Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

"The years will soon erase a lover's lies...the blood on his face!"

1964 2h 13m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🍅

84%

FRESH

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 295🍅84%Rotten Tomatoes★7.5IMDB · 17,036

HorrorMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An aging, reclusive Southern belle plagued by a horrifying family secret descends into madness after the arrival of a lost relative.

“The years will soon erase a lover's lies...the blood on his face!”

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Cast

Bette Davis
Charlotte Hollis
Olivia de Havilland
Miriam Deering
Joseph Cotten
Drew Bayliss
Agnes Moorehead
Velma Cruther
Cecil Kellaway
Harry Willis
Victor Buono
Big Sam Hollis
Mary Astor
Jewel Mayhew
Wesley Addy
Sheriff Standish

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Aldrich
Writers: Henry Farrell, Lukas Heller, Henry Farrell
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Aldrich, shot by Joseph F. Biroc. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Frank De Vol. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael Luciano shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland and Joseph Cotten carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The years will soon erase a lover's lies...the blood on his face!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0058213 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Aldrich directs. Joseph F. Biroc behind the camera. Frank De Vol scores. Michael Luciano cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
262 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Robert Aldrich, shot by Joseph F. Biroc. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Frank De Vol. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Michael Luciano shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland and Joseph Cotten carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The years will soon erase a lover's lies...the blood on his face!".
8IMDB entry: tt0058213 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 17 themes, including "southern usa", "insanity", "highway", "cousin".

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc
Original score: Frank De Vol
Editing: Michael Luciano
Costume design: Norma Koch
Makeup / hair: Gene Hibbs
Runtime: 133 min · 2h 13m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,200,000
Box office: $4,000,000
Return: 182% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 17,036 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Nominated for 7 Oscars. 3 wins & 9 nominations total

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Robert Aldrich

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-01-21
★ 8/10
Glorious Southern Gothic Delirium. 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

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