Alfred Hitchcock's 1941 psychological thriller, Suspicion, is a perennial classic of the film noir genre, and a superb creation by the legendary master of suspense.
Joan Fontaine plays Lina MacLaidlaw, an English spinster courted by Johnnie Aysgarth (Cary Grant), an irresponsible playboy gambler. Johnnie's fondness for the high life leads her to believe that he is wealthy. She learns the opposite after she marries him.
Lina watches as Johnnie goes from scheme to dishonest scheme in hunting for money. He latches on to a wealthy old school friend, Beaky Thwaite (Nigel Bruce), and goes to work for a relative, Captain Melbeck (Leo G. Carroll), but leaves his job without telling her.
Lina's suspicions build as she comes to wonder if Johnnie is low enough to commit murder. Clues and evidence shift back and forth before her eyes, and we see her doubts grow as Johnnie's motives look increasingly sinister.
Hitchcock brings all of his skills to play in this subtle but entrancing drama, which is as fascinating for its psychological twists and turns as for its thriller plot.
When the film appeared, the Los Angeles Times reviewer commented, "Still master of the casual, 'Hitch' epitomizes his title in a spine-tingler . . . about a wife (Joan Fontaine) who suspects her husband Cary Grant of having murderous designs on her. The ending, one of many shot, has been criticized as abrupt. That, I think, is what makes it effective."
The film scored a 97% on the Rotten Tomatoes site. The critics' consensus call Suspicion "a sly showcase for Joan Fontaine's nervy prowess and Alfred Hitchcock's flair for disquiet."
Suspicion won two Academy Awards: one for Joan Fontaine in her role as Lina, and one for Franz Waxman's haunting and evocative score.
The screenplay is credited to Samson Raphaelson, Joan Harrison (Hitchcock's personal assistant), and Alma Reville Hitchcock's wife). In this version, the dialogue matches the exact film, but elements from the original screenplays and shooting scripts have been integrated, along with some bridges.
