...up until that time, at least: 7 Academy Award nominations. (Later surpassed by THE EXORCIST at 10 noms, and then SILENCE OF THE LAMBS).
CHARLOTTE didn't win any of them. But Joseph Biroc's B&W cinematography probably should've. (I think NIGHT OF THE IGUANA won that category for 1964).
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He should have won. And Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, and Agnes Moorehead all gave Oscar worthy performances. As did Mary Astor. Her part was small, but she was great in it!
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
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What made CHARLOTTE chilling wasn't the "gore" but the creepy early-'60s mood that CHARLOTTE exemplified (with help from Joe Biroc's camerawork).
Today's bloodbath thrillers have never come close to capturing the unnerving end-of-the-world eerieness of the late-Eisenhower/JFK era.
They can't. They don't know how.
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The most profound of sin is tragedy unremembered.
Good grief, YES! I saw this right before bed. I'm 52 - and not much into horror, but generally like the older (non-gory stuff). I laid in my bed for an hour, eyes wide, staring at the dark ceiling.
shareAnd Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, and Agnes Moorehead all gave Oscar worthy performances. As did Mary Astor. Her part was small, but she was great in it!
And Agnes Moorehead as her weird and crone-like servant is allowed to get away with some of the broadest mugging and snarling ever done by a respectable actress on the screen. If she gets an Academy award for this performance—which is possible, because she's been nominated for it—the Academy should close up shop!
As a reviewer, Bosley Crowther was absolutely worthless.
He just was. All snootery and very little insight.
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I find myself agreeing with him more often than not.
And as far as acting in this film is concerned he is also mostly right.
I find myself agreeing with him more often than not.
It's quite surprising to me that this film got as many Oscar nominations as it did (and not just because horror films didn't get much serious critical attention, especially in those days). To me, it's just not on a par with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (the easiest film for me to compare it to). They are both kind of "sordid" in subject matter but Baby Jane, in my opinion, has better performances, better writing, and better direction. I don't know, Charlotte just leaves me with an icky feeling after watching it, haha. I can't even get any camp enjoyment out of it. Was 1964 a weak year for Hollywood movies?
Sweet merciful crap!
It's just tea! *sips* Needs more gin.
To some of us, CHARLOTTE is actually the better film, more hauntingly macabre with better performances, better writing, and better direction.
BABY JANE is good, and it started the grande dame guignol genre, but nowadays it seems to be mostly for queens.
And the queens seem to prefer Joan as a rule.
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The most profound of sin is tragedy unremembered.
The queen thing doesn't apply in my case (at least I don't think so). I actually like Olivia deHavilland much better than Joan Crawford (Olivia is one of my favorite actresses) but that's the only part of Charlotte I prefer over Baby Jane. The last time I watched it I skipped to her scenes and Mary Astor's great scene...those are my favorite parts of the film anyway.
But, again, that's just my opinion. Still surprising it got so much Oscar attention...it would be interesting to read some contemporary reviews of the film.
Sweet merciful crap!
It's just tea! *sips* Needs more gin.
Nice try, rahrah.
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The most profound of sin is tragedy unremembered.
?
Not sure what that's supposed to mean...
Sweet merciful crap!
It's just tea! *sips* Needs more gin.
Charlotte was more than just a horror movie for Fox. Baby Jane had won five Oscar nominations and because of the positive reviews, Fox released Charlotte in a limited number of theaters in December '64 to qualify for the Oscars and pushed it as the studio's major contender for the year. The previous year, Fox snagged several nominations for the disastrous Cleopatra, including Best Picture. The studio would later perform a similar miracle for its other bomb, Dr. Dolittle, which also won a nomination for Best Picture.
Charlotte went on wide release in the spring of '65, roughly the same time it premiered The Sound of Music. (It's probably why Bette Davis was a prominent guest at the World Premiere of The Sound of Music.) It's interesting to note that at Oscar time, Andrews won Best Actress for Mary Poppins in a race that omitted Davis, Olivia de Havilland and Audrey Hepburn (for My Fair Lady). Hepburn's omission was controversial and both My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins hogged the limelight. The two musicals eventually won most of the awards. So contrary to what a previous poster implied, the 1965 Oscars was a very exciting race.
Also, in 1964 Bette was great playing identical twins in “Dead Ringer.” For that matter, although, as a person, I dislike Joan Crawford (and not just based on Christina Crawford’s book, but also on her artificiality in interviews), in the same year, her performance in “Strait-Jacket” was superb. (I have both on DVD.)
P.S. One my favourite Davis films is “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex,” with Errol Flynn (1939). Bette displays a magnificent range: imperious, arrogant, jealous, bitter, tender, and conflicted and heartbroken at the end – an absolutely fantastic performance. She was so dedicated to her role that she had her hairline shaved. I honestly think that, instead of Bette’s performance in “Dark Victory” (though that was excellent), she should have been nominated for “Elizabeth and Essex.”
I agree; I can rewatch BABY Jane repeatedly, but not HUSH. The scene I do enjoy watching more than once is Agnes Moorehead with ailing Bette
"that's some kinda drug"
"Now, I'm gonna go and tell the authorities what you been up to"
I can rewatch BABY Jane repeatedly, but not HUSH.
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I have only seen HUSH once and while good, I have never felt inclined or desired to readily watch it again. Found it to be a bit of a sludge to sit through, compared than BABY JANE and it was like it is was trying too hard, to be some atmospheric mood piece. I didn't feel so concerned for Charlotte, as I did for Blanche and she was played by the indomitable Crawford. The characters in HUSH, while excellently acted, didn't appear as compelling or interesting. In JANE, you had this brazen and out of balance character right from the start and she was fun to watch. Maybe that's it....HUSH wasn't as much fun.
Too long at 134 min. The whole Bruce Dern thing didn't intrigue me with the dream/real imagery
shareToo long at 134 min.
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BABY JANE, was the around the same length; but you wouldn't really know it, as all the sequences worked in well with the narrative. Even the scenes with Edwin and his mother, were an interesting diversion and still relevant.
To me, it's the reverse: BABY JANE, though good, gets tired and shrill like a repetitive madhouse, so I can only rewatch it every so often. And the scenes with Edwin (and his mom) are more an irritant, especially on review.
CHARLOTTE is more haunted.
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It was only about 2 years ago, when I watched HUSH...; but I have never felt compelled to want to sit through it again. Perhaps I should give it another viewing.
I agree about the irritant part about Edwin and his mom; but I find his mother is the annoying one; but she amuses me at the same time. Most of BABY JANE amuses me and Victor Buono's, character and performance, was a welcome relief to balance out the strong female presence in the film.
'I agree about the irritant part about Edwin and his mom; but I find his mother is the annoying one; but she amuses me at the same time.'
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she was funny, I thought.
"She ran OFF!..and disappeared for the whole days. Oh, they found her, they found her alright. The find her in some motel room with a man she had never seen beforeeee"!
As much as I like Baby Jane I can only watch that every now and then where I can watch Hush Hush over and over again, I just find so much going on in Hush Hush and all the 4 women are superb, the only thing that I find drags the movie down a bit is the dream sequence in the hall with the mirrors when Charlotte is drugged.
shareAs much as I like Baby Jane I can only watch that every now and then where I can watch Hush Hush over and over again, I just find so much going on in Hush Hush and all the 4 women are superb
What a stupid comment.
shareAre your comments stupid?
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Were you referring to me?
Sweet merciful crap!
It's just tea! *sips* Needs more gin.
Are you kidding? The only living Bette Davis fans are all cross-dressing queens.
shareNyahhh. That sounds like Crawford's queens.
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Seven Oscar nomintions for this seems way too much. Four, maybe. The two actresses, cinematography and I suppose art-direction but that's it.
shareIt was also nominated for B&W costume design and score/song. The music was very effective and deserved the nomination(s). I'm not sure that the wardrobe warranted a nomination (which is the one BABY JANE won) but the clothes suit the piece, I suppose.
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