SUSPICION (1941; Alfred Hitchcock)
This is an interesting film for me mostly because it features one of the rarer Cary Grant as a villain characters. It's an provocative turnabout based on the charismatic lovable scoundrels that he often portrayed. The exact allure that typically draws you in and makes you root for him works in just the opposite way when Hitchcock positions him as he does in SUSPICION. His 'Johnnie' character is a fella we can immediately spot as a ladies man who goes through women like tissues, but the demure Lina (Joan Fontaine) is caught off guard and taken in by his seduction almost right away. Joan Fontaine was really able to pull off this kind of vulnerable romantic desperation in a really effective way in more than this film - I'm thinking specifically of A LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN, which is an fitting companion piece to SUSPICION (also REBECCA of course). So it's a sharp Hitch setup with Grant ingratiating himself quickly, but leaving plenty of room for doubts with regards to his motivations. Lina is a part of a rich family so it's kind of easy to see where things might be going. But in true Hitchcock fashion, he makes things often ambiguous and eerie in the way things occur with the Johnnie character. Then of course there is that iconic shot with Grant and the glass of milk on the staircase - a standout moment that is remembered better than the film itself. As far as the Hitch/Grant collaborations go, this one is solid - not NORTH BY NORTHWEST or NOTORIOUS solid, but better than TO CATCH A THIEF. Warner Archive's Blu-ray looks great as well (as per their usual out put). Here's hoping MR. AND MRS. SMITH is in their Blu queue for the near future!
Special Features:
-Making-Of Documentary "Before The Fact: Suspicious Hitchcock"
-Theatrical Trailer

Special Features:
-Making-Of Documentary "Before The Fact: Suspicious Hitchcock"
-Theatrical Trailer

Special Features:
-Making-Of Documentary "Hitchcock's Confession: A Look at I CONFESS"
-Premiere Newsreel
-Theatrical Trailer
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