Soupçons

I watched this film last night, not knowing what to expect. Hitchcock is my favourite director, yet Suspicion is not treated among his best work. My conclusion from watching the film is that it is very good, but it is not perfect, and not Hitchcock's best. What let it down? Well, a lot of reviews have said so already, but the ending. For me it was abrupt and felt tacked on and somewhat implausible. Then again, StageFright and the Birds both had somewhat abrupt endings. And I know it isn't the fastest paced of his movies, but Torn Curtain's pacing was disappointingly pedestrian. However, Suspicion has a lot to recommend it. The acting is uniformly excellent, with Cary Grant charming and sometimes chilling as the man suspected of trying to murder his wife, and Joan Fontaine, looking gorgeous as ever even better as Lina giving a performance of edge and vulnerability. Out of the supporting performances, Nigel Bruce is simply terrific as Beaky, Leo G Caroll while in a brief role is memorable as the Captain and Cedric Hardwicke who played Frollo in the 1939 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame so memorably is great as the General. The direction is superb, tense when it needs to be and gentle in others and also filled with the fashionable touches that make his very best films great. The film is shot in a very sumptuous visual style, with beautiful black and white cinematography and lovely costumes and sets. The score from Franz Waxman is simply marvellous; the scoring in the scene when Lina writes the letter is enough to give you goosebumps. All in all, not Hitchock's best, but very good all the same. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Despite a flawed ending (imposed we're told, by nervous studio executives) 'Suspicion' is a terrific thriller. It may not be Hitchcock's best movie but it is one of his most entertaining. Cary Grant is perfectly cast as Johnnie Aysgarth, a charming rogue. This was the first of four movies he made with Hitchcock, but it's the performance I enjoy the most. Joan Fontaine, star of Hitchcock's previous movie 'Rebecca', is wonderful as Lina ("monkeyface") the woman he woos. The two make a great couple, and their acting really makes this one believable. Well loved character actor Nigel Bruce (who had also appeared in 'Rebecca', but is best known to most of us as Dr. Watson in the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies) is also brilliant as Johnnie's old pal "Beaky". The rest of the cast includes Sir Cedric Hardwicke ('Rope') and Leo G. Carroll (six Hitchcocks in all). 'Suspicion' is a real treat for mystery/thriller fans. I wonder just how many contemporary movies in this style will be as enjoyable in sixty plus years?

A timid, attractive young girl named Lina(Joan Fontaine) falls in love with John(Gary Grant) an adventurer, wealthy man. Her parents( Dame May Witty and Sir Cedric Hardwicke) are opposed about the relationship. However, they early married ,living in Sussex . Then she gradually realizes and suspects that her hubby is allegedly a murderer and that she is the intended victim . Lina fears may be next on his list.

After ¨39 steps¨ and ¨Jamaica Inn¨ Hitchcock was encouraged to go to America and promptly won Oscar to best picture for his first film there, titled ¨Rebeca¨. Later,R.K.O, Radio Pictures offered him the direction of ¨Suspicion¨. The picture packs tension , thriller,suspense and excitement. The film is one of the splendid thrillers with 'imminent danger' as its theme, achieving the maximum impact on the audience and containing numerous exciting set pieces with usual Hitchcock touches . The movie is full of lingering images as the glass(Hitch put into the object a light) of milk and shot of the characters upstairs pacing up and down with shades on the walls.

The casting is frankly magnificent .Gary Grant, actually named Archibald Leach ( born in Bristol,1904) in his first Hitchock film is excellent. Joan Fontaine as the timid, shy bride consumed with fears is awesome and won a deserved Oscar to best main actress. First rate secondary cast constituted by Nigel Bruce ¨the famous Watson¨ who worked in ¨Rebeca¨ too ; Dame May Witty (The lady vanishes) ; Cedric Hardwicke(The rope)and Leo G.Carroll a habitual in Hitch movies. But to Hitch didn't like the film for the cutting out the ending, due to production's insistence to retain the sympathetic image Gary Grant, the most attractive of all Hollywood actors ; however Hitch will let ultimately to remake his movie .The motion picture is based on a novel titled : ¨Before the fact¨ and screen written by his familiar brain trust, his wife Alma Reville and Joan Harrison. Also shown in computer-colored version though best avoid it .It's remade in an inferior version by Andrew Grieve(1987)with Anthony Andrews and Jane Curtin.

Cary Grant plays a real creep in this film, a guy who sponges off others and who is allergic to telling the truth. He marries a "spinster" (Joan Fontaine, uh...), the daughter of a wealthy man, but seems to have darker ambitions than simple gold digging. Hitchcock is masterful in building up our dislike of Grant's character over the film, and despite it being a quiet kind of film, he maximizes suspense in several scenes. I loved the little touches like the dinner party with the murder mystery author and her family, and the affable friend "Beaky" played by Nigel Bruce. Unfortunately the ending is just awful, which is a real shame since there were several other possibilities. Half a tick off for that, and frankly the deduction could have been more.

Favorite lines: Johnny (Grant): What do you think of me by contrast to your horse? Lina (Fontaine): If I ever got the bit between your teeth, I'd have no trouble in handling you at all.

And as a side note, never marry a man who:

• Sneaks into first-class and when caught, mooches off you (a stranger) to pay for him
• Constantly calls you monkeyface
• Touches your ucipital mapilary (I confess I just wanted to say "ucipital mapillary")
• Brags about having been with 73+ women
• You don't know diddly about, e.g. what his plans for making a living are
• Practically chokes on the idea of getting a job, and wants to borrow from others instead
• You catch lying to you more than once
• Sells your prized possessions to go gambling (I mean those family heirloom chairs, c'mon)
• Humiliates you in condescending ways with his buddy
• Has an excessive interest in your father's wealth
• Also has an excessive interest in non-traceable poisons

...even if he is Cary Grant.

While in many respects one of Hitchcock's lesser films, "Suspicion" has some good performances and a degree of suspense that is as sustained as in any of his films. The movie gets quite a lot out of a relatively simple plot.

Joan Fontaine gives an excellent performance as Lina, a quiet young woman who finds herself swept away by, and suddenly married to, the charming but irresponsible Johnnie, played by Cary Grant. Not long afterwards, she begins to question his behavior and his intentions, and soon she is terribly afraid, both of what he might have done and of what he might do. Whenever she manages to overcome one of her fears, no sooner does she do so than her husband gives her a new reason for suspicion. There really isn't much more to it than that, but Hitchcock gets a lot out of this basic premise. The tension keeps building, and Fontaine's performance allows the viewer to feel all of her fear and anxiety. Not everyone likes the way that it all ends, but it is worth seeing and deciding for yourself what you think about it.

The rest of the cast have mostly limited roles, but give good performances that add to the portrayal of the main characters. Especially good is Nigel Bruce, who provides a few lighter moments as one of Johnnie's old cronies.

While lacking the complexity and excitement of Hitchcock's best pictures, "Suspicion" is still a good example of his ability to keep the audience in lasting suspense. Most Hitchcock fans will want to see it.