Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

donaldricco I watched this after having read the short story that it is based on, "What Ever Happened to Charlotte?", by Henry Farrell. This is a decent adaptation of that tale, and Bette Davis in the title role works well! And Agnes Moorehead is awesome! Like the story, I enjoyed the ending quite a bit, but I did feel like the film dragged a bit at times, and may have overextended itself with a plus two hour running time.

Hitchcoc Bette Davis is holding forth on an old mansion in the South. She is a sort of Miss Havisham, having faced the death of her fiancée years before. It was likely her father killed her lover, but over time people started to blame her--she was simply weird. The mansion becomes the obstruction in an eminent domain case which would put Bette on the street. She call for her cousin to help her (Olivia de Havilland) but she turns out to be an adversary with her own motivations. Soon awful things begin to happen at the house with a series of efforts to put the old lady over the edge. In addition to a wonderful score, this film works quite well. There are also performances by some terrific actors, including Agnes Moorehead. Quite fun with lots of surprises along the way.

SnoopyStyle In 1927, Big Sam Hallis threatens John Mayhew (Bruce Dern) who is planning to elope with his daughter Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis). Big Sam knows John is already married and John breaks it off with Charlotte. Someone murders John and it's assumed to be Charlotte. Big Sam dies in 28. In 1964, Charlotte is a neighborhood bogeyman for the kids. Velma (Agnes Moorehead) is her housekeeper. The State has claimed her estate to build a bridge and roadway. Mr. Willis arrives in town to investigate the Mayhew murder for the insurance company. Charlotte calls in cousin Miriam (Olivia de Havilland) who used to live in the mansion. Dr. Drew Bayliss (Joseph Cotten) is treating Charlotte.Bette Davis plays another crazy old hag. The cast is stacked. The plot gets a few too many twists and turns. It becomes a bit too convoluted. The story has too much going on. It's not as great as Bette's other masterpieces and lives in their shadows. Of course, the contemporary audience would see this movie with full knowledge of the epic battle between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford during the production. They may find extra juice out of that real life soap opera.

Spikeopath Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte is directed by Robert Aldrich and written by Henry Farrell and Lukas Heller. It stars Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorehead, Cecil Kellaway and Mary Astor. Music is by Frank De Vol and cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc.It's 1927, the Louisiana plantation home of Sam Hollis (Victor Buono), and Charlotte Hollis (Davis) is having an affair with a married man, John Mayhew (Bruce Dern). After a heated argument between Sam and John, John is brutally slain by an unseen assailant, only Charlotte appears on the scene covered in blood. Then it's the present day and just Charlotte and her house keeper, Velma (Moorehead), live at the Hollis mansion, Sam having passed away many years ago. Charlotte is mentally scarred from the echoes of the past, she's a recluse and seen by the townsfolk as the local mental case. As developers try to plough a road through the Hollis home, Charlotte sends for her cousin Miriam (Havilland), but then strange things start happening and Charlotte might once and for all tip over the edge.A bit long at 2 hours 13 minutes and a bit too bonkers at times, Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte still comes out as glorious Guignol entertainment. The setting is perfect, a Baton Rouge locale of whispering trees and ominous foliage, the Hollis mansion a place of dark secrets, shadowy halls and mental disintegration. Biroc's black and white photography seems to revel in the misery and emotional turmoil that blows about the place, and the brilliant Aldrich unleashes delirious turns from Davis and Moorehead as the others play perfectly restrained foil. There's a strong mystery element driving the plot forward, because what we think is true may not actually be the case? The narrative deftly reveals back stories as film progresses, hints at means and motives dangle tantalisingly in the Gothic tinged air, and then the finale doesn't disappoint, it has some surprises in store and closes the picture down handsomely.Best served with a good helping of Sour Mash, Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte is Southern Gothicana with bells on. Or should that be Belles? 8/10