Set in 1946, the film revolves around the daughter of a German war criminal who is asked by an American spy to travel to Rio de Janeiro to seduce a former Nazi industrialist who is conspiring to revive the Nazi party. It is a film that that explores a woman who is asked by a government agent to Brazil to uncover a Nazi conspiracy plot that featured one of her father’s former colleagues. Ben Hecht’s screenplay has a straightforward narrative, yet it is more about two people who are tasked in uncovering a plot that would threaten post-war peace as they also must contend with their feelings for one another. T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) is a government agent for the U.S. who is tasked in recruiting Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) since her German father had been sent to prison for his Nazi activities by the U.S. government. Huberman is unwilling to help Devlin as she had her own issues with her father as she feels ruined by him though Devlin’s offer to get a second chance is something she could not refuse.
Upon arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Huberman learns her assignment is to infiltrate the home of one of her father’s former colleagues in Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains) while Devlin would learn that his superiors want her to seduce Sebastian. Huberman reluctantly agrees to seduce Sebastian as she would charm and woo him where she learns about what he is doing with a bunch of former Nazi officials. The one person who is suspicious about Huberman is Sebastian’s mother Madame Anna Sebastian (Leopoldine Konstantin) as she becomes troubled by her son’s infatuation with Huberman. Hecht’s script also plays into the sense of tension where Huberman realizes she is in the middle as she and Devlin try to maintain their own secrecy and professionalism but have become infatuated with one another.
Alfred Hitchcock’s direction is entrancing for the way he creates this sense of dread and tension set in largely Rio de Janeiro as well as playing into a lot of the romantic drama that occurs throughout the film. Shot on locations in Los Angeles, California including RKO Studios with rear-projection and second unit shots of locations such as Rio de Janeiro and Miami. Hitchcock would create a film that has an offbeat presentation where its first 20 minutes is set in Miami where Hitchcock’s usage of medium and wide shots at Huberman’s house showcases a house party where she wants to wind down while he does not show Devlin’s face for minutes as he is mysterious party crasher. When the film moves to Rio, Hitchcock does create an atmosphere that feels lively yet there is something off about it when he shoots scenes at Sebastian’s home. Notably as it is a posh house full of people but also secrets with a key being a major prop in the film’s second act when Devlin makes a visit. Considering that the film was made during the period of the Hays Code where kisses could not be longer than three seconds, a scene early in Rio where Devlin and Huberman are in a room where they would kiss each other where it would last a couple of seconds and then another couple of seconds.
It is among these moments in the film where Hitchcock would push the envelope of what could be done while he also employ some unique close-ups to help play into the drama and suspense. Notably in his compositions where he would have something happening in the foreground and something else happening in the background. Hitchcock would also employ some unique visuals during the third function as it play into Sebastian’s own revelation about Huberman where there is a sense of danger that is to happen. Even as characters become compromised with some taking control as its ending is an ambiguous one as it plays into the fates of those involved as well as what Hitchcock does not show that adds more intrigue. Overall, Hitchcock crafts a riveting and evocative film about a German-American woman asked to spy on one of her father’s former colleagues while falling in love with an American spy.
Cinematographer Ted Tetzlaff does incredible work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography with its usage of lighting for some of the interior scenes in the day and night as well as the way some rooms are lit as it is a highlight of the film. Editor Theron Warth does excellent work with the editing as it employ some straight cuts to let shots linger for a bit while there is also a scene that include some fast-cuts that help play into the suspense. Art directors Albert S. D’Agostino and Carroll Clark, along with set decorators Darrell Silvera and Claude Carpenter, do brilliant work with the look of the home that Huberman lives in Miami as well as the American embassy interiors in Rio and the Sebastian estate. Gown designer Edith Head does amazing work with the dresses and evening gowns that Huberman would wear at parties and other social events that play into Huberman’s personality.
The special effects by Vernon L. Walker and Paul Eagler are fantastic for the rear-projects for driving scenes as well as some dazzling visuals that play into a key scene in the film’s third act. The sound work of John E. Tribby and Terry Kellum do superb work with the sound in how things sound in a room as well as a tense scene that play into an event that would add to the suspense. The film’s music by Roy Webb is wonderful for its soaring orchestral score with bombastic string arrangements and pieces that ranges from waltz-like sounds to sambas as it help adds to suspense and drama.
The film’s marvelous ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Fay Baker as a friend of Huberman in Ethel at the dinner party early in the film, Sir Charles Mendl as another friend of Huberman in the Commodore, and Wally Brown as another partygoer friend of Huberman. In the roles of former Nazi associates working with Sebastian include Friedrich von Ledebur as Knerr, Peter von Zerneck as Rossner, Ricardo Costa as a Brazilian in Dr. Barbosa, Ivan Triesault as the conspirator Mathis, Eberhard Krumschmidt as the conspirator Emil Hupka who would become troubled during a dinner in the film’s second act. Alexis Minotis is terrific as the Sebastian butler Joseph who watches over everything while becomes suspicious about Huberman. Moroni Olsen is superb as a U.S. agent in Walter Beardsley who works with Devlin. Reinhold Schunzel is excellent as a mysterious scientist in Dr. Anderson who is a colleague of Sebastian as he is also one of the leaders of the Nazi group.
Louis Calhern is fantastic as Devlin’s partner in Captain Paul Prescott who works in the Secret Service as he is trying to keep Devlin at bay while ensuring the assignment goes well. Leopoldine Konstantin is amazing as Sebastian’s mother Madame Anna as a woman that is suspicious towards Huberman as she is also a woman that is way more powerful and cunning than people give her credit for when she realizes that she knows something is not right about Huberman. Claude Rains is brilliant as Alex Sebastian as a former colleague of Huberman’s father who had a crush on Huberman as the idea of being with her again gives him a distraction that he craves from his Nazi activities though Rains brings that sense of a man who cannot be fooled easily where he would learn the truth.
Finally, there is the duo of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in spectacular performances in their respective roles as T.R. Devlin and Alicia Huberman. Grant displays that sense of charm as well as a demeanor that makes him tough and cunning. Grant also displays that sensitivity when he becomes concerned about Huberman while aware that he is falling for her as he tries to not to get both in trouble. Bergman’s performance as Huberman is entrancing in her radiance as a woman that knows she is ruined by her father’s activities and a lack of a real future until she is asked to help the U.S. government to clear her own name. Bergman also displays this sense of a woman trying to maintain some control as well as knowing what is at stake where she would later cope with her own feelings for Devlin and what is at stake as it is one of Bergman’s finest performances.
Notorious is a magnificent film by Alfred Hitchcock that features tremendous leading performances from Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, Ben Hecht’s riveting screenplay, gorgeous visuals, a study of love and secrecy, and a vibrant yet intense music soundtrack. It is a film that is not just an intoxicating and gripping noir film but also a film that also pushes the limits of what could be done to display sensuality and desire. In the end, Notorious is an outstanding film by Alfred Hitchcock.
Alfred Hitchcock Films: (Number 13) - (The Pleasure Garden) - (The Blackguard) - (The Mountain Eagle) - (The Lodger) - (A Story of the London Fog) - (The Ring) - (Downhill) - (The Farmer’s Wife) - (Easy Virtue) - (Champagne) - (The Manxman) - (Blackmail) - (Juno and the Paycock) - (Murder!) - (The Skin Game) - (Mary) - (Lord Camber’s Ladies) - (Rich and Strange) - (Number Seventeen) - (Waltzes from Vienna) - (The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)) – The 39 Steps (1935 film) - (Secret Agent) - (Sabotage) - (Young and Innocent) – The Lady Vanishes (1938 film) - (Jamaica Inn) – Rebecca - (Foreign Correspondent) – (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) – Suspicion (1941 film) - (Saboteur) – (Shadow of a Doubt) – Lifeboat - Bon Voyage (1944 film) - (Spellbound) – (The Paradine Cage) – Rope - (Under Capricorn) – (Stage Fright) – Strangers on a Train - I Confess - Dial M for Murder - Rear Window - To Catch a Thief - (The Trouble with Harry) – The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) - (The Wrong Man) – Vertigo - North by Northwest - Psycho - The Birds - Marnie - (Torn Curtain) – (Topaz) – (Frenzy) – (Family Plot)
© thevoid99 2025
The film revolves around the series of misadventures involving an engaged paleontologist who meets a dizzying heiress who puts him in a lot of crazy situations that also includes a leopard named Baby (Nissa). It is a film that explores a mild-mannered man who is about to be married to a colleague while awaiting a rare bone that he needs to complete a four-year project involving a brontosaurus but also money that he needs for the museum. Yet, his encounter with this woman who plays to the beat of her own drum and is always running around would shake up his world as he finds himself in these crazy situations that would also involve a leopard. The film’s screenplay by Hagar Wilde and Dudley Nichols is filled with a lot of offbeat dialogue that comes from the heiress Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn) as well as the paleontologist David Huxley (Cary Grant). The former is this man that seems content with his life as he’s to be married to a colleague in Alice Swallow (Virginia Walker) yet needs this million dollar donation from Elizabeth Random (May Robson) who is considering as he tries to convince her lawyer Alexander Peabody (George Irving).
While golfing with Peabody, Huxley bumps into Vance who is also playing yet causes trouble by stealing his car believing it belongs to her while they would bump into each other at a posh restaurant where they both endure some mishaps. Vance is a woman who is often absent-minded where she takes things not knowing it doesn’t belong to her while is often moving around as she is the complete opposite of Huxley who is all about order and organization. On the day he is to marry Swallow, Vance asks for his help involving this leopard named Baby and he drives her to Connecticut from New York City to bring the leopard to her aunt and a lot of mayhem occur. Even as Huxley learns who her aunt is and things don’t go as planned for him as the script is definitely filled with chaos and confusion as it would later involve Constable Slocum (Walter Catlett) and other locals where Baby and a dog named George (Skippy) just stir things up.
Howard Hawks’ direction definitely play up into the air of chaos that occurs throughout the film while also creating some unique compositions to play into the scope of a setting that adds to the film’s humor. Shot on various locations in Southern California with some areas shot in studio backlots at 20th Century Fox Studios, Hawks’ direction is largely straightforward in terms of the compositions he creates where he does a lot with the wide and medium shots to show the interactions between Vance and Huxley and the surroundings they’re in. Hawks also uses close-ups to play into some of the reaction from the characters but also in the scenes with Baby along with some of the medium shots adding to a scene where there are these small moments that Vance does unaware that she’s putting herself in trouble yet she often bullshits her way to get out of a situation that includes a hilarious scene late in the film where she talks as if she was from the mob.
Hawks’ direction also has a lot of innuendo and such that were quite edgy for its time but also in things that were ahead of its time such as a scene at the home of Vance’s aunt where Huxley is wearing a bathrobe and says something that is really funny as it relates to not just his situation but also in what he was wearing. Hawks’ approach to staging the humor such as a scene where Huxley is watching George and following him because of the brontosaurus bone that belonged to Huxley as George had hidden it. It would then lead to some misadventures in the second act involving Huxley and Vance as well as a dinner guest in Major Horace Applegate (Charles Ruggles) who is a big-game hunter that knows how to do animal sounds as it adds to the humor. The third act that also involves trying to retrieve Baby due to a series of mishaps also play into this air of absurdity but it also features that air of naturalism in the humor as if they’re making it up as they go along which adds to the energy of the comedy. Overall, Hawks crafts an exhilarating yet hilarious comedy about a paleontologist’s time with a dizzying heiress and her new pet leopard.
Cinematographer Russell Metty does excellent work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it is largely straightforward with some unique lighting schemes for many of the film’s exterior scenes in the forest at night. Editor George Hively does terrific work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some transitional dissolves and rhythmic cuts to help play into the humor. Art director Van Nest Polglase does amazing work with the look of the interiors of the home of Vance’s aunt as well as some of the places Vance and Huxley go to. Costume designer Howard Greer does fantastic work with the costumes from the gowns and clothes that Vance wears as well as some of the clothes that Huxley wears including some clothes that he would wear in acts of humility.
The special effects work of Vernon L. Walker is superb for scenes involving the animals as it adds to the sense of realism but also the humor for scenes involving the humans and animals. Sound recordist John L. Cass does nice work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of scenes as well as how a leopard would sound to a mating call. The film’s music by Roy Webb is wonderful for its playful and upbeat orchestral score while Webb also handles the film’s soundtrack which featured a lot of the standards of the time including a song that Baby likes in I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby that is written by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh.
The film’s incredible ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from D’Arcy Corrigan as a professor in the film’s first scene, Billy Bevan as a bartender teaching Vance a trick, John Kelly as Constable Slocum’s assistant Elmer, Tala Birell as Mrs. Lehman, Leona Roberts as Mrs. Random’s maid Hannah Gogarty, Barry Fitzgerald as Mrs. Random’s alcoholic gardener Aloysius Gogarty who thinks he’s seeing things upon seeing Baby, Virginia Walker as Huxley’s fiancée Alice Swallow who is baffled by Huxley’s involvement with Vance, George Irving as Mrs. Random’s attorney Alexander Peabody whom Huxley tries to win over, and Fritz Feld as Dr. Lehman as a man whom Huxley and Vance bring trouble to involving Baby as he is a psychiatrist who believes that they’re both crazy. Walter Catlett is fantastic as Constable Slocum as a local police official who is baffled by Vance’s appearance and the trouble she causes in his town as well as the chaos she and Huxley create.
Charles Ruggles is excellent as Major Horace Applegate as a dinner guest of Mrs. Ransom who is this big-game hunter that also can do animal mating calls as he is baffled by the behavior of Huxley as well as what he would encounter in Baby. May Robson is brilliant as Elizabeth Carlton Random as a rich woman who is considering in giving a million dollar donation as she is baffled by some of Huxley’s activities that involve Vance as she is fun to watch as a straight woman. The performances of Skippy and Nissa in their respective roles as the dog George and the leopard Baby are a joy to watch in the way they help add to the humor of the film as Skippy brings a lot of energy and chaos while Nissa is just relaxed and doesn’t do much to create chaos.
Finally, there’s the performances of Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in tremendous performances in their respective roles as Susan Vance and Dr. David Huxley. Grant’s performance is straightforward for much of the film’s first act as he is this great straight man in someone who is put into these crazy situations and then starts to act out due to his encounters with Vance as Grant just adds a lot of wit and energy to his role. Hepburn’s performance is just this whirlwind as this heiress who is often doing things unaware that she doesn’t own them as she also does things to get out of a bad situation. Hepburn and Grant together are fun to watch in the way they play off each other as it adds to their chemistry as they are major highlight of the film.
Bringing Up Baby is a spectacular film from Howard Hawks that features iconic performances from Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a fun music soundtrack, and its inventive usage of live animals. It is a comedy that isn’t afraid to be absurd or be a little edgy while it is also this unconventional romantic-comedy of sorts between two people who are total opposites yet bring out the best in each other. In the end, Bringing Up Baby is a sensational film from Howard Hawks.
Howard Hawks Films: (The Road to Glory) - (Fig Leaves) - (Cradle Snatchers) - (Paid to Love) - (A Girl in Every Port (1928 film)) - (Fazil) - (The Air Circus) - (Trent’s Last Case (1929 film)) - (The Dawn Patrol (1930)) - (The Criminal Code) – Scarface (1932 film) - (The Crowd Roars (1932 film)) - (Tiger Shark) - (Today We Live) - (The Prizefighter and the Lady) - (Viva Villa!) - (Twentieth Century) - (Barbary Coast) - (Ceiling Zero) - (The Road to Glory) - (Come and Get It) - (Only Angels Have Wings) - (His Girl Friday) - (Sergeant York) - (Ball of Fire) - (Air Force) - (To Have and Have Not) - (The Big Sleep (1946 film)) - (The Outlaw) – Red River - (A Song is Born) - (I Was a Male War Bride) - (The Big Sky) - (Monkey Business) - (O Henry’s Full House) - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - (Land of the Pharaohs) – Rio Bravo - (Hatari!) - (Man’s Favorite Sport?) - (Red Line 7000) - (El Dorado) - (Rio Lobo)
© thevoid99 2022
Based on the novel by David Dodge, To Catch a Thief is the story of a reformed cat burglar who is being accused by the authorities over a series of copycat burglaries on rich tourists in the French Riviera as he tries to find out who the copycat is. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and screenplay by John Michael Hayes, the film plays into a man who uses his old skill as a thief to try and find this thief who is trying to ruin the reformed life he’s already created just as he falls for a beautiful young woman. Starring Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams, Charles Vanel, and Brigitte Auber. To Catch a Thief is a gorgeous yet compelling film from Alfred Hitchcock.
The film plays into a former thief who had spent more than a decade trying to live a different and more honest life where a series of copycat burglaries on many rich tourists have occurred prompting him to find out who the real thief is before the authorities catch him. While it is a film with a simple premise, it plays into a man who is forced to use his old skills to find out who has been stealing jewels from these rich women vacationing in the French Riviera and why he’s being targeted by everyone including old friends he had from the French Resistance. Along the way, he is aided by an insurance agent who gives him names into people who might be next where he would fall for a young woman who is suspicious about his true identity.
John Michael Hayes’ screenplay takes it time to set the story up where it starts off with a cat burglary and then cut to a woman screaming about losing her jewels where it would escalate prompting the authorities to look after John Robie (Cary Grant) at his villa. Knowing what is going on and the fact that the police don’t trust him even if he is telling the truth forces him to seek the help of his old friends in the Resistance yet they reluctantly do so because they believe he might get them in trouble. With the aid of the insurance agent Hughson (John Williams), Robie pretends to be an American businessman so he can get close to a rich American tourist in Jessie Stevens (Jessie Royce Landis) and her daughter Frances as he believes they are next. Yet, he becomes close to Frances who is suspicious about him as she knows about these burglaries. Still, she is charmed by him where she would play a key role into helping him uncover the identity of the copycat.
Alfred Hitchcock’s direction is ravishing in terms of the setting that he creates as it is shot on location in the French Riviera but also has an air of style in the way he presents the element of suspense. Notably the scenes where these burglaries occur as it often features an image of a cat walking on the roof as it plays into what is happening where it prompts the film to come into place. While Hitchcock makes the French Riviera and its towns characters with a lot of gorgeous wide shots, it is really more of a backdrop to the world that Robie lives in where he has to find somewhere safe where he wouldn’t be captured by the authorities. Using lots of medium shots and close-ups, Hitchcock definitely plays up some of the film’s humor but also finds way to play up its suspense such as a few chase scenes in the mountains in the Riviera as well as some moments that play out in some of the villas. The romantic scenes between Robie and Frances are presented in a stylish yet playful manner while it would also have some subtle references into how far they go into their attraction. The film’s climax is among one of the most inventive where it’s lavish as well as gripping to see who is this copycat as it is a sequence that is just fun to watch. Overall, Hitchcock creates a thrilling and exhilarating film about a thief trying to capture a copycat to clear his own name.
Cinematographer Robert Burks does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography in capturing the lush colors of the French Riviera in its daytime exterior settings to its usage of lights for the scenes at night to play into the suspense and drama. Editor George Tomasini does brilliant work with the editing as it is stylish in its rhythmic cuts to play into some of the humor as well as slowing things down for its suspenseful moments. Art directors J. McMillan Johnson and Hal Pereira, with set decorators Sam Comer and Arthur Krams, do fantastic work with the look of the hotel rooms some of the characters stay as well as the villa that Robie lives in.
Costume designer Edith Head does excellent work with the design of the gowns that Frances wear as well as her mother to play into their posh lifestyles as well as the costumes for the film‘s climatic costume ball. Sound editors Howard Beals and Bill Wistrom do terrific work with the sound to play into many of the locations as well as the sparse moments in the burglary sequences. The film’s music by Lyn Murray is superb for its orchestral-based score with some lush string arrangements as it has some soaring themes for the romantic moments along with some intense pieces for its suspenseful moments.
The film’s remarkable cast include some notable small roles from Rene Blancard as the police commissioner, Georgette Anys as Robie’s housekeeper Germaine, Jean Martinelli as an old friend of Robie in a restaurant employee named Foussier, and Charles Vanel as the restaurant owner Bertrani who reluctantly helps Robie out to evade the police. Brigitte Auber is wonderful as Foussier’s daughter Danielle as a young woman who knows Robie as she suspects that he’s up to no good. John Williams is excellent as Hughson as an insurance agent who wants to help Robie find the stolen jewelry in the hopes that his insurance company can save face where he is one of the few that believes that Robie is telling the truth.
Jessie Royce Landis is fantastic as Mrs. Jessie Stevens as Frances’ mother who is this very fun woman that likes to drink Bourbon as she knows what is going on as she wonders what will happen as she also think that Robie is innocent. Grace Kelly is amazing as Frances Stevens as this woman who is wary of Robie’s presence as she is a woman of style but also a witty personality where she can also be the smartest person in the room. Finally, there’s Cary Grant in a brilliant performance as John Robie as a former cat burglar who is accused over recent thefts as he is forced to use his old skills to find the thief where it’s a performance that has Grant be charming but also display some humility as it is one of his finest performances.
To Catch a Thief is a spectacular film from Alfred Hitchcock that features incredible performances from Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Along with a brilliant supporting cast and a crafty premise, the film isn’t just one of Hitchcock’s quintessential films but also one of his most entertaining. Especially for its inspiring usage of the locations and his approach to subtlety in the romantic elements of the film. In the end, To Catch a Thief is a sensational film from Alfred Hitchcock.
Alfred Hitchcock Films: (Number 13) - (The Pleasure Garden) - (The Blackguard) - (The Mountain Eagle) - (The Lodger) - (A Story of the London Fog) - (The Ring) - (Downhill) - (The Farmer’s Wife) - (Easy Virtue) - (Champagne) - (The Manxman) - (Blackmail) - (Juno and the Paycock) - (Murder!) - (The Skin Game) - (Mary) - (Lord Camber’s Ladies) - (Rich and Strange) - (Number Seventeen) - (Waltzes from Vienna) - (The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)) - The 39 Steps - (Secret Agent) - (Sabotage) - (Young and Innocent) - The Lady Vanishes - (Jamaica Inn) - Rebecca - (Foreign Correspondent) - (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) - Suspicion - (Saboteur) - (Shadow of a Doubt) - Bon Voyage - Lifeboat - (Spellbound) - Notorious - (The Paradine Cage) - Rope - (Under Capricorn) - (Stage Fright) - Strangers on a Train - I Confess - Dial M for Murder - Rear Window - (The Trouble with Harry) - The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) - (The Wrong Man) - Vertigo - North by Northwest - Psycho - The Birds - Marnie - (Torn Curtain) - (Topaz) - (Frenzy) - (Family Plot)
© thevoid99 2015
Based on the novel Before the Fact by Francis Iles, Suspicion is the story of a woman who falls for a charming playboy as she notices that something about him is off as he is believed to be a killer. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and screenplay by Samson Raphaelson, Joan Harrison, and Alma Reville, the film is a romantic-psychological thriller that plays into a woman who is the last person that catches the eye of a playboy which only adds to their offbeat yet troubling relationship. Starring Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Nigel Bruce, Dame May Whitty, Isabel Jeans, Heather Angel, and Leo G. Carroll. Suspicion is a gripping yet riveting film from Alfred Hitchcock.
After meeting and falling for a notorious playboy/gambler, a shy heiress marries the man in hoping to find happiness until certain things in her life including people she knows start to disappear as she suspects that her husband is actually a killer. It’s a film that plays into this woman who has been very reserved in her life as she meets this renowned playboy at a train on her way home as she becomes smitten by him but with a sense of caution. Yet, their subsequent meetings turn into a romance where they elope in secrecy as their marriage becomes troubling due to the amount of gambling debts that Johnnie Aysgarth (Cary Grant) has amassed himself where Lina McLaidlaw (Joan Fontaine) becomes suspicious over the loss of a few objects. The film’s screenplay explore a woman not only becoming suspicious about her husband and what he does but also in some of things he wants to do in his life. Even as his plans to do something for himself which only makes Lina feel more confused and paranoid about what is going on following the death of her father and later a family friend.
Alfred Hitchcock’s direction is very engaging for the way it plays into a simple drama that has air of suspense and intrigue. Notably as he goes for something that is simple in some of his compositions and how he would frame his actors for a scene. While there are a few wide shots in the film which includes images of a seaside cliff, much of the direction is intimate with its usage of close-ups and medium shots where Hitchcock play into the romance as well as Lina’s anguish over Johnnie’s gambling and activities that she doesn’t know much about. The direction would maintain a sense of intrigue where Hitchcock would create some intimate conversations such as a dinner scene with a suspense writer about poison where it is about Lina’s reaction and paranoia. Even as a supporting character dies suspiciously where it plays into what could happen as Hitchcock’s mastery of suspense becomes so engrossing as it plays to a chilling climax of what could really happen to Lina and what Johnnie has been doing all along. Overall, Hitchcock creates an intoxicating yet eerie film about a woman questioning her marriage and the man she had married.
Cinematographer Harry Stradling Sr. does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography where much of it is very simple to play up some of the drama and light-hearted moments but also create some unique images as well as some key lighting schemes to help create some suspense. Editor William Hamilton does amazing work with the editing with some stylish usage of dissolves as well as some rhythmic cut to plays into the suspense. Art director Van Nest Polglase and set decorator Darrell Silvera do excellent work with the design of the home that Johnnie and Lina would live in as well as some of other places they go to including the home of the suspense author.
Costume designer Edward Stevenson does fantastic work with the design of the gowns that Lina would wear in some of the social gatherings as well as the clothes she wears at home. Sound recordist John E. Tribby does terrific work in the sound to help create an air of suspense which heightens some of the drama including some of its very quiet scenes. The film’s music by Franz Waxman is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that plays into the drama with its lush string arrangements along with some eerie pieces for its suspenseful moments.
The film’s phenomenal cast include some notable small roles from Lumsden Hare as Inspector Hodgson, Vernon Downing as Hodgson’s assistant, Gavin Gordon as the dinner guest Dr. Sedbusk who is also the brother of the author Isobel, Reggie Sheffield as Lina’s dance partner at a ball early in the film, Isobel Jeans as a friend of Johnnie early in the film, Auriol Lee as the suspense author Isobel Sedbusk, and Leo G. Carroll as Johnnie’s cousin Captain George Melbeck who would give Johnnie a job which wouldn’t go for very long. Heather Angel is terrific as Johnnie and Lina’s maid Ethel who takes care of their home as she wonders what is wrong with Lina. Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Dame May Whitty are excellent in their respective roles as Lina’s parents General and Mrs. McLaidlaw as a couple who are befuddled by Johnnie as the former is the most suspicious of the two.
Nigel Bruce is brilliant as Gordon Cochrane “Beaky” Thwaite as a friend of Johnnie who tries to assure Lina that everything is alright just as he and Johnnie are planning something that will help them financially. Cary Grant is amazing as Johnnie Aysgarth as a playboy/gambler who falls for the shy Lina as he tries to cope with the changes in his married life while secretly doing things in an attempt to start something new for himself. Finally, there’s Joan Fontaine in a remarkable performance as Lina McLaidlaw as this shy heiress who falls for a man with a notorious reputation yet sees the good in him until certain activities and things that he do arouses some suspicion which would play into her anguished performance as it’s really one of the film’s highlights.
Suspicion is a sensational film from Alfred Hitchcock that features incredible performances from Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. The film isn’t just one of Hitchcock’s more intriguing suspense-dramas but also a study of identity and marriage which would play into a woman dealing with who she has married. In the end, Suspicion is a marvelous film from Alfred Hitchcock.
Alfred Hitchcock Films: (Number 13) - (The Pleasure Garden) - (The Blackguard) - (The Mountain Eagle) - (The Lodger) - (A Story of the London Fog) - (The Ring) - (Downhill) - (The Farmer’s Wife) - (Easy Virtue) - (Champagne) - (The Manxman) - (Blackmail) - (Juno and the Paycock) - (Murder!) - (The Skin Game) - (Mary) - (Lord Camber’s Ladies) - (Rich and Strange) - (Number Seventeen) - (Waltzes from Vienna) - (The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)) - The 39 Steps - (Secret Agent) - (Sabotage) - (Young and Innocent) - The Lady Vanishes - (Jamaica Inn) - Rebecca - (Foreign Correspondent) - (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) - (Saboteur) - (Shadow of a Doubt) - Bon Voyage - Lifeboat - (Spellbound) - Notorious - (The Paradine Cage) - Rope - (Under Capricorn) - (Stage Fright) - Strangers on a Train - I Confess - Dial M for Murder - Rear Window - To Catch a Thief - (The Trouble with Harry) - The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) - (The Wrong Man) - Vertigo - North by Northwest - Psycho - The Birds - Marnie - (Torn Curtain) - (Topaz) - (Frenzy) - (Family Plot)
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by Ernest Lehman, North by Northwest is the story of a man who is being pursued by government agents of a microfilm he might be carrying as he is mistaken for being a spy. The film is a thriller where a man is on the run as he is mistaken for someone else as he tries to prove his innocence in a journey all over America. Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau, and Jessie Royce Landis. North by Northwest is a thrilling film from Alfred Hitchcock.
The film explores the world of mistaken identity where an advertising executive finds himself mistaken for a spy by a group of corrupt government agents as he later accused of murder where he goes on the run from authorities and the people that put him into this position. It’s a film that isn’t just a suspense-thriller where this man in Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) wonders why he is mistaken for being a spy as his attempts to clear his name become troubling as he gets the help of a mysterious woman named Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) whom he would be attracted to as she knows why he’s a fugitive as more complexities emerge. Especially in her association with the man in Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) who was the person that put Thornhill in this situation.
Ernest Lehman’s screenplay doesn’t just emphasize on this idea of mistaken identity where Thornhill is baffled for being involved something like espionage over some mysterious microfilm that had been stolen. Some of the situations and Thornhill’s reactions are quite humorous as it adds to the film’s suspense as Thornhill is often baffled for being mistaken for a spy. Still, Lehman takes his time to flesh out the characters as Thornhill is just an advertising executive who is devoted to his work as this case of mistaken identity forces him to live a little dangerously but also realize that he must take drastic action into these situations. The character of Eve is a complex one as she is revealed to be a mistress of Vandamm as she would tease and flirt with Thornhill while becoming aware that he isn’t a bad guy. Especially in someone like Vandamm who is someone that wants to cause trouble as he’s a character that isn’t fully realized but rather someone that is just a villain who is sort of weak and hungry for power.
Alfred Hitchcock’s direction is quite stylish from the opening title credits sequence created by Saul Bass to play into the sense of thrill that Hitchcock would create. Much of which involves some darkly comic moments such as Thornhill driving drunk since he was forced to drink an entire bottle of Bourbon. Much of the film is shot on studio sets as it would recreate some locations in New York City and Chicago plus the climatic scene at Mount Rushmore. Hitchcock’s usage of close-ups and medium shots are quite engaging including the way the relationship between Thornhill and Eve develops with some subtle references towards aspects of that growing relationship. Even as sex is implied where it used with subtlety in lieu of the production code of those times.
Hitchcock’s approach to suspense and thrills definitely showcase a master at work such as the very famous scene of Thornhill being chased by a crop duster in the middle of a plain fields near Chicago. Hitchcock also uses some humor in a notable scene at an auction house where Thornhill decides to make an ass out of himself so he can get the attention of the authorities as he’s being watched by Vandamm’s henchmen. The film would then lead to the climatic moment at Mount Rushmore where a lot of revelations occur as well as Thornhill’s decision to really take action against Vandamm and his goons. Overall, Hitchcock creates a very sensational and engaging film about a case of mistaken identity.
Cinematographer Robert Burks does amazing work with the film‘s colorful cinematography with its use of wide shots for some of the film‘s locations as well in some of the lighting interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor George Tomasini does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish use of dissolves as well as some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the film‘s humor and suspense. Production designer Robert F. Boyle, with set decorators Henry Grace and Frank R. McKelvy and art directors William A. Horning and Merrill Pye, does fantastic work with the set pieces such as home of Vandamm near Mount Rushmore as well as the estate where Thornhill meets Vandamm.
The special effects work of A. Arnold Gillespie, Lee LeBlanc, and Doug Hubbard is terrific for the backdrops in some scenes set in cars as well as the climatic showdown at Mount Rushmore. Sound editor Van Allen James does nice work with the sound from some of the sound effects that occur including the crop dusting plane as well as some scenes where sound plays key to the story. The film’s music by Bernard Herrmann is incredible for its thrilling orchestral score with soaring string arrangements to play into its suspense and terror along with some lush themes for the dramatic moments.
The casting by Leonard Murphy is superb as it features some notable small roles from Adam Williams and Robert Ellenstein as a couple of Vandamm’s goons who would kidnap Thornhill, Josephine Hutchinson as Vandamm’s housekeeper, and Malcolm Attenbury as a man Thornhill meets at the crossroads. Leo G. Carroll is terrific as a mysterious professor Thornhill meets in the film’s third act as he is aware of Thornhill’s innocence while Jessie Royce Landis is very funny as Thornhill’s mother who believes that her son is just screwing things up as usual. Martin Landau is fantastic as Vandamm’s right-hand man Leonard as this very creepy guy who manages to take care of anything Vandamm does as it’s a very chilling role from Landau.
James Mason is pretty good as Phillip Vandamm as this antagonist who displays a sense of charm in his demeanor although he’s sort of weak as a villain where he just commands and rarely takes action into his own hands. Eva Marie Saint is brilliant as Eve Kendall as this woman who is intrigued by Thornhill as she seduces and charms him for Vandamm while eventually falling for him as it’s a role full of beauty and grace. Finally, there’s Cary Grant in a remarkable performance as Roger O. Thornhill as this advertising executive who becomes a victim of mistaken identity as he deals with his situations as there’s some humor in his performance as well as the ability to be quite tough in handling his situations.
North by Northwest is a marvelous film from Alfred Hitchcock that features great performances from Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. The film definitely features some Hitchcock’s finest moments in suspense as well as unique approach to humor. Especially in his exploration of mistaken identity and a man’s unique reaction to his situations. In the end, North by Northwest is a tremendously exhilarating film from Alfred Hitchcock.
Alfred Hitchcock Films: (Number 13) - (The Pleasure Garden) - (The Blackguard) - (The Mountain Eagle) - (The Lodger) - (A Story of the London Fog) - (The Ring) - (Downhill) - (The Farmer’s Wife) - (Easy Virtue) - (Champagne) - (The Manxman) - (Blackmail) - (Juno and the Paycock) - (Murder!) - (The Skin Game) - (Mary) - (Lord Camber’s Ladies) - (Rich and Strange) - (Number Seventeen) - (Waltzes from Vienna) - (The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)) - The 39 Steps - (Secret Agent) - (Sabotage) - (Young and Innocent) - The Lady Vanishes - (Jamaica Inn) - Rebecca - (Foreign Correspondent) - (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) - Suspicion - (Saboteur) - (Shadow of a Doubt) - Bon Voyage - Lifeboat - (Spellbound) - Notorious - (The Paradine Cage) - Rope - (Under Capricorn) - (Stage Fright) - Strangers on a Train - I Confess - Dial M for Murder - Rear Window - To Catch a Thief - (The Trouble with Harry) - The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) - (The Wrong Man) - Vertigo - Psycho - the Birds - Marnie - (Torn Curtain) - (Topaz) - (Frenzy) - (Family Plot)
© thevoid99 2014
