorehead, who plays Charlotte's maid Velma, to Joseph Cotten, who plays an unscrupulous doctor, out to destroy Charlotte.
"Hush, Hush...Sweet Charlotte" is the best film in the "Baby Jane" genre. There were many 1960's films that tried to duplicate the success of "Baby Jane", like "Lady in a Cage", Straight-Jacket", and "Dead Ringer", but "Hush, Hush" comes a close second to being the sequel that it was suppose to be to the mother film.
According to Bette Davis, she wasn't overly fond of the film, but fans of these hag-films, like me, love these vehicles: nothing like watching former movie queens, looking like hell, and tearing up the scenery!
This film also received a whopping 7 Academy Award nominations, but winning none: at the time the film set a record for a horror film receiving the most Oscar nods. This record would be broken in 1991 by "The Silence of the Lambs".
There is also another DVD release of "Hush, Hush" that is available, but if you already have the 2005 DVD release of the film I would suggest in passing on it. There is a neat documentary on the film, but it doesn't really offer anything that we ardent Bette and Joan fans don't already know. Contrary to public belief there are no Joan Crawford deleted scenes on the 2008 DVD release. Rumor has it 20th Century Fox destroyed the scenes that Joan did prior to leaving the film. In the second DVD there are still pictures of Joan in character as Miriam, but that is about it. |
| |
| "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" | 2009-04-01 |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User |
| Great movie! Birthday gift to my 39 yr old daughter. One of her favorite movies!! Thanks so much. Carol |
| |
| "Hush Sweet AND Sour Charlotte" | 2009-03-13 |
| - Reviewed By Andre' Grindle from Brewer Maine |
| One gets the impression after watching this that it's sooo important that an actress even today is able to pick the roles best suited for them. After years of playing up her glamorous qualities in classics such as Dark Victory (Restored and Remastered Edition),Now, Voyager (Keepcase) and All About Eve (Two-Disc Special Edition) this movie,made while she was middle aged shows a very different side of Bette Davis. She stars as Charlotte Hollis,a woman who you ultimately end up feeling very sorry for even after you see how isolated and weird she is. In keeping with her nack with melodrama this story is complex and intricate. Charlotte,accused of the murder of her already married beau while she was a young woman had withdrawn into her own twisted world of broken memories until in 1964 when her coniving cousin (Olivia DeHaviland) shows up to take Charlotte to the looney bin so the city can bulldoze her old family house down. The twisted story that developed after that is just something you have to see to believe;the errie coolness of DeHaviland as she conspires to drive her cousin into pure delerium with...pretty much whatever it took up against the complete unhinged moodiness and harshness of the broken Charlotte. Of course in the end Charllote desintigrates into complete Blanche DeBouis style madness,even resulting in a very linear hallucination illustrating her own take on the old crime before,in the end......well your not certain whether to be relieved or not. At a time where movies generally had a distinctly sad or happy ending,usually the latter being preffered this one has that awkward,uncertain conclusion that is often used in more modern era when films seem to come to a conclusion rather then have a distinct emotional quality to the ending. This movie from beginning to end will tend to make the mind wonder rather then have...well more then a split second emotional reaction. And in many ways it's very much a harbinger of what was to come in cinema during the 60's and after;that genre of horror/mystery that is still the name of the game even to present day. The era of old "talkie" Hollywood was officially coming to an end and even at a more advanced age Bette Davis was as on the cutting edge of this new emmerging style of film making as she had in the one that it had replaced. Now THAT is true longjevity. |
| |
| "dramatic and outstanding " | 2009-01-30 |
| - Reviewed By Matthew G. Sherwin from last seen screaming at Amazon customer service |
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte is a powerful film that proves Bette Davis was still at the peak of her form even in the mid 1960s. The acting is very convincing and the story line moves along very well. The cinematography and choreography shine in particular and I really like that the film was shot in black and white--it adds to the horror effects in this film. Yes, it is campy at times but overall it's not a picture that you'll forget anytime soon and it left me quite impressed with the cast and crew.
We first meet Charlotte Hollis, an aging spinster living alone in a deteriorating Southern mansion with her only real friend, her servant Velma Cruther (Agnes Moorehead). Hollis's father loathed the one man Charlotte ever really loved; it seems that this young man John Mayhew (Bruce Dern) was married at the time he wanted to elope with Charlotte! Charlotte has never forgotten John who gets killed by an unknown ax murderer the night she was to run away from him; and although people think Charlotte may have killed John herself there's no evidence so Charlotte never did any time in prison. Instead, Charlotte is essentially condemned to living her life alone in her home; and she also manages to delude herself into thinking that she may well have killed John herself.
Things change pretty fast when Charlotte is about to be evicted from her Southern home because the county needs to build a bridge. Her cousin (and only next of kin) Miriam Deering (Olivia de Havilland) shows up with a mutual acquaintance Dr. Drew Bayliss (Joseph Cotten). Charlotte and her servant Velma don't quite see eye to eye with Drew and Miriam--they want Charlotte to peacefully leave the mansion while Charlotte and Velma want Charlotte to stay.
There's also a tug of war over money--it seems Velma wants some if Charlotte dies or becomes incapacitated while we slowly begin to suspect that others may want the same money. Could the others be Miriam and Drew? Could it be Jewel Mayhew, who could be seeking revenge against Charlotte if she thought that Charlotte did in fact kill her late husband John? Watch the movie and find out! The suspense at some moments is very high and even though the movie gets somewhat creepy at times the performances are remarkably strong and memorable.
The DVD comes with a good number of extras. We get a retrospective look back at director Robert Aldrich and the general production of the film; and we learn that this was supposed to be a type of "sequel" that re-paired Bette Davis with Joan Crawford after they co-starred in Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? There is an extra with Bruce Dern who remembers working with Bette; and there is another short film narrated by Joseph Cotten himself.
I give Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte high marks for being quality film that showcases wonderful performances by Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland, Agnes Moorehead and Mary Astor in her final film role as Jewel Mayhew. This is a "must-have" DVD for fans of these actors and a certain grand type of Hollywood motion picture that you just don't quite see anymore.
|
| |
