Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte

Hoping to make lightning strike twice in the same place, director Robert Aldrich re-teamed legendary screen divas Bette Davis and Joan Crawford—whom he'd paired two years previously for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?—in this similarly-themed 1964 shocker. Unfortunately, Crawford became ill, forcing Aldrich to replace her with Olivia de Havilland, but the substitution didn't really hurt Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, a profoundly creepy entry in the Southern Gothic subgenre featuring Davis as Charlotte Hollis, the mentally ill mistress of a decaying Louisiana plantation who is still haunted after many years by the bizarre and brutal murder of her married lover. De Havilland co-stars as her levelheaded cousin, a forward-thinking woman who tries to soothe Charlotte, and the pair are backed by a superb supporting cast, made up almost entirely of veterans of Hollywood's Golden Age, including Joseph Cotten (as de Havilland's gentleman friend), Agnes Moorehead, and Mary Astor. But acting honors go to Davis for her characterization of the erstwhile Southern belle, now a haggard harridan in overdone makeup and outlandish attire: she doesn't just chew the scenery, she gobbles it up with relish, and her over-the-top histrionics make de Havilland's carefully modulated performance all the more effective. Contributing immeasurably to the atmosphere is Joseph Biroc's starkly lit camerawork, immediately establishing a mood of unease that Aldrich's direction helps sustain throughout. Presented in a handsome black-and-white transfer, the DVD also includes a commentary track by film historian Glenn Erickson. Recommended. (E. Hulse)