Suspicion
SUSPICION (PG)
D: Alfred Hitchcock
RKO (Alfred Hitchcock)
US 1941
99 mins
Mystery/Thriller
W: Samson Raphaelson, Alma Reville & Joan
Harrison [based on the novel "Before The Fact" by Francis Iles]
DP: Harry Stradling
Ed: William Hamilton
Mus: Franz Waxman
Joan Fontaine (Lina McLaidlaw
Aysgarth), Cary Grant (Johnny Aysgarth), Nigel Bruce (Gordon Cochrane Thwaite), Cedric Hardwicke (General McLaidlaw), May Whitty (Martha McLaidlaw)
Plodding Hitchcock thriller from 1941 with
gentlemen smoking cigars, drinking brandy and fox-hunting, while a woman's place was to take her instructions (in other words, incredibly old-fashioned and ridiculously
dated).
Cary Grant schmoozes into Joan Fontaine's life
to cynically romance her, all the while she's wondering whether or not he's guilty of murdering his previous wife.
Fontaine won an Oscar for her performance, but
this was more than likely a sympathy vote after her shocking snub the previous year for Rebecca (also a Hitchcock film).
The film can be viewed in either a colour or
B&W version, but the colour version is far too headache inducing, so it's best to stick to the original black & white print.
It's not quite as good as Hitchcock's usual
output and the typically Hollywood ending is hugely disappointing.
6/10
