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After Alfred Hitchcock's resounding success with "Rebecca", his first
American film, his next two efforts were not very well received. Anxious for another hit, he then directed "Suspicion", which was nominated for 1941's Acedemy Award best picture. It stars Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine (Fontaine had been in "Rebecca" with Olivier) and the two clearly did not care for each other, something Hitch used to egg them on. This was apparently successful, since Fontaine won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role. Almost from the gitgo, the audience is kept guessing as to Grant's character, and the unease lasts until the very last moment. Some consider this Hitchcock's most intimate film. There is a briliant moment when a glass of milk may or may not be poisioned, and as it is carried up the stairs Hitchcock has a tiny light positioned in the milk so that it glows, attracting our view to it and making it quite menacing.
This is one of the best from a master who made so many "best".
Follow Ups:
not as good as "Rebecca." Still "Suspicion" is yet another magnificent Hitchcock film and a real triumph. Even second-rate Hitchcock is better than most directors in the genre could manage and "Suspicion" is far from being second-rate. It certainly gave Joan Fontaine, arguably, her most memorable movie role -- or at least as memorable as her 1944 "Jane Eyre."If I was forced to pick the ultimate Hitchcock film it would definitely be "Rebecca." For me, it is an almost perfect film. It's one of those rare films where everything came together just right. And Judith Anderson's performance is one of the creepiest and most memorable in the history of film.
One of the best? I donīt think so. Hitch hesitate all the way long between making Cary a good or a bad guy, himself was not happy with the ending ( Truffaut interview ) But a film that I do like very much, all actors are so very fine in it, and it still has the English touch, that he will soon loose.
But still, in my view one of the weaker one on the whole. Not excatly a failure, but for HIS standard, one.
"Hitch hesitated... making Cary a good or bad guy,..." Excuse me, but that was the whole point of the excercise in surreal storytelling here. The real drama of the film, as in many Hitch films, is in the heads of the characters. Really, they are more like puppets in a puppet show than they are real humans. Maybe much more so than in the work of other directors of Hitch's time. In essence, we see Cary through the eyes of a "suspicious" young woman who is prone to demonize everything because of that which tantalizes her beyond (girlish) expectations. She was her Father's girl, and was in control of familiar passions, but she is about to belong to a stranger - how frightening! The ongoing intrusions of Cary's penis are too much at first, and it's as if her new sexual awakening spawns a rampant, pessimistic distrust. The Jekyl/Hyde presence in this film was mostly the courtesy of Joan's (and our's) projections. Jungian theory fascinates Hitch as Jung's "shadow" man (the dark and confusing, but "necessary" aspect of every man as featured in 'Shadow Of A Doubt') is something Joan is learning to come to grips with in Cary. Of course Cary is never really "good or bad", he is (like most of us) both things in the real world as he struggles for survival. But, the dichotomy seems 100 times too serious in the eyes of his new lover! IMO, the moral of the story is that if we trust our first and strongest instincts, rather than the fleeting little accusations of "the devil", the optimistic view usually pays off. But the danger can never disappear...
I think we are both right in this case. The historical fact are that there was some pressure from the studio ( RCO ) as having him has a murderer and in the novel he was if I remember well.....AND the analysis you do make.
The house of Dr. Edwards is another case besides Hitch maybe best film Shadow of a..
Not like puppets but like cows, you should know.
And one more important point I want to make is that Sir Alfred was a very intelligent person and he was not only a voyeur but an observer also ( can you one without the other? ) and I think in the end a part of what he did see in his actors true life, he just reajust it in his work.
For the rest, I am perfectly satisfied.
Vocal as you are, you should often make an apparition here.
He was probably bullied into a "happy" ending by the studio. I myself did not like the ending. But the skillful manner in which the suspense is maintained throughout is impressive. The film WAS nominated for best picture and Fontiane did win best actress. I'd put this in Hitchcock's top ten.
There are two differents version as for the ending, the last one ( maybe the more credible ) was it was HIS chosen end , the one as we know it.
As for the top ten one may argue.
Where would you put, say, Young and Innocent ?
I haven't seen it so I cannot comment.
Well, then again, you should see it. The only optimistic film of the Master.
A must.
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