Suspicion

I've been adding classic movies I've never taken the time to watch into my Netflix queue. Today I watched Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. Fontaine won an Oscar for this film.
If you're not familiar with the film, it's about Lina (Fontaine), a shy woman  from a wealthy family, who meets handsome gambler Johnny (Grant) on a train and falls head over heals for him. But after a whirlwind romance and elopement, Lina's happiness slowly turns to dread as she discovers the true nature of Johnny's carefree ways and gets a glimpse at his dark past.
I must say that Suspicion is another example of why Hitchcock is a master film maker. The lighting, the camera angles, the editing, and storyline - all of these things attest to Hitchcock's genius. He is able to get actors to communicate so much with a simple hand gesture or a facial expression.
I must admit that I was a little disappointed by the movie's ending. I was expecting something different. I thought Cary Grant would end up doing something totally different at the end of the film. I also thought there would be a twist or a hint that leaves you wondering. I thought it might end similarly to the movie Basic Instinct. I was glad that there was a special feature on the DVD that explained that Hitchcock himself did not like the ending of the film. He wanted a totally different ending that was closer to the original book and lobbied hard for it. Unfortunately, the RKO studio executives did not let Hitchcock have his way. So, instead Hitchcock put little hints (the writing and mailing of letters) in the movie to allude to what he really wanted to happen at the end of the film.
I also loved that Hitchcock lit a glass of milk (a key prop in the story) from the inside out using a battery operated light bulb. This allowed it to literally glow and stick out during the filming of a critical scene. My other favorite bit of trivia is that Hitchcock's dog has a cameo in the movie. The dog's name is Johnny (in real life) is Johnny which is also the name of Cary Grant's character.
If you ever get a chance to see Suspicion, I highly recommend it. It played right into my natural paranoia. I could see myself in the Joan Fontaine role - wondering, worrying, thinking the worst. (It's not easy being me.)
Anyway, I'm on to my next Netflix DVD - the first disc of season 5 of 24. I hope you are having a great weekend. Thanks for being a part of my journey!