Suspicion

Tags

1940's, Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, Cedric Hardwicke, Joan Fontaine, May Whitty, Nigel Bruce, Suspicion, Thriller

Film Title

Suspicion

Director

Alfred Hitchcock

Starring

• Joan Fontaine as Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth
• Cary Grant as Johnnie Aysgarth
• Cedric Hardwicke as General McLaidlaw
• Nigel Bruce as Beaky
• May Whitty as Martha McLaidlaw

A suspense laden thriller from the master Alfred Hitchcock, Suspicion is only slightly let down by a studio imposed ending. Despite this, the picture has much to praise in the way of some superb acting from Cary Grant and an Oscar-winning Joan Fontaine, spine tingling music and an air of encroaching menace.

Lina McLaidlaw is the shy and sheltered daughter of a general and his wife. She lives in the English countryside and has been brought to behave like a lady. One day she meets Johnny Aysgarth, a handsome irresponsible gambler who she immediately falls in love with. Lina is desperate to escape her controlled existence and Johnnie proves to be just that. Despite the warnings of others surrounding Johnnie’s behaviour, the two of them marry after a brief courtship. After a luxurious honeymoon, Lina and Johnnie move into a lovely home. Yet this idyllic way of living starts to become clouded by Johnnie’s gambling and his various lies. After a series of strange events, a panic-stricken Lina slowly comes to believe that Johnnie plans to murder her for her money. Yet she can’t prove this, but as the tension mounts will she discover that she is right or wrong regarding Johnnie? Suspense and uncertainty abound as Hitchcock plunges Lina into a waking nightmare, slowly seeing that Johnnie may not be the ideal man that she met and may in fact be something much more sinister.

As I mentioned earlier in my review, the studio producing Suspicion changed the ending to fit in with the conventions of the time. The imposed ending does detract from the overall impact of the movie, but there’s still more than enough to enjoy in Hitchcock’s thriller. After all, any movie by Hitchcock at least at some time shows the amazing techniques and sense of unnerving tension that he brought to the movies. The camerawork is marvellous in its close-ups of the characters, especially Lina’s slowly terrified face as she wrestles with the notion that her husband has sinister designs for her. The tension filled script boasts some interesting dark humour that boosts the narrative along nicely. The score makes for a chilling listen as it echoes Lina’s mounting fears surrounding her doubt. As always, Hitchcock crafts scenes dripping with suspense that make the hairs on the back of your neck shiver. One great example is Johnnie bringing Lina a drink of milk at night, the glass seems to glow with malicious intention and Lina’s quivering face as it rests on her table transfers to the viewers mounting suspicions.

Joan Fontaine is marvellous in the role that won her an Oscar. She subtly portrays Lina’s girlish and sheltered innocence that soon gives way to mounting terror at the thought of her husband’s plans. Fontaine conveys so much emotion through her eyes that is a really a marvel to behold, we see her uncertainty, love and suspicion as events take on a mysterious air around her. Cary Grant is suave and sophisticated, yet also hints at the possible darkness that may lurk within Johnnie. Cedric Hardwicke is great as Lina’s stern father as well as May Whitty as her observant mother. Nigel Bruce portrays the likable Beaky, Johnnie’s hapless and humorous best friend with ease and charm.

Suspense, romance and skill combine to craft this marvellous thriller. Suspicion may be let down by the ending but the film is far from unwatchable. It may not be Hitchcock’s best work, but it is far from his worst with its splendid performances and tension filled suspense.

Best last shots of a movie Part 1

Tags

Best, Cate Blanchett, Dangerous Liaisons, Danvers, Elizabeth, Glenn Close, Hitchcock, Joan Fontaine, Last Shots, Laurence Olivier, Rebecca, Shekhar Kapur

In my opinion, the last shot of a movie has to be memorable and stick in the mind. I have accumulated a list of my personal favourite shots before the credits begin to roll. This is part 1 of a number of posts I will write.

Be warned they may contain spoilers!!!!

Here they are:

Elizabeth- In Shekhar Kapur’s biopic of the rise of the Virgin Queen , Elizabeth( Cate Blanchett in a career making role) walks into court in the Virgin Queen persona, married to her country having sacrificed personal happiness for the people. This final scene occurs after surviving opposition and assassination attempts to her asceneding to the throne  throughout the film.Her intense and regal gaze as she walks towards the camera and takes a seat upon her throne signifies the metamorphosis from skittish girl to powerful queen, now fully aware of the duties that lie ahead of her.

Rebecca- In Hitchcock’s first venture into American movies, the last shot is both sly and ambiguous. Throughout the film, Joan Fontaine’s character has been tormented by the menacing Mrs Danvers who was obsessed with the first wife, the eponymous Rebecca and tried to drive the new wife away from her marriage to Laurence Olivier’s rich widower. The last shot happens after Danvers in a psychotic state burns down the country house and perishes in the process. The last shot is of Rebecca’s bed engulfed in flames. But the sly gesture is that the pillow features the initial R,  hinting at the lingering and remaining presence of her even though Danvers is gone.

Dangerous Liaisons- I know that I’ve already wrote a review on this, but I didn’t want to write about the last scene because i didn’t want to spoil the movie. Anyway, The last shot of the period drama occurs after the vicious Marquise(Glenn Close at her most bitchy) is ousted by society after her treacherous and sordid personal life is revealed in detail. Because she is so good at hiding her inner viciousness, the last scene is very significant. In it she slowly removes her make-up from her face, an obvious reference to the mask of deceit she has worn so well. Glenn Close makes the scene memorable with her subtle nuances of her character, the one tear that falls and the bitter resentment, sadness and anger that is revealed on her face as she realises she is no longer in control and the one pulling the strings. A geniunely chilling end to the film.