Tuesday 24 April 2007

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte was Robert Aldrich’s 1964 follow-up to the extremely successful Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, with Bette Davis teamed this time with Olivia de Havilland, Agnes Moorehead and Joseph Cotton, with Cecil Kellaway and Mary Astor in supporting roles. A whole movie full of ageing actors, and all of them delivering fine performances. Davis is again outstanding. The cinematography is wonderful – superb use of shadows, and some cool overhead shots, something Aldrich was fond of. While it’s a pity Joan Crawford had to drop out at the last minute this is in every way a worthy successor to Baby Jane. Fantastic entertainment and a beautifully crafted film. And it looks fabulous on DVD.

No comments: