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.

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: AN OSCAR FOR FONTAINE.
Review: In a beautiful performance, Fontaine plays the daughter of a wealthy English family who is charmed by a ne're-do-well wastrel; she is captivating in her playing. Cary Grant was well-suited for his role as Johnny, but I felt the melodramatics toward the end were rather banal and obvious; surely there could have been a more satisfying ending - could there not? Hitchcock is seen in his token cameo halfway thru the film - mailing a letter in a village mailbox.........Hitchcock's suspense thriller is about a woman who gradually realises she may be married to a killer (and may be next on his list). An excellent production unravels at the end due to RKO's insistence that Grant retain his "attractive" image. This forced the writers to opt for the usual dull (and rather infuriating) moral ending. Nigel Bruce received kudos for his playing of Johnny's friend "Beaky" and there are more than a few similarities in Fontaine's character which seem borrowed from REBECCA. Intriguing and finely played, the movie's end is an unfortunate let-down to some while others feel that it's fitting. As a trivia footnote to those who are interested -
it's fairly common knowledge among movie buffs that Hitchcock actually planted an incandescent light inside that "fatal" glass of milk which Grant so dramatically carries upstairs.....It could be said that the AA Fontaine won for this film cemented the practically life-long feud between she and her sister Olivia de Havilland; Olivia supposedly was jealous of his little sister winning an Oscar before she did - to say nothing of getting married first!

Rating:
Summary: Could have been better but still good...
Review: Suspicion is a great film, as are most Alfred Hitchcock films. It features two talented classic stars, Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine, and is very suspenseful and chilling. Although this film could have been much better had the ending been different, it is still quite good as it is, especially because of Grant's amazing (but much ignored) performance as Johnny.

Essentially, Suspicion is the story of a bookish, shy English girl (Joan Fontaine) who falls in love with a charming but irresponsible man named Johnny (Cary Grant). As the film progresses, the audience begins to suspect Johnny of more than simply gambling and being irresponsible, which raises the question - are the suspicions justified or is "Monkey Face" (what Johnny calls his wife) just being paranoid?

The film progresses, building to a seemingly unforgettable conclusion - but then suddenly, and very unconvincingly, Johnny is vindicated! In my opinion, this ending, while still making Suspicion a great film and enjoyable to watch, really detracts from the overall effect. I feel that Hitchcock's original ending, in which Johnny gives his wife the poisoned milk, she drinks it, but writes a letter beforehand saying that she knew he was going to murder her, would have been far more effective. Sadly, however, because of Grant's matinee-idol appeal, the studio did not allow Hitchcock to cast him as a murderer (they feared it would hurt his popularity).

Anyhow, even though it is frustrating that Grant was so constrained by the studios and by his own persona, Suspicion is still a good film as it is, and is totally worth seeing!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Fontaine Performance
Review: Suspicion is a movie that has an ending that frustrates some, and pleases others. Personally, I think the ending is good and appropriate, although it is a little abruptly presented. Joan Fontaine is quite good (I don't usually care for her performances) as a quiet, reserved English woman who marries the irresponsible Cary Grant, displeasing her father who assumed she would make a wiser choice. As time goes along, she begins to suspect that her husband may have killed someone and might be looking at her as his next victim. The inclusion of a character that writes murder mysteries adds to the mood and suspense. Grant is very effective as her husband, Johnny, and it's unusual to see him in a basically threatening, unsympathetic role. Hitchcock slowly drops clues along the way, and the glowing glass of milk is an excellent effect. Suspicion is a very good story, and although it's not the best example of Hitchcock's work, it's still a good movie by any standard.

Rating:
Summary: Splendid!
Review: This is a splendid Hitchcock film. This film has great acting and tension. I am happy to say that this movie won Best Actress (Joan Fontaine) in 1941. The movie is a classic that is also a wonderful thriller. Joan Fontaine and Cary Grant are perfect for the roles. The most important part in movies is that they develope dramatic action and feelings. In this movie, it does. Go see it! You will enjoy it! ( Also the DVD needs to come out soon.)