Review – Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte

If Tennessee Williams ever set his mind to writing a bad murder mystery with a touch of grand guignol, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out at least a little like this. A capable cast does its level best with a largely unimaginative southern twist on the tired, old let’s-convince-the-unstable-woman-that-she’s-a-blood-crazed-lunatic routine. Although it might have been interesting to see Bette Davis paired up with Joan Crawford – as they were in Baby Jane – it turns out that Olivia de Havilland turns out to be a great choice for the scheming cousin. Prior to this I’d only ever seen her as nicey-nice Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind, so this was a refreshing change. Overall this isn’t the masterpiece I’d heard it was, but once I set my expectations aside I found it entertaining enough. Mildly amusing