Suspicion (1941) I just adore this b/w movie by the master of suspense. It stars Joan Fontaine as the shy and provincial Lina. She is a schoolmarmish woman who falls for the debonair cad, Johnny Aysgarth, cooly played by Cary Grant. They marry and Lina begins to suspect her husband is only after her money, then plotting murder, and that she may be the next victim. As the movie progresses, her “suspicions” get the best of her—the suspense expertly built by the film score and the more sinister shots of Johnny, as he slowly turns on his wife, as her fear of him grows. There are some marvelous scenes leading up to the climax, one with Cary Grant climbing the grand staircase with a glowing glass of milk. The dialogue, like in many of these old b/w movies, is well-crafted.
The film does amble along in the first hour, but the pace picks up. Based on Francis Iles’ novel, Before the Fact, with some substantial changes to preserve Cary Grant’s romantic hero image.
Joan Fontaine won an Oscar for Best Actress but many critics feel that it was because she did not win the Oscar for another outstanding performance for Rebecca, the previous year. (Hitchcock’s first American directed feature) 
1 Comment
January 1, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Sounds like a great movie!