Suspicion (1941)

Very good early Hitchcock; misses the top tier due to questionable casting. Nice DVD package

Joan Fontaine won the Academy Award for her performance in 1941's "Suspicion." The previous year she had portrayed a very similar character in Hitchcock's "Rebecca - Criterion Collection." Lina McLaidlaw is a slightly more confident and sophisticated version of The Second Mrs. de Winter. Both characters are naïve young Englishwomen, swept off their feet by handsome worldly men. They discover too late that the men they married may be capable of anything - even murder.

After the briefest possible acquaintance, Lina defies her family's wishes and elopes with Johnnie Aysgarth. Her father has warned her that Johnnie is wild. Society whispers about his crimes, possibly cheating at cards or being named correspondent in a divorce. He is a man who has disgraced his name and his family, and now lives on the fringes of polite society surviving only only on his looks and his charm. General McLaidlaw does not approve of Johnnie, but Lina doesn't care.

Almost immediately after they return from the honeymoon, Lina begins to learn that her new husband is not the man she imagined. The first revelation is that he is completely broke, living on borrowed funds, and expects to be supported by Lina's allowance from her family - and one day to live in style on her inheritance.

As the film progresses, the suspense is masterfully built up as Lina learns that Johnnie is also a liar, a thief, a gambler, and an embezzler. His addiction to the horses has left him perpetually broke and desperate for funds. She begins to suspect that, in order to get money, Johnnie will stop at nothing, not even the murder of his best friend... or the murder of his wife.

If there is a flaw in this film, it's casting Cary Grant as the notorious Johnnie Aysgarth. Hitchcock once said that one didn't direct Cary Grant, one simply put him in front of a camera. He certainly has the looks and charm; but is he believable as a villain? For the movie to really work, you have to believe that Cary Grant is capable of a host of heinous sins. Hitchcock really strains suspension of disbelief here.

As Johnnie's best friend, Beaky, Nigel Bruce give us his trademark good natured, bumbling Englishman character - very similar to his version of Dr. Watson in The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection.

Hitchcock is a master with black and white cinematography. In one of the film's most famous scenes, Johnnie slowly climbs a curving staircase, carrying a tray with a single glass of milk to his ailing wife. The house is dark, Johnnie is seen only as a shadowy silhouette, but the glass of milk actually glows on the screen. Hitchcock wanted us to focus on that glass. Could it contain...poison?

The film also boasts a beautiful score by Franz Waxman built around Lina and Johnnie's love theme, the Strauss waltz, "Vienna Blood."

The DVD has an English only soundtrack with available subtitles in English, French or Spanish. It also includes an original theatrical trailer, and a documentary about the making of the film and the transition between the source material (Before the Fact (Pan Classic Crime)) and the changes made by Hitchcock and the studio.

This is one of Hitchcock's best early efforts, but it would have been an even better film had the studio not interfered with his original vision. Nevertheless, it's still a very good movie. Recommended.
July 6, 2008

Hitch Guru

Suspecion is a great edition to add to your Hitchcock collection. This film has been great acclaimed for the use of its symbollic visual concept with shaply shadows and the penatrating use of lighting. Hithc never fails to show is creative side with the camera which can also highten the motivation for the audiance.
Storyline wasnt increbibly gripping like Notorious, also starring Cary Grant, but it still deserves a great review.
Kudos. May 4, 2008

Excellent

Suspicion

I truly enjoyed watching this movie. I encountered no problems from purchasing the movie to watching it. I received it in a timely manner and the quality was excellent. You would really enjoy this particular copy. I recommend it highly.

April 27, 2008

bad casting decision

I'm a big fan of Hitchcock but this film just doesn't work for me and the reason for that is the casting of Cary Grant in the main role. In order for this film to work you have to be able to buy Cary Grant as a possible murderer. I mean, it's CARY GRANT. You know he's not going to murder anyone. As a consequence there's no tension in this movie at all because you know he's innocent from the get-go. Now if they had given Joseph Cotton the role things would have been different. April 5, 2008

One of Hitchcock's Best: Suspicion

This excellent film bears re-watching every now and then, so we purchased it for our collection. The seller provided the item with haste and great communication. We highly recommend this DVD seller! March 12, 2008

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