| Suspicion | |
|---|---|
 Original movie poster |
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| Directed by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Produced by | Uncredited: Alfred Hitchcock |
| Written by | Novel: Anthony Berkeley (as Francis Iles) Screenplay: Samson Raphaelson Joan Harrison Alma Reville |
| Starring | Joan Fontaine Cary Grant Cedric Hardwicke Nigel Bruce Dame May Whitty Leo G. Carroll |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling Sr. |
| Editing by | William Hamilton |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures Inc. |
| Release date(s) |  November 14, 1941 |
| Running time | 99 min. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 Anthony Berkeley Cox ( July 5, 1893 – March 9, 1971) was an English Crime writer. Samson Raphaelson ( March 30, 1894 – July 16, 1983) was an American Screenwriter and Playwright. Joan Harrison ( June 26, 1907 - August 14, 1994) was an English Film producer and Screenwriter. Alma Lucy Reville Lady Hitchcock ( August 14, 1899, England &ndash July 6, 1982, Bel-Air Los Angeles California Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award -winning British Actress in American films Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke KBE (19 February 1893 - 6 August 1964 was a notable English actor Nigel Bruce ( February 4 1895 &ndash October 8 1953) was a British Character actor on stage and screen best known Dame May Whitty, DBE ( 19 June 1865 &ndash 29 May 1948) born Mary Louise Whitty, was an Oscar -nominated Leo Gratten Carroll ( October 25 1886 &ndash October 16 1972) was an English actor best known for his roles in several Hitchcock Franz Waxman (24 December 1906 &ndash 24 February 1967 was a Jewish German American Composer, known for his bravura Carmen Fantasie Harry Stradling Sr, ASC ( 1 September 1901 - 14 February 1970) was an Academy Award -winning an American cinematographer William Hamilton (and shortened forms may refer to Europeans William Hamilton (Lord Chancellor, (d Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$ 1,800,000 |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Suspicion (1941) is a romantic psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine as a married couple. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The year 1941 in film involved some significant events in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time While most films have some aspect of romance between characters (at least as a Subplot) a romance film can be loosely defined as any Film in which the central Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award -winning British Actress in American films It also stars Cedric Hardwicke, Nigel Bruce, Dame May Whitty, Isabel Jeans and Heather Angel. Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke KBE (19 February 1893 - 6 August 1964 was a notable English actor Nigel Bruce ( February 4 1895 &ndash October 8 1953) was a British Character actor on stage and screen best known Dame May Whitty, DBE ( 19 June 1865 &ndash 29 May 1948) born Mary Louise Whitty, was an Oscar -nominated Isabel Jeans ( September 16, 1891 &ndash September 4, 1985) was an English stage and Film actress. Heather Grace Angel ( February 9 1909 - December 13 1986) was an English actress.
It is based on Francis Iles' 1932 novel Before the Fact. Anthony Berkeley Cox ( July 5, 1893 – March 9, 1971) was an English Crime writer. The year 1932 in literature involved some significant events and new books Before the Fact ( 1932) is a novel by Anthony Berkeley writing under the Pen name "Francis Iles"
During the 1930s, soon after the advent of the talkies, sunny-boy Cary Grant acquired the screen image of the perfect young gentleman, the kind of cheerful young man every mother in her right mind would want as her son-in-law. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image as opposed to a Silent film. By 1940 Grant had starred in so many light-hearted romantic films as well as screwball comedies that casting him as a scheming murderer seemed risky from the start. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The screwball comedy is a subgenre of the comedy Film genre. It has proven to be one of the most popular and enduring film genres
Contents |
The novel: Outline of the plot
Before the Fact is the story of Lina, a "born victim". She is raised in the country in the early decades of the 20th century and, at 28, she is still a virgin and in danger of becoming an old spinster. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on She finds country life with her parents rather boring, and only lives for strangers that might be passing through or that have been invited by someone living in or near their village. When the novel opens, such a stranger has just arrived: 27 year-old Johnnie Aysgarth, from an impoverished family who are, as she is told, "of rotten stock". General McLaidlaw, Lina's father, is opposed to the marriage, and everyone seems to know that all that Johnnie is after is Lina's money.
In spite of these difficulties, Lina and Johnnie get married after only a short engagement. They go to Paris on their honeymoon, where they stay at the best hotels and dine at the best restaurants, and, on their return, move into an eight-bedroom house in London. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Only six weeks later, Johnnie, who is jobless, admits to his wife that they have been living on borrowed money and that it has run out. Gradually, unwillingly, Lina takes charge of the couple's finances and suggests that Johnnie get a regular job. They leave the expensive house and move to the country in a part of Dorset where they do not know anybody. Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast Reluctantly, Johnnie takes a job as the steward of a large estate of a Captain Melbeck. A butler is a senior servant in a large Household. In the Great houses of the past the household was sometimes divided into departments with the butler For other uses see Estate. An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds
As time goes by, Lina gradually learns that Johnnie is a crook. Apart from being a compulsive liar, he turns out to be a thief, a forger, an embezzler, an adulterer, and eventually, a murderer. In Criminal law, theft (also known as stealing or filching) is the illegal taking of another person's Property without that person's freely-given Forgery is the process of making adapting or imitating objects statistics or documents (see False document) with the intent to deceive. Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets usually financial in nature by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted Adultery is the voluntary Sexual intercourse between a married person and another person who is not his or her Spouse, though in many places it is Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with Malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries
However, Lina's death will be Johnnie's first "real" murder. He goes to great lengths to conceive an undetectable murder. When Isobel Sedbusk, the author of detective stories, happens to spend the summer in their village, he associates with her and, on the pretext of discussing material for her new book, elicits a new method of murder from her: swallowing an alkali commonly used, but never suspected of being poisonous, and which leaves no trace in the human body for a post-mortem to find. In Chemistry, an alkali (from Arabic: Al-Qaly القلي القالي) is a basic, ionic salt of an Alkali metal An autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy, or obduction, is a Medical procedure that consists of a thorough Examination At the very end of the novel, Lina, who really seems to have gone mad, catches the flu. She has been waiting for her husband to try to murder her for months now. When he brings her a drink, she swallows it deliberately, knowing that it is a poisonous cocktail. Johnny is going to get away with it ("People did die of influenza. "), which is what Lina, so much in love with her husband, hopes will happen.
The West/Ingster Screenplay
In November 1939, Nathanael West was hired as a screenwriter by RKO Radio Pictures, where he collaborated with Boris Ingster on a film adaptation of the novel. Events in November All Saints' Day (formerly All Hallows Day a Christian holy day is celebrated on November 1, the day after Halloween Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nathanael West (born Nathan von Wallenstein Weinstein, October 17, 1903 – December 22, 1940) was a US author screenwriter and The two men wrote the screenplay in seven weeks, with West focusing on characterization and dialogue as Ingster worked on the narrative structure. When RKO assigned Before the Fact to Hitchcock, he already had his own, substantially different, screenplay, credited to Samson Raphaelson, Joan Harrison, and Alma Reville. Samson Raphaelson ( March 30, 1894 – July 16, 1983) was an American Screenwriter and Playwright. Joan Harrison ( June 26, 1907 - August 14, 1994) was an English Film producer and Screenwriter. Alma Lucy Reville Lady Hitchcock ( August 14, 1899, England &ndash July 6, 1982, Bel-Air Los Angeles California (Harrison was Hitchcock's personal assistant, and Reville was Hitchcock's wife. ) West and Ingster's screenplay was abandoned and never produced. The text of this screenplay can be found in the Library of America's edition of West's collected works. The Library of America (LoA is a Nonprofit Publisher of classic American literature.
The Hitchcock movie
In places, the screenplay of Suspicion faithfully follows the plot of the novel. There are, however, a number of major differences between the novel and its film version. For example, all references to Johnnie Aysgarth's infidelity were removed. See also Adultery Infidelity can be defined as any violation of the mutually agreed-upon rules or boundaries of a relationship and is a breach of faith in an inter-personal In the first days of Johnnie's "courtship", while the couple are driving through the countryside in Lina's car ("Have you ever been kissed in a car?"), she asks him how many women he has had. A kiss is the touching of one person's lips to another place which is used as an expression of Affection, Respect, Greeting, Farewell Johnnie gives a humorous rather than a really evasive answer: He says that once, when he could not go to sleep, he started counting them, just like sheep jumping over a hedge, and he fell asleep at number 73. However, this, even back in the early 1940s, was accepted, or at least tolerated, male behaviour, especially of a man who was considered a playboy. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be Much is left open for the cinema-goer to decide: Did he actually sleep with any, some, or all of them? Or did he only kiss them? The crime of adultery, on the other hand, is altogether left out in the plot of the film: Lina's best friend does not appear at all, and Ella, their maid, certainly does not have an illegitimate son by Johnnie: Sex is not an issue. Adultery is the voluntary Sexual intercourse between a married person and another person who is not his or her Spouse, though in many places it is In Common law, legitimacy is the status of a Child that is born to parents who are legally married to one another or that is born shortly after the
Suspicion is one of the famous examples where, in the process of rewriting the novel for the big screen, the plot was tampered with to an extent that Iles's original intention was completely reversed. As William L. De Andrea states in his Encyclopedia Mysteriosa (1994), Suspicion "was supposed to be the study of a murder as seen through the eyes of the eventual victim. William L DeAndrea ( 1952 - October 9 1996) was an American mystery writer and columnist The year 1994 in literature involved some significant events and new books However, because Cary Grant was to be the killer and Joan Fontaine the person killed, the studio — RKO — decreed a different ending, which Hitchcock supplied and then spent the rest of his life complaining about. "
Hitchcock was quoted as saying that he was forced to alter the ending of the movie. [1] He wanted an ending similar to the climax of the novel, but the studio, more concerned with Cary Grant's "heroic" image, insisted that it be changed. Writer Donald Spoto, in his biography of Hitchcock The Dark Side Of Genius, disputes Hitchcock's claim to have been overruled on the film's ending. Spoto claims that the first RKO treatment and memos between Hitchcock and the studio show that Hitchcock emphatically desired to make a film about a woman's fantasy life. [1]
As in the novel, General McLaidlaw opposes his daughter's marriage to Johnnie Aysgarth. In both versions, Johnnie freely admits that he would not mind the General's death because he expects Lina to inherit quite a substantial fortune, which would solve their (i. e. his) financial problems. The book, however, is much darker, with Johnnie egging on the General to exert himself to the point where he collapses and dies. In the film, General McLaidlaw's death is only reported, and Johnnie is not involved at all. Again, Johnnie's criminal record remains incomplete.
There are several scenes in the film which create suspense and sow doubt as to Johnnie's intentions. At the end of the film, Johnnie is driving his wife at breakneck speed to her mother's. Suddenly, the door of their car flies open, and Lina is in danger of falling out and down the cliffs. Johnnie reaches towards her; is he trying to throw her out? It turns out that he saves her life, that he was just trying to close the door (which opened all by itself, or did it? Why did he not stop the car instead? Why was he driving so fast in the first place?). This scene, which takes place after her (final) illness, does not exist in the book.
The biggest difference is the ending: In Iles' novel, Johnnie serves his sick wife a drink which she knows is poisoned. In the context of Biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, Illness, or Death to Organisms usually by Nevertheless she gulps it down. In the film, it can be seen untouched on the following morning. Instead, she expresses a wish to go back to her mother's. Johnnie insists on driving her and the highly unbelievable scene on the cliff road follows. When the car finally comes to a standstill, Johnnie persuaded Lina to return home: The final image, without words, is of their car turning around. What remains is Lina's (and the viewer's) constant fear that Johnnie might still be a killer.
As far as film language is concerned, a musical leitmotif is introduced in Suspicion. A leitmotif (ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf (also leitmotiv; lit "leading motif" is a recurring Musical theme, associated with a particular person place Whenever Lina is happy with Johnny - starting with a ball organised by General McLaidlaw -, we hear Johann Strauß´s waltz "Wiener Blut" in its original, light-hearted version. Johann Strauss II (also known as Johann Strauss the Younger, Johann Strauss Jr At one point, when she is suspicious of her husband, we hear a threatening, low-key version of the waltz, metamorphosing into the full and happy version after the suspense has been lifted. Low-key lighting is a style of lighting for Photography, Film or Television. At another, Johnny is whistling the waltz. At yet another, while Johnny is serving the - obviously poisoned - drink of milk, a sad version of "Wiener Blut" is played again.
A visual threat - something that could not be done on the printed page either - is inserted when Lina suspects her husband of preparing to kill Beaky Thwaite: On the night before, at the Aysgarths' home, they play anagrams, and suddenly Beaky has the word 'Murder' on the table in front of him. An anagram ( Greek anagramma 'letters written anew' passive participle of ana- 'again' + gramma 'letter' is a type of Word play Seeing the word, Lina imagines the cliffs Johnny and Beaky told her they would be going to on the next morning, and faints elegantly.
Featured cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Joan Fontaine | Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth |
| Cary Grant | Johnnie Aysgarth |
| Cedric Hardwicke | General McLaidlaw (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke) |
| Nigel Bruce | Gordon Cochrane 'Beaky' Thwaite |
| Dame May Whitty | Mrs. Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award -winning British Actress in American films Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke KBE (19 February 1893 - 6 August 1964 was a notable English actor Nigel Bruce ( February 4 1895 &ndash October 8 1953) was a British Character actor on stage and screen best known Dame May Whitty, DBE ( 19 June 1865 &ndash 29 May 1948) born Mary Louise Whitty, was an Oscar -nominated Martha McLaidlaw |
| Isabel Jeans | Mrs. Isabel Jeans ( September 16, 1891 &ndash September 4, 1985) was an English stage and Film actress. Newsham |
| Heather Angel | Ethel (Maid) |
| Auriol Lee | Isobel Sedbusk |
| Reginald Sheffield | Reggie Wetherby |
| Leo G. Carroll | Captain George Melbeck |
Adaptations
The movie was adapted into a one-hour episode of CBS radio's Academy Award Theater with Cary Grant and Ann Todd. Heather Grace Angel ( February 9 1909 - December 13 1986) was an English actress. Reginald Sheffield ( February 18, 1901 - December 8, 1957) was an English -born Actor. Leo Gratten Carroll ( October 25 1886 &ndash October 16 1972) was an English actor best known for his roles in several Hitchcock CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Ann Todd ( 24 January 1909, Hartford, Cheshire — 6 May 1993, London) was a
Trivia
- Alfred Hitchcock cameo: Hitchcock's cameo is a signature occurrence in most of his films. Thirty-seven of director Alfred Hitchcock 's 52 surviving major films — his second film The Mountain Eagle is lost — contain a Cameo appearance by Hitchcock In Suspicion he can be seen (45 minutes into the film) mailing a letter at the village postbox.
References
External links
- Suspicion at the Internet Movie Database
- Suspicion at the TCM Movie Database
- Suspicion Eyegate Gallery
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