Watch Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte

At the center of "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" is the eponymous character, a Southern belle named Charlotte Hollis, played by Bette Davis. Charlotte is now aged and reclusive, living in a decrepit mansion in Louisiana, far from the glamorous life she once knew. The movie opens in the 1920s, with a young Charlotte going to a party to celebrate her father's birthday. There, she meets up with her beau, John Mayhew (Bruce Dern), whom she has been secretly seeing for a while. This, however, does not sit well with her father, Big Sam (Victor Buono), who takes John outside and shoots him.

Years later, Charlotte remains haunted by this event, convinced that she is hated by the townspeople who believe she drove her father into a fit of madness, which led to John's murder. An opportunity arises for her to leave the mansion behind and start a new life when the property is purchased by a construction company that wants to tear it down, but she would rather not let go of the past.

Enter Miriam Deering (Olivia de Havilland), Charlotte's cousin, who returns to the mansion to help her pack and move out. Miriam is a skilled manipulator and quickly realizes that by exploiting Charlotte's fragile state of mind, she can take control of her money and the estate. Joseph Cotten plays Dr. Drew Bayliss, a family friend and accomplice of Miriam's, who is willing to be complicit in her scheme.

As Miriam insinuates herself into Charlotte's life, strange things start to happen around the mansion. Charlotte hears voices and sees ghostly apparitions, leading her to wonder if someone is trying to drive her insane. The tension escalates as the story unfolds, with the audience left unsure whether Charlotte's uncertainties are the product of madness or the result of her being gaslighted.

One of the movie's key themes is the idea of memory and how it can be distorted, especially in traumatic incidents. We see Charlotte struggle with the memories of her childhood and what really happened to John Mayhew, leading to moments of terror and confusion that make it difficult for her to distinguish the present from the past.

Much of the credit for the movie's success is due to Bette Davis, who delivers a tour de force performance as Charlotte. Davis brings complexity to the character, a woman teetering on the brink of sanity who is not always likable, but who garners sympathy from viewers who recognize that she has been wronged. There is a nuance to her portrayal that makes Charlotte more than just a victim; she is a woman whose life has been shaped by traumatic events, and who has been forced to live with their consequences.

Olivia de Havilland is also excellent as the manipulative Miriam, playing her with a slyness that is not immediately apparent. Joseph Cotten, as the enigmatic Dr. Bayliss, adds another layer to the film's intrigue, playing a character whose motives are never wholly clear.

"Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" is a masterful psychological thriller that keeps the audience guessing until the very end. Directed by Robert Aldrich, the film takes advantage of its Southern Gothic setting to create an unsettling atmosphere that is perfect for the story. With its blend of horror and suspense, combined with unforgettable performances, "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" is a classic of its genre that still holds up today.

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte is a 1964 crime movie with a runtime of 2 hours and 13 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.5.