Suspicion (1941)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Anthony Berkeley (novel)
Samson Raphaelson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 November 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Love in his Heart . . . Tragedy in his Mind ! The stars of "Penny Serenade" and "Rebecca" in this most thrilling mystery . . .

Plot:

A shy young English woman marries a charming gentleman, then begins to suspect him of trying to kill her.

Plot Keywords:

Tea | Husband Wife | Paranoid | Deception | Atmospheric

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Johnnie Aysgarth
Joan Fontaine	...	Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth
Cedric Hardwicke	...	General McLaidlaw (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Nigel Bruce	...	Gordon Cochrane 'Beaky' Thwaite
Dame May Whitty	...	Mrs. Martha McLaidlaw
Isabel Jeans	...	Mrs. Helen Newsham
Heather Angel	...	Ethel (Maid)
Auriol Lee	...	Isobel Sedbusk
Reginald Sheffield	...	Reggie Wetherby
Leo G. Carroll	...	Captain George Melbeck

Also Known As:

Before the Fact (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

99 min | Spain:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U (tv rating) | Spain:13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | USA:Unrated

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Joan Fontaine said, "[Cary Grant] did kill me in the original cut, but at a preview, the audience simply refused to accept him as the murderer."

Goofs:

Continuity: Hitchcock makes his cameo appearance about forty minutes in, posting a letter in the village. However, when the shot changes, he has suddenly disappeared from beside the pillar-box.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Johnnie Aysgarth: Oh, I beg your pardon. Was that your leg? I had no idea we were going into a tunnel. I thought the compartment was empty.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Soundtrack:

Vienna Blood Waltz

How about that scene with the milk?

Grant taking the milk up to his wife was definitely the vision I remember from this film. The lighting is absolutely brilliant. I think a lot of Hitchcock's success came from making ordinary experiences terrifying. Just like taking a shower in Psycho or riding a bus in Sabotage, a simple act like drinking a glass of milk is made to seem shocking. And unlike current films that rely on mysterious masked villains, Hitch often used seemingly normal (or slightly maladjusted) people to carry out the terror.