Hush Hush... Sweet Charlotte
Director- Robert Aldrich
Cast- Bette Davis, Olivia De Havilland, Joseph Cotton.
Country of Origin- U.S.
Distributor - Eureka
Number of discs – 1
Reviewed by - Tyler Miller
Date- 06/17/2019
Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis) has lived an alienated life in her southern mansion since the murder of her lover (Bruce Dern). Viewed as an eccentric hag, she just wants to be left alone. But the town wants to build a highway through her land and she soon discovers trouble when her cousin Miriam (Olivia de Havilland) comes for a visit. Hidden rage may finally show its ugly head.
HUSH...HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964) was originally planned to be a “sister” film to the highly popular sleeper hit WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962). It was also going to reunited Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. But the production soon turned into a troubled one and the rest is Hollywood history. Joan Crawford finally left the picture after becoming ill, with Olivia de Havilland replacing her part. The finished film is kind of better for it thanks to de Havilland’s subtler role.
The film was filmed like a Southern gothic horror film. It has since gone on to make the hag horror film subgenre. The formula is simple, you make moody thrillers with aged out of their prime former Hollywood stars. But the film also borrows elements from Henri-Georges Clouzot’s DIABOLIQUE (1955) and Hitchcock’s REBECCA (1940).
Robert Aldrich returns as director from BABY JANE and manages to deliver a film that is stylish as ever. Aldrich was known as a tough guy director thanks to KISS ME DEADLY and later DIRTY DOZEN, and her he shows all his intensity. The over the top melodrama is here with rich noir lighting. Aldrich keeps the editing tight and the emotions high. Bette Davis is still wonderfully hammy, but unlike BABY JANE, is more naturally likable. She keeps belting out some memorable bitchy lines like” you’re a vile sorry little bitch”. There is no mistaking the film would've been wildly different with Joan Crawford, but Olivia De Havilland is a pure joy to watch. Rounding out the cast is some fine turns from Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorehead, George Kennedy, and Mary Astor.
HUSH HUSH comes with a clean 2.0 English LPCM Stereo mix. There are no obvious issues with hiss or pops. The musical score is also kept in high quality like it was recorded yesterday. English subtitles are included.
The 1080p HD transfer is clear with a few moments of blur in some of the brightly lit scenes. There is some natural film grain and some minor digital noise. But the sharp cinematography looks fantastic with well-defined black levels and focus. Eureka! Doesn't disappoint with this early 60’s shocker.
First up is a new commentary with film critic Kat Ellinger which is a treasure chest of information. Ellinger continues great work with plenty of insight on the production, Bette Davis, Robert Aldrich, and the subgenre of Hag horror films. She also brings up a cool new theory about the evolution of Gothic melodramas to Hag Horror to finally drive-in Redneck horror films. It quickly became one of my new favorite tracks. The second commentary track comes from film historian Glenn Erickson. This track is equally packed with information but starts to use IMDB heavily.
Hush...Hush Sweet Joan: The making of Charlotte is a 22-minute featurette on the making of HUSH HUSH and Joan Crawford’s original part in the picture. Bruce Derns Remembers is a great interview with the always likeable Dern as he talks about one of his big roles in HUSH HUSH. Wizard Work is an archival Behind-The-Scenes look at the movie with plenty of clips and narration by actor Joseph Cotton. Rounding out the disc is a gallery of TV Spots and trailers and a Collector’s booklet of liner notes by Lee Gambin.
HUSH HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE gets a top-notch release from Eureka. Worth the price alone for Kat Ellinger commentary. Highly recommended.
