Suspicion
by Alfred Hitchcock
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DVD details
Actor: Cary Grant, Cedric Hardwicke, Joan Fontaine, Nigel BruceDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Brand: NEW Line Home Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 99 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: T6583
Studio: Turner Home Ent
DVD Reviews of Suspicion
DVD Review: Grant as a villain. No, wait...
Summary: 2 Stars
"Suspicion" is a 1941 crime drama from Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine with Nigel Bruce, Cedric Hardwicke, and Leo G. Carroll. It was based on a 1932 novel "Before the Fact" by Anthony Berkeley who is considered the "father of the psychological suspense novel."
By 1941 Cary Grant (1904-86) was a major star. He became well known for films like "She Done Him Wrong" (1933) and "Sylvia Scarlett" (1935). But Mae West took credit for "She Done Him Wrong" and "Sylvia Scarlett" was a box office flop, and it wouldn't be until "The Awful Truth" (1937) that he would emerge as a star. Though generally well regarded (AFI rates him 2nd greatest male star ever), Grant never won a major acting award and received only 2 Oscar nominations in more than 70 film outings. I liked him best in "Gunga Din" (1939), "His Girl Friday" (1940) and "The Philadelphia Story" (1940). This was the first of 4 films he made with Hitchcock, who said of him - "the only actor I ever loved in my whole life". Bear in mind, Hitchcock was fond of saying that actors should be treated as cattle.
Joan Fontaine (1917) co-stars as Grant's wife. She's the younger sister of film great Olivia de Havilland and was a star in her own right. Fontaine was nominated for an Oscar 3 times, and won for this film - the only actor to ever win an Oscar in a Hitchcock film. She worked with Hitch the previous year in his American debut, "Rebecca", and among her other notable films were "The Constant Nymph" (1943), "Jane Eyre" (1944), "Ivanhoe" (1952), and "Island in the Sun" (1957).
Nigel Bruce (1895-1953) is best known as Dr. Watson in all 14 of the Rathbone Holmes films. Bruce had quite a distinguished career apart from the Holmes' films, appearing in many British films like "Treasure Island" (1934), "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1934), "Charge of the Light Brigade" (1936), and "Kidnapped" (1938). He worked with Hitchcock in "Rebecca" (1940) and "Suspicion" (1941). Bruce plays a friend of Grant and he gives one of his most remarkable performances ever.
Cedric Hardwicke's (1893-1964) strong voice and stony appearance graced nearly 100 films. He played the evil bishop in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939), Dr. Livingstone in "Stanley and Livingstone" (1939), and King Arthur in "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1949). I remember him best as the Pharaoh in "The Ten Commandments" (1956). Hardwick worked with Hitchcock again in "Rope" (1948). He plays Fontaine's father.
Leo G. Carroll (1892-1972) appeared in 6 Hitchcock films, an accomplishment exceeded by only one other actor - Clare Greet who appeared in 7. Carroll is best known for his TV series "Topper" (1953-6) and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1964-8) but he gave excellent performances in more than 50 films, including "A Christmas Carol" (1938), Wuthering Heights" (1938), "The House on 92nd Street" (1945), and "The Desert Fox" (1951). Don't sneeze or you'll miss Leo. He plays Grant's cousin.
Franz Waxman (1906-67) provides the musical score. Waxman was nominated for an Oscar 10 times and won twice ("A Place in the Sun" and "Sunset Blvd"). He was a favorite of Hitchcock who used him in 4 films and earned 2 of his Oscar nominations ("Rebecca" and "Suspicion"). At times Waxman's music could be overbearing (e.g., "Objective Burma"), but when he was good he was great. Waxman is good in this film, using the music to heighten the tension without distracting from the action, and playfully altering Strauss' waltz to fit Grant's behavior.
The film did well with critics and the public. It was the 15th highest grossing film of the year, but garnered only one Oscar. 1941 was a terrific year for films - "Citizen Kane", "The Maltese Falcon", Sergeant York", "How Green Was My Valley", Meet John Doe", "Buck Privates", "They Died with Their Boots On", "The Sea Wolf" "High Sierra", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", and "A Yank in the RAF".
Personally I find the film lacking. The cheap sets and special effects that Hitchcock was so accustomed to using in his work at British International/Gaumont are out of place in a 1941 American production, even if it was RKO. And bear in mind that "Suspicion" was produced by Hitch, so he couldn't blame Selznick as he was wont to do.
In addition, the tone of the film is shaky. It begins as a romantic comedy (see his "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" that came out at the same time) and moves awkwardly into a suspense thriller, or is it really a film about a woman's descent into paranoia. The inability to keep his eye on the mark is undoubtedly caused by the casting of Cary Grant into a film that calls for him to play a psychopathic degenerate gambler to kill his wife. The film follows the book reasonably well with some notable exceptions - Grant's adultery, his involvement in the death of Fontaine's father, and the ending. But by taking the threads of the book and removing significant thematic material, we are left with an unsettling story. In later years Hitch claimed that he was forced to accept these changes, but his biographer Donald Spoto claims he was fully aware of the changes.
Fans of Hitchcock or Grant can find many many better films to watch.
FWIW - Look for Hitch about 48 minutes into the film, mailing a letter. And the dog you see is actually Hitch's own dog
Description of Suspicion
Synopsis: sheltered Joan Fontaine is swept off her feet by charming Cary Grant. Fontaine comes to the conclusion that grant willItem Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 09/07/04
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: yes
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.
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