Review of Suspicion (1941) by John N — 14 Oct 2011

In Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion, the suspicion comes later. First we, and the ever so slightly impressionable Lina (Joan Fontaine), are treated to an unstoppable train of charm. Like the charisma volcano that he is, Cary Grant's Johnnie erupts all over the screen and into Lina's heart. Then it all gets a little bit weird. The basic premise is that Johnnie likes to gamble and is up to his neck in debt, Lina likes some antique chairs and Johnnie's friend Beaky just likes to hang around. Naturally, Lina soon starts to suspect (here's the suspicion) that murder is in the air. It's not clear whether this was an organic thought that gestated in the increasingly dark deeds of her husband, or whether it hits as a flash of inspiration during a game resembling Scrabble - Lina spells out 'murder' apparently subconciously ("If I had an 'e-r' I could make 'murderer'!" adds Beaky helpfully.).

The dialogue, which begins nicely enough during the couple's courting, soon becomes peppered with slightly irritating repetitions. It's a wonder Lina doesn't go mad just from hearing so many of Beaky's "old bean"s and Johnnies "monkey-face"s, but it's certainly challenging for the audience throughout the second act. The overall theme that there could be murder in the air, the household tension, the lies, the chairs, is great. It's classic Hitchcock, but the film isn't as refined as the director's later work.