The Paradine Case (1947) is not considered one of Hitchcock's best. It is a court drama that stars Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, Charles Laughton and Alida Valli and though throughout the movie there is the mystery of "who killed Mr. Paradine?" I din't find myself connecting to (or even care about) any of the characters. It is a beautiful movie to look at, however, and for that alone it was worth it. Let's take a look, shall we?
This is the story of the successful lawyer Anthony Keane (Gregory Peck) who is happily married to a beautiful woman named Gay (Ann Todd).
When Keane takes on a mysterious murder case, everything changes for him and his wife.
His client is the charming Mrs. Paradine (Alida Valli) who is accused of poisoning her older and blind husband.
Anthony Keane falls under her charm and soon he falls in love with her. He is also so convinced of her innocence that he refuses to see all the facts and testimonies that show the opposite.
What's even worse is that Mrs. Paradine leads him on and never shares more than what she believes is necessary for the case, even when the questions are becoming more important in order to prove that she had nothing to do with her husband's death.
Has Keane's love for this woman made him completely blind and will it destroy both his career and his personal life? Will he find out the truth? And when he does, will he like it?
Hitchcock's initial choices for the lead actors were Laurence Olivier and Greta Garbo.
When Alfred Hitchcock delivered the finished film, it lasted almost three hours. The filming had lasted 92 days - a record for a Hitchcock film.
Bernard Herrmann was asked by producer David O. Selznick to do the score but he refused. Franz Waxman was hired instead.
David O. Selznick, imfamous for his interference, cut many scenes from the film. One of them was a long single take where the camera follows Keane and Sir Simon Flaquer (Charles Coburn) who enter Lincoln's Inn, close the door, walk up the stairs, turn the corner and walk into an office.
Director Cameo: Approximately 36 minutes in, Hitchcock walks behind Gregory Peck carrying a cello and smoking.
0 σχόλια :
Post a Comment