The Paradine Case

Rating:
Summary: Stellar cast in good Hitchcock picture
Review: Pleasant and interesting courtroom drama set in England, about a beautiful young widow, accused of murdering her much-older, rich and blind husband, defended on trial by a successful barrister who, in the process, gets caught under her spell, eventually falling in love with her.

Italian actress (Alida) Valli is alluring, ravishing, sophisticated and mysterious, as the lady in question. Gregory Peck is good as the barrister, so absolutely infatuated with Valli, that risks his own career for her sake. English actress Ann Todd is also good as his troubled wife. Others in this stellar cast: Charles Coburn, Joan Tetzel, Louis Jourdan, Ethel Barrymore and, last but not least, Charles Laughton, who gives an excellent performance as an aristrocratic, rather cruel and ironic Judge.

Rating:
Summary: UNDERATED HITCHCOCK CLASSIC
Review: THE PARADINE CASE is an opulent production concerning the elegantly statuesque and enigmatic Mrs. Paradine placed on trial for the murder of her husband. Mrs. Paradine is played with subtle radiance by Alida Valli who embodies the alluring vision of pulchritude that barrister Gregory Peck has created and fallen under the spell of. Gregory Peck's obsessive character is a forerunner to James Stewart's role in Hitchcock's VERTIGO. Obsessive behavior can be destructive as is seen in the relationship that Peck has with his loyal wife portrayed by Ann Todd. However, the greatest role and performance in this film is in the form of Louis Jourdan. Jourdan is an unwavering curiosity in his quixotic role as Mr. Paradine's manservant. His relationship with Mrs. Paradine and her late husband remains a conundrum. Jourdan's performance as a man of steadfast loyalty to both duty and passion is one of brilliance. If there is one Alfred Hitchcock film that is truly misunderstood and underrated it is THE PARADINE CASE.

Rating:
Summary: Not nearly as bad as it is painted.
Review: The Paradine Case is the weakest of the four David O. Selznick produced Hitchcock films (The others are Rebecca, Notorious, and Spellbound). But it is by no means a bad movie and has a reputation ill-deserved. In making this movie Hitch was fulfilling his contractual obligation to Selznick Pictures, and to a degree it can be seen as the director on auto-pilot. The script is written by Selznick himself and it is easy to imagine Hitchcock and his cast rolling their eyes at the endless revisions that were characteristic of Selznick's rather anxious filmmaking style. There is a sense of the Great Director gritting his teeth and reminding himself that he'll be out of contract soon. However, that said, Hitch and his cast do their best with the material they were given. Peck, in particular, despite an implausible English accent (Trust me, I'm a Brit) gives an understated, but gripping performance. And Ann Todd, despite a noteable lack of blondeness, is otherwise typically Hitchcockian and ice maidenly. And she might not be Grace Kelly but she is quite good at it. She has this rather charming dead-eye thing going on. The over-all effect is a very watchable two hours. I have heard some claim that the story does not make a vast amount of sense. Indeed, Hitchcock himself admitted he couldn't quite understand the exact details of the murder. So he circumvents them as much as possible and makes it a film, not about murder, but about one man's ability to pull the wool over his own eyes, which just happens to hang from a murder tale. This is standard Hitchcock practice. The mighty Vertigo is not really a film about a murder either, but one about obsession. The story, aside from the intricacies of the crime, is actually very straightforward. The film perhaps suffers most from its own simplicity. It does seem rather intent on making heavy weather out of something rather incidental (ie, a man being attracted to someone who is not his wife) And it does go on too long. But, it is saved from melodrama by its English middle-class setting, which ensures that emotions are very clipped. The mannerisms are all very proper, which may seem slightly alien to contemporary audiences, but adds a certain power to the performances. It is not a great movie (although on my DVD copy, the digital remastering provides a truly stunning picture)and it is hampered by Hays code, but it's certainly not anywhere near as bad as some have claimed. It has some very fine Hitchcock moments, (I particularly enjoy the camera's movements in the opening arrest scene) it is beautifully photographed, and well-acted by a strong cast. Maybe it doesn't take flight like his fifties pictures, but - here's fun - try forgetting who directed it and just watch it. And then you'll find an above average, if minor, slice of 40's Hollywood. It just isn't about to usurp your favourite Hitchcock film is all.

Rating:
Summary: delusive obsession
Review: This marvelous, lesser-known Alfred Hitchcock work deserves wider recognition. Gregory Peck stars as an attorney defending a beautiful woman (Ann Todd) who is accused of poisoning her older, blind husband. Although Mrs. Paradine seems cooly unapproachable, he is increasingly drawn to her, magnetically attracted. He soon begins to believe that anyone as lovely as she must also possess a spotless soul, and in no way could have committed this crime.

Alida Valli plays his devoted, intuitive wife who early on senses his obsession with Mrs. Paradine. She lays it on the table---she knows he is strongly attracted to the mysterious woman, but she leaves it up to him to decide what he will do.

As events unfold, the attorney's reason fights with his passion to produce a climactic finish. This film will spellbind you and is worth seeing more than once. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: delusive obsession
Review: This marvelous, lesser-known Alfred Hitchcock work deserves wider recognition. Gregory Peck stars as an attorney defending a beautiful woman (Ann Todd) who is accused of poisoning her older, blind husband. Although Mrs. Paradine seems cooly unapproachable, he is increasingly drawn to her, magnetically attracted. He soon begins to believe that anyone as lovely as she must also possess a spotless soul, and in no way could have committed this crime.

Alida Valli plays his devoted, intuitive wife who early on senses his obsession with Mrs. Paradine. She lays it on the table---she knows he is strongly attracted to the mysterious woman, but she leaves it up to him to decide what he will do.

As events unfold, the attorney's reason fights with his passion to produce a climactic finish. This film will spellbind you and is worth seeing more than once. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: "That woman is bad, bad to the bone..."
Review: Thus spake Andre La Tour, the valet and the catalyst for the murder of Col. Paradine. Valli is Mrs. Paradine, and she wants Andre La Tour, so badly she murders her husband and benefactor to remove any and all obstacles standing between her and La Tour. Louis Jourdan is La Tour, and handsome in a sharp, chiseled way; Valli is really something to see, very beautiful and arresting, and the accent further enhances her mysterious image. Gregory Peck, her attorney, falls for her, hard and fast, and is almost sympathetic in his desire to possess her. Ann Todd, a curious mixture of ice and warmth, is steadfast in her loyalty to her husband, and Joan Tetzel is good as her friend and the daughter of Charles Coburn, (I enjoy the banter between Coburn and Tetzel, he is always a joy to watch)who is a colleague of Gregory Peck's. The score by Franz Waxman is one of the stars of the movie, and haunting, as his music always is. The movie is unusual and quieter than the typical Hitchcockian fare, but should not be judged more harshly for that, but taken on it's own merits, which it has in abundance. Charles Laughton ("curious how the convolutions of a walnut resemble those of the human brain...") is wonderful as the censorious and righteous Judge of the proceedings, and rather an unpleastant bully to his wife, Ethel Barrymore, who seems rather wasted in this weak role as the much maligned wife. She is one of my favorite actresses, but I much prefer her in "The Spiral Staircase", a much richer role and one more worthy of her immense talent. I own this on VHS and DVD, and of course, the DVD is far superior in quality.

Rating:
Summary: The underrated Paradine Case
Review: With Hitchcock you never can be sure when one of his throwaway minor efforts, through a second and third viewing, years apart, can summon up intriging motives and subtle obsessions. Peck's being smittened by a women who admits is not of "easy virtue" and stays smittened inspite of her sneering castrating tone with him concerning her on again off again love/hate relations with her valet, who either assisted her or paid witness to the death of her blind husband. Peck (her defence lawyer Keane) is blindly convinced of her innocence.One can't help recalling Hitchcock's masterpiece of obsession Vertigo, especially in the scene when his jealous wife fears that her husband will fail to get her acquitted. that would mean he would carry his love into her death. the supporting cast are essential to the ambience of the plot, especially Ethel Barrymore's frightened "Birdie"type behavoir as the judges wife. I think The Paradine case deserves a new trial.