Suspicion

Rating:
Summary: Let's hope the DVD is truly a "Special Edition".
Review: "Suspicion" is a wonderful suspense ride for Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. In his interview with Francois Truffaut many years later, director Alfred Hitchcock talked in detail about this film. He had a small flashlight put in the ominous glass of milk that Grant carries up the stairs to Fontaine, as she is having doubts about her play-boy husband. I can only hope that if the films original ending still exists, as it apparently was filmed, it is included on the upcoming DVD. Even if the footage is gone, perhaps story boards exist. The movie originally had Cary Grant actually plotting to off his wife. Fontaine is last seen writing a letter to her mother confessing her fears that her days are numbered. She gives Grant the letter to post when he brings her the "glowing" glass of milk. The last scene had a much relieved Grant, Fontaine having been dispatched, whistling as he mails the letter that will convict him. The music swelled to a judges gavel and the credits ran. Instead, we got a very happy, but very contrived and not terribly convincing ending. The studios did not want Grant, their matinee idol, playing a heavy. Hitchcock still made a wonderful film and hopefully the DVD release will pay homage to his original vision.

Rating:
Summary: Stop Complaining! Just Watch the Movie!
Review: "Suspicion" is one more classic Alfred Hitchcock film. Like many, it too is filmed in murky but beautiful black and white. The key character is Cary Grant, who worked with the great director so often. Grant plays the role of a lying, scheming, swindling, cheating and thoroughly unlikable fellow. He marries a young but wealthy ingenue, Joan Fontaine. He is patently and without remorse after her inheritance. Fontaine quickly realizes the type of jerk she has married. She even starts to suspect that Grant is out to kill her! The plot further thickens when Grant's buddy, actor Nigel Bruce, dies suddenly on a business trip with Grant. We wait for one of those English detectives that Hitchcock casts so well to haul Grant off to jail. And then? Then there is that famous car ride that ends the movie so abruptly and has given other reviewers fits. It is all too true that "Suspicion" ends quickly with no clear-cut resolution. We are left with no clue if the couple divorced, lived happily ever after or if Grant finally got tossed in a British cooler. The abrupt and unresolved ending is similar to "Notorious". This reviewer has no problems with murky endings. Why not appreciate them "as is"? Some interesting sidebars: 1)"Suspicion" was filmed with an entirely British cast on a Hollywood lot, nowhere close to the English seashore.2) Grant was said to be furious at the Director because Hitchcock allegedly was very patient with Fontaine but hassled him during production. 3) Ms Fontaine won a 1941
Best Actress Oscar for her role, making her the ONLY actor/actress to be so recognized for a Hithcock film. The recommendation from this reviewer is to enjoy "Suspicion" for what it is-an above average suspense film with perhaps a hole or two in it. Viewers should ignore the fact that Grant and Hitchcock have done better work elsewhere. They might also ignore the fact that RKO Pictures changed the "original" ending. That scarcely makes Hollywood history. Why not just calm down and watch the movie? "Suspicion" should stand alone on its' own merits.

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Summary: JOAN FONTAINE'S OSCAR -WINNING ROLE
Review: "Suspicion" is a intriguing film and one of Hitchcock's best;it's beautifully made and perfectly played. The role of Lina McLaidlaw is not too unlike Fontaine's character in 1940's "Rebecca". Johnny Aysgarth (Grant) is the lovable scoundrel Fontaine marries,only later to become horribly suspicious of him for various reasons. In the last reel,director Hitchcock builds on every clue, every plot turn; in the final confession scene, he is dependent upon Grant's skills as an actor;the infuriating moral ending is expected but nevertheless, "Suspicion" remains a highly satisfying diversion.

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Summary: Trust Me, Monkey Face....
Review: ....these old B&W Hitchcock classics are pure fun, pure cinema. Milquetoast-y Fontaine "undeservedly snags" a handsome Slim Shady type in Cary Grant and her mind plays tricks on her...or does it? Love the lighted glass of warm milque, uh, milk on the tray. How did they get the light bulb in that, anyhoo? Compare with "Gaslight", Hitch's own "Dail M for Murder" and check out Grant in "Charade"...I get the feeling, tho', that Hitch probably would have made the heiress' suspicions warranted if it were not for studio influence.

Rating:
Summary: Slight thriller with star power
Review: Cary Grant (Johnnie Aysgarth) was 37 when this was released and perhaps at the pinnacle of his sexual charm (but not at the pinnacle of his career by a long shot); and Joan Fontaine (Lina Aysgarth--not "Linda," as the video jacket mistakenly has it), 24, was fresh from her very fine performance in Rebecca (1940) alongside Laurence Olivier, also directed by Alfred Hitchcock, for which he garnered his only Best Picture Oscar. I don't think this film is nearly as good. It is saved from being something close to annoying at times only by the star power of the leads and a fine supporting cast, especially Nigel Bruce (best known perhaps as Dr. Watson in a number of Sherlock Holmes films) as Cary Grant's friend "Beaky."

The problem with the film lies partly with the casting of Cary Grant, although not in his performance as such. He was seen as such a valuable property by the studio that the proper ending of the film was considered inappropriate and so it was changed. Along the way we see a lot of mixed foreshadowing so it is impossible to tell whether his character is that of a loving husband who is a bit of a rogue or a cold-blooded murderer who married Lina for her inheritance and intends to kill her. We can see how the latter possibility might not work so well since she was only getting a subsistence allowance from the will of her father who disapproved of the marriage. And there are all those dark scowls that Grant manufactures, somewhat awkwardly I must say, to keep us in doubt. What is apparent is that Hitchcock had one ending in mind and then had to change it and wasn't able to redo some of the earlier scenes that worked better with the old ending.

At any rate, Joan Fontaine is very good, lovely, graceful and focused. With this performance she went one up on her older sister Olivia de Havilland by winning the Best Actress Oscar. And it is a bit of a spicy treat to see Cary Grant as something of a heavy, at least part of the time. For most of us, who have seen him in many films, his character has always been sterling.

I must also note that some of the production seems a bit unnatural. Grant wears his suit and tie all buttoned up even when visiting Fontaine in their bedroom (carrying the infamous glass of milk, which I understand was backlighted with a bulb inside the glass to make it almost glow). Fontaine's Lina appears mousey and bookish at the beginning (it is suggested that she was in danger of being an old maid!) but later develops a more sophisticated style. And I don't think Hitchcock or Grant really gave her enough cause for the sort of fear she experienced. The final scene with its quick about-face was not entirely convincing or conclusive either.

Contemporary audiences might wince at the plodding direction by Hitchcock. They might even wonder why he decided to make a movie from such a familiar and lightly plotted tale not far removed psychologically from a romance novel. But Hitchcock always erred on the side of giving the mass audience what he thought they wanted. What they wanted here was Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine together romantically with some mystery and doubt along the way.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoy it over and over again!
Review: Cary Grant stars as Johnny, a well-bred, but penniless English playboy, who meets, woos, quickly weds ugly-duckling hieress Lina (played by Joan Fontaine). Soon after the honeymoon, Lina discovers that Johnny is a financial scoundrel. His old schoolchum, the wealthy and bumbling Binky, goes into business with Johnny, but Lina suspects Johnny may be planning Binky's (and her own) murder! Time and again, Johnny appears menacing and manipulative, only to be exonerated in the happy ending.

Director Alfred Hitchcok spent 90 minutes showing Johnny as an evil, plotting killer, but was forced to alter the obvious ending (and change it to one that makes no sense at all). If the film were made today, Johnny would have stayed the insane maniac, and it would have been a better film. Making Johnny a hero at the end is confusing and pointless, unless you like happy endings at any cost.

In any event, Cary Grant is lovely as the suave charmer who drives all the ladies wild. Joan Fontaine is perfect as the doudy spinster he chooses for his scam/love-interest(?). There are many thrilling moments where it appears Johnny is methodically plotting his bride's murder. Fontaine's vulnerability and neediness reflect the audience's desire to believe in his honesty. It's a wonderful film you can enjoy over and over again, thanks to the two talented stars and the delightfully intense script.

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Summary: Please enter a title for your review:
Review: First off let me warn you that the colourised version of this movie is SO BAD. If you buy it make sure you get the black and white version. The colourised one looks like someone... a five year old child... took paint and slapped it all over the film. It's awful.

Second of all let me warn you that this is NOT one of the best Hitchcock films. I find it really aggravating at moments, because Cary Grant's character drives me looney with his incessant fibbing and calling Lina "monkeyface". I did like the hairdo he gave her. Overall his acting is annoying here. In his other three Hitchcock films - Notorious, North by Northwest, and To Catch a Thief - he was much better. Joan Fontaine is basically the same character as she played in Rebecca, except that here it is rather tiring to watch her simper and swoon and be all sentimental over her man... In Rebecca I felt the role called for all that naive schoolgirl stuff. Here it isn't right. Ingrid Bergman could have done wonders for this movie...

I can say some positive things too, however. The costumes were lovely - what I could see of them under the sloppy colourisation. The story itself was quite good as well, except of course the controversial ending... which personally I felt was just one last lie from Cary and that he did kill her after they got home. Far too abrupt, whatever it was supposed to mean. The guy who played Beaky was one of the best characters - at least I didn't feel like he was acting. The murder mystery writer lady was good in her part, and her mortician brother was as well.

It would have been nice to have a bit more development with the characters. In most every other Hitchcock film, you know what they think and how they feel... here I was never sure.

...

Rating:
Summary: Great Hitchcock . . . Untill The End
Review: Hitchcock originally wanted to end this movie MUCH differently. Unfortunatly the ending that he had in mind involved Cary Grant being a murderer and the studio didn't like that and forced Hitchcock to find a new ending.

Originally he was to poison his wife with a glass of milk and although she knew of his plans, she drinks the milk anyway. But see, theres a twist. Before she drinks it she writes to her mother telling he that he is planning to kill her and that she is going to let him. Anyway she would give him the letter and tell him to mail it. That would be the last thing you see. Him mailing the letter that convicts him.

But alas, this was not to be. Instead they made an entirely new ending involving Grant being suicidal and her just being paranoid. It is an ending that ends abruptly and doesn't work with the rest of the movie, which is great.

Seriously the rest of the movie is wonderful. It's worth veiwing because of the rest of it. So check it out anyway but the ending does fall short.

Rating:
Summary: Hitchcock at his worst
Review: I hope this review will warn others before they go out and buy this movie. Its slow-paced, unbelievable at the best of times and the end is so abrupt that I was left thinking "is it over already?". I'm a Hitchcock fan but I'd recommend others to give this a miss ( or just watch it on TV!). I don't inderstand the other reviewers who give this a 4 or 5 star rating. Did I miss something? I think not...

Rating:
Summary: Thrilling Treat!
Review: I put off watching this Hitchcock classic for years until I finally sat down last night and became enthralled with it. I've read where Hitchcock and the cast were horrified at the ending imposed upon it by the Production Code. All I know is that I was completely amazed at the final scene--which resolves whether Cary Grant was really the sinister murderer his up-tight, priggish wife thought he was. The wardrobe, photography, sets are all top-notch. Although Joan Fontaine was terrific, I just wonder if she should have won the Oscar as Best Actress over Bette Davis' magnificent performance as Leslie Crosbie in William Wyler's "The Letter" of the same year. Still, this is a delightful surprise. In a way, the final sequence probably caused as many gasps in audiences of l941 as the same gasps from audiences in l999 who have seen "The Sixth Sense."