I Confess

Title: I Confess
Year: 1953
Studio: Warner Brothers
Screenplay: George Tabori & William Archibald
Source Material: From a play by Paul Anthelme
Running Time: 90 minutes
A black & white picture

Sunday 24th April, 8:00am
Today is Easter Sunday, so it seems kind of fitting I end up watching a film with a heavy religious theme. I started early as I am going out this afternoon to catch up with some dear friends. Sure, with it being an extra long weekend (five days thanks to Easter Monday falling on Anzac day!) I could have postponed the viewing to Monday or Tuesday, but for a lazy Sunday morning, it seemed perfectly timed. Tea and biscuits at the ready and a snuggly dressing gown enveloping me, I was all set.
I must confess (ho ho ho) that I am worried about eating too much bad stuff this weekend. I don't want to get back over 80kilograms again after working so hard to become slender over the past year. How I am going to cope with that packet of Cadbury's Creme Eggs in my 'fridge is anyone's guess.

Cast
Father Michael William Logan - Montgomery Clift
Ruth Grandfort - Anne Baxter
Inspector Larrue - Karl Malden
Willy Robertson - Brian Aherne
Otto Keller - O.E. Hasse
Pierre Grandfort - Roger Dann
Alma Keller - Dolly Haas
Father Millars - Charles Andre
Mr Villette - Ovila Légaré
Murphy - Joseph Pratt
Father Benoit - Gilles Pelletier

Synopsis
A man named Villette is murdered. The killer, Otto Keller removes his disguise - a priest's cassock, and heads straight to confessional where he tells Father Logan what he has done. He then returns home to confess to his wife and explains how all he wanted to do was steal $2,000 so they could start a new life. Both Otto and his wife, Alma, work at the rectory where Father Logan lives.
The following morning, Otto heads to Villette's home as he normally would do on a Wednesday morning as that is when he'd tend the garden. He then 'discovers' the body and calls the police. Logan arrives and sees the crowd. He goes to the house and tells the police he had an appointment.
A young blonde woman (Ruth Grandfort) also arrives and when Logan tells her about the murder, she is relived and says "We're free!"

Two young girls had been babysitting and were returning home late last night and they tell police they saw a priest leaving the scene of the crime some time after 11pm.
Inspector Larrue gets his man, Murphy, to enquire around town at all the rectories to find out which priests were out that night. Eventually they come to Logan who has difficulty giving a decent alibi.

Larrue contacts the crown prosecutor, Willy Robertson, who is, at that time, attending a party held by Ruth and Pierre Grandfort. Larrue says he thinks he knows who the murderer is and Ruth is worried.

Ruth feels she has to save Logan and tells the police that she was being blackmailed by Villette and she had been with Logan the night of the murder to discuss it. She then tells of the sequence of events leading up to the event from when she first met Logan and they fell in love. War came along and interrupted their romance. After a few years, she married Pierre and when the war was over, Logan returned and they spent a stormy night together on an island. She had not told him of her recent marriage. Villette discovered them and, knowing of her marriage makes nasty comments which rile Logan enough to strike him.
Years pass and Logan becomes ordained. Eventually, Villette falls on hard times and comes to Ruth in need of money - if she doesn't pay, there will be a huge scandal.

Ruth's confession provides Logan with an alibi between 9pm and 11pm but after she leaves, Larrue admits to Robertson that the autopsy states Villette dies around 11:30.
When Ruth learns that she has not only failed to provide a decent alibi but has also given a motive. They suspect Logan killed Villette to stop him from telling of their affair, even though nothing had actually been going on for years.

In court, Keller lies and frames Logan even further. Logan struggles with his oath and tries to do the right thing. Luckily, the jury find him not guilty due to insufficient evidence. However, the judge expresses his displeasure and the crowds outside are intense with some hurling abuse at the now free man whose name and reputation have been sullied by the trial.
Alma is so distressed when she sees the way the mob are treating the innocent Logan, she runs to him shouting "He's innocent". Otto panics and shots his wife. The crowd disperse and the police chase after Otto. As Alma dies, she prays for forgiveness.

At the nearby hotel, Otto runs from the police shooting a chef in the process. Eventually, he is cornered in the ballroom. He assumes Logan has betrayed him and thus confesses to all. In a showdown, he is shot and he too asks for forgiveness from the man he framed and tried to kill.

The End

Great Lines
Admittedly, there aren't any humdingers as the serious tone quashes most room for joy, but there were a couple of phrases which are of note.

Michael Logan gives a calm response and admittedly fair conclusion to Larrue's insinuations following evidence of a priest witnessed at the scene of the crime:

"Well, then, I would say a man of intelligence would not be led to believe anything on so little evidence."

Ruth's panic over her statement which may be the downfall of Logan:

"They'll twist what I've said. They'll turn it. They'll use it. I've given them what they wanted. I was going to help Michael... but I've destroyed him."

And the one slightly humorous line in the entire film comes from one of two young girl witnesses.

Larrue: "Sorry I had to drag you away from school."

Girl: "We love to be dragged away from school. Thank you!"

Comments
This is only the third time I have watched I Confess. The first time, I hate to admit it, I was bored. The second time was much more enjoyable and this time I got even more out of it.

The one thing that I feel is missing from the film is a sense of humour. The only hint of levity is in regard to Benoit and his bicycle, which isn't exactly an example of great hilarity. Even though the subject matter is serious, that has never been a problem for Hitch in the past.

Some reviewers seem keen to express their distaste and dissatisfaction about this film merely on the basis that they cannot comprehend the dilemma of Logan's position. I am not Catholic nor very religious, but to question someone's faith (even a fictional character's) is a rather weak criticism.

Although I have made a point about not listing each and every Hitchcock cameo throughout his films, I do want to mention this one as it's immediate and startlingly effective as he walks across the screen in a most artistic and beautiful shot.

Speaking of which, the film is littered with stunning visuals and fantastic camera angles. The shots of Otto walking the streets at night and then removing his disguise with his shadow looming before him; the mob scene after Logan is acquitted (mob scenes always creep me out. It's almost a sort of phobia) and the lovely sequence when Montgomery Clift (hmmm, pretty...) is battling his inner demons as he walks about town - we can see exactly what he is thinking about without one word of dialogue. Genius!

My Verdict
Strangers on a Train is a hard act to follow... Although I have come to appreciate this film more over the years, it is still only an 'average' Hitchcock movie. 6/10

Strangers on a Train

Title: Strangers on a Train
Year: 1951
Studio: Warner Brothers
Screenplay: Raymond Chandler and Czenzi Ormande (adaptation by Whitfield Cook)
Source Material: The novel by Patricia Highsmith
Running Time: 96 minutes
A black & white picture

Sunday 17th April, 1:30pm
I had planned on being on a honeymoon today. The plan was this:
I go to see the Scottish comedian, Danny Bhoy, last night... he'd spy me in the crowd, fall madly in love with me and we'd elope over night and end up somewhere like Hawaii by lunchtime today.
Sadly, he had to spoil it all by a) not spying me and b) not being gay.
So, instead, I spent the day in my PJs doing laundry and watching DVDs. Thankfully, part of the day was taken up watching one of my all-time favourite movies; Strangers on a Train...

Cast
Guy Haines - Farley Granger
Anne Morton - Ruth Roman
Bruno Antony - Robert Walker
Senator Morton - Leo G Carroll
Barbara Morton - Patricia Hitchcock
Miriam Joyce Haines - Laura Elliott
Mrs Antony - Marion Lorne
Mr Antony - Jonathan Hale
Captain Turley - Howard St John
Professor Collins - John Brown
Mrs Cunningham - Norma Varden
Detective Leslie Hennessey - Robert Gist
Detective Hammond - John Doucette

Synopsis
Two men meet on a train by accident. One is Guy Haines, a successful young tennis player with sights on marrying a senator's daughter despite already being married. The other is Bruno Antony, a playboy with dangerous delusions and some wicked notions.
Whilst dining, Bruno tells of his idea about swapping murders and offers, supposedly hypothetically as far as Guy is concerned, that Bruno kills Guy's current wife and Guy kills Bruno's domineering father.
Guy shrugs off the meeting as a brief encounter with a loony and gets off at Metcalf (accidentally leaving his personalised cigarette lighter behind in Bruno's compartment) in order to talk to his philandering wife, Miriam Joyce Haines, about their impending divorce.
Miriam works at Miller's Music Store and during their meeting, she announces that she has since changed her mind about the divorce since Guy's career has suddenly sky-rocketed. She will keep the baby (which is not Guy's) and threaten scandal if he leaves her in the lurch. Fuming with rage, he leaves the smug bitch in the shop and immediately telephones Anne (his lover) to explain the horrible situation - he admits he'd like to strangle Miriam.

One evening, Bruno travels to Metcalf and finds out where Miriam lives. He waits for her until she leaves the house with two 'boyfriends', George and Tommy. He follows them to a fairground where he stalks her. She sees him and she flirts casually with him as he follows her to various stalls and onto the merry-go-round.
The three young people decide to take a boat through 'The Tunnel of Love' and have some fun on the 'Magic Isle' - Bruno takes a boat too and follows.
Miriam and the boys separate on the isle and Bruno catches her. He holds Guy's cigarette lighter up to her face and asks "Is your name Miriam?" and when she replies that it is, he slowly strangles the life out of her body.

Nonchalantly, Bruno climbs back into his boat and returns to the mainland.
He arrives at Guy's home and shows him the evidence of his success - Miriam's broken glasses. Guy is appalled but Bruno threatens him with the fact he'll be seen as an accomplice. Bruno wants Guy to go through with the murder of Mr Antony.

Guy returns to his home and receives a call from Anne - she asks him to go to her home. When he turns up, Anne, her sister Barbara and her father, the senator, are waiting for him and they tell him the tragic news, little knowing he is already familiar with the details. Guy says he has an alibi - a Professor Collins from Delaware Tech, who was on the train with him at around the time of the murder. Frustratingly, when the chief of police, Captain Turley, finds the Professor, it is discovered that the man was drunk and cannot recall the meeting at all.

Turley assigns two detectives, Hennessey and Hammond, to take turns in tailing Guy whilst procedures take place.

Bruno begins to stalk Guy, turning up at his tennis matches, following him to the museum etc. Bruno posts him the key to his father's home, includes a map of the building. He even sends him the gun he wishes Guy to use.
On one meeting, Bruno spies Barbara and is aghast at how similar she is in looks to the murdered Miriam. This haunts him once more whilst at a function held by the senator, Bruno strikes up a conversation with a Mrs Cunningham and her friend Mrs Anderson about the perfect murder. Bruno demonstrates the simplicity of strangulation but when he sees Barbara in the background, he goes into a trance and nearly kills Mrs Cunningham whose throat is being crushed by his grip.

Guy wants Bruno to leave him alone and Anne is becoming more and more suspicious. She confronts Guy and he admits to what is going on, but still professing his innocence.
Guy telephones Bruno and says he will go through with it, but that night, having slipped the detective, he arrives at Bruno's father's home only to find Bruno waiting for him. Guy was going to tell Mr Antony the truth about his son but instead tells Bruno that he needs some sort of psychiatric help.
Bruno is not impressed and says he won't kill Guy, he will find something much better...

Anne visits Mrs Antony, trying to persuade her to stop her son. Mrs Antony is having none of it and thinks it is all too silly. Bruno arrives and tells Anne that it was all Guy's doing and how Guy wanted Bruno to retrieve the lighter from the scene of the crime.
With this informative clue, Anne and Guy realise Bruno is going to plant it back on the Isle.
They need to get there before Bruno but without the police getting in the way. However, Guy has a tennis match to finish and win first.

Having won the match (playing against his usual style) Guy races to Metcalf with the help of Barbara who hinders the detectives in their pursuit.
Bruno is also hindered slightly when he accidentally drops the lighter down a drain. He wastes valuable time trying to retrieve it - telling curious passers-by that it's a cigarette case in order to not arouse suspicions later...

Guy finally makes it to the fairground as night draws in. Bruno has been unable to get a boat to the island as the morbid curiosity of the public have increased interest in the 'Magic Isle'.
Guy spies Bruno and Bruno leaps onto the moving merry-go-round, Guy joins him. Two Metcalf policemen try to stop Guy and fire a gun - it hits the operator who slumps to the floor taking the control lever down with him causing the ride to speed up.
Guy and Bruno fight as the children scream around them. One fairground attendant manages to crawl beneath the spinning beast and reach the brake which brings it to a shuddering, screeching halt. It thunders and crashes, injuring the riders and the spectators. The policemen search the wreckage and find Guy in good health. However, the man who operates the boat stall had recognised Bruno as the same man from the night of Miriam's murder. The cops still don't believe Guy's innocence, despite his story - until Bruno's crushed body finally gives up and he dies, releasing the grip he has on Guy's cigarette lighter.

Guy has some explaining to do, but he is basically off the hook... and free to marry Anne Morton.

The End.

Great Lines

Mrs Antony: "I do hope you've forgotten all about that silly plan of yours."

Bruno: "Which one?"

Mrs Antony: "About blowing up the White House."

Bruno: "Oh Ma, I was only fooling. Besides, what would the President say?!"

Mrs Antony: "You're a naughty boy, Bruno!"

***

Barbara: "Nothing stands in your way now. You can be married right away. Think of it, you're free!"

Senator Morton: "One doesn't always have to say what one thinks."

Barbara: "Father, I am not a politician."

***

When Bruno sees Anne Morton at the museum:

Bruno: "Slight improvement on Miriam, huh, Guy?!"

***

Senator Morton worries about what the gossips will say after Bruno's little "scene" at the party:

Senator Morton: : "...first thing you know they'll be talking about orgies!"

***

And the chillingly delivered:

Bruno: "Is your name Miriam?"

Comments
Farley Granger died on March 27th of this year. I won't deny that I have always had a bit of a crush on him, ever since I first saw Strangers on a Train and even though he lived to a good age (85) it is still a great loss. He was a charming and beautiful man. (It's that bottom lip of his...)
Robert Walker's performance as Bruno Antony is exquisite. He portrays the unhinged madman with such elegance and class. Once again, as with Rope, we teeter on the edge of the suggestion of homosexuality and Robert's performance is subtle and daring.
Patricia Hitchcock may be an example of nepotism within the industry, but it's not unjustified as her performance as the brutally frank Barbara Morton is pure perfection.

There are so many glorious little touches of black humour. One of my favourites is Bruno's casual demeanour as he stalks Miriam in the park - bursts a child's balloon with his cigarette and then eats popcorn on his way to killing Miriam on the island.

One rather creepy image is when guy sees Bruno in the crowd at the tennis match. Everyone else's heads are turning in rhythm with the flying ball except for Bruno's whose eye-line is permanently on Guy.

The most exciting denouement is delivered with magnificent pace and energy. The whole scene on the merry-go-round is desperately nail-biting and eerie as The Band Played On plays on at a faster speed accompanied by screams from petrified riders and bystanders alike. This scene never fails to chill me. One of Hitch's best moments out of his long career.

Although the story has been remade a couple of times since (why, oh why?) I can recommend the film Throw Momma From the Train. It isn't a direct remake, but more of an homage to the original with splendid direction from Danny DeVito (and a nice early performance from 24th Century Starship Captain Kathryn Janeway AKA Kate Mulgrew from Star Trek)

One final thing... I have always said to myself (and others who care to listen) that if I ever had to choose one prop from film history to own, it would have to be the cigarette lighter inscribed 'From A to G'. Maybe one day I will be able to buy it (or at least have a perfect replica...)
Marion Lorne will be known to most as the lovable but ditzy Aunt Clara from TV's Bewitched.

My Verdict
I have never shied away from announcing this as one of my all-time favourites. Sure, there a couple of plot holes, but I don't give a damn. It's superbly played with one of the BEST climaxes to a thriller ever. 10/10

Stage Fright

Title: Stage Fright
Year: 1950
Studio: Warner Brothers
Screenplay: Whitfield Cook. Adapted by Alma Reville with additional dialogue by James Bridle
Source Material: Man Running by Selwyn Jepson
Running Time: 105 minutes
A black & white picture

Sunday 10th April, 9:45am
Last weekend I was simply too busy to get around to doing this blog. You have to understand that it takes a few hours to watch the film (with plenty of pausing to jot down notes and scribble down great lines) and then another couple of hours to write it all up. This is why I am single.
I figure that if I only have one weekend off from here on in, I should finish this blog on Hitchcock's birthday (if all goes to plan...)
Once again, I am going to try my best to truncate the plot so I don't have to spend ages detailing every tiny little moment. It may seem rushed, but I'm hungry and want some lunch.
(I will also take it as read that whoever reads this knows the ending of the movie...)
(Gosh, I love brackets)

Cast
Eve Gill - Jane Wyman
Charlotte Inwood - Marlene Dietrich
Inspector Wilfred 'Ordinary' Smith - Michael Wilding
Jonathan Cooper - Richard Todd
Mrs Gill - Sybil Thorndike
Nellie Goode - Kay Walsh
Mr Fortesque - Miles Mallerson
Freddie Williams - Hector MacGregor
Woman manning the "Lovely Ducks" stall - Joyce Grenfell
Inspector Byard - Andre Morell
Chubby Bannister - Patricia Highsmith
Sergeant Mellish - Ballard Berkeley
Commodore Gill - Alistair Sim

Synopsis
The Safety Curtain raises to reveal London.
Eve Gill is driving through town with alacrity as her passenger, Jonathan Cooper, relays his tale of adventure. He has been caught up in a murder. His lover, famous actress Charlotte Inwood, has killed her husband and has come to him for help wearing her bloodstained outfit. He helps her out by returning to the scene of the crime to pick up a clean dress for Charlotte and to rearrange things to make it look like a break-in only to be caught in the act by Nellie, the maid. The police come looking for Jonnie but he evades them and goes in search of Eve so that she can help him out. He finds her at RADA rehearsing...
Eve, upon hearing teh story and being slightly enamoured with Jonnie, agrees to help.

She takes him to her father's place by the sea where Jonathan burns the bloodstained dress. Eve wants to go and talk to Charlotte to talk to her and help Jonnie. Commodore Gill keeps a roof over Jonnie's head and asks Eve to not get involved as it could be dangerous. The next morning, Eve sneaks out, disregarding her father's wishes, only to find a note from him in the car:

Remember she's a dangerous woman, so BE CAREFUL
Your loving Father

Back in London, Eve manages to wheedle her way into the life of a detective named Smith by playing the weak and feeble bystander. They build up an immediate rapport and she is able to get some information from him whilst becoming a little attracted to him. Nellie, Inwood's maid, enters the same public house and starts nattering about what she knows.

Eve pretends to be a reporter and offers to pay Nellie so that she can take her place and do some snooping. Nellie is a mercenary woman and agrees. Eve 'becomes' Doris Tinsdale and replaces Nellie as Charlotte's maid as Nellie feigns illness. However, this means Eve has to avoid Wilfred Smith when ever he comes to talk to Charlotte about the murder.

At a fund-raising garden party where Charlotte is performing Eve and her father try to expose Charlotte as the guilty party . The Commodore wins a doll, smears some of his own blood on the doll's dress and persuades a young scout to deliver the doll to Charlotte whilst she performs. Charlotte is taken aback and almost collapses. Unfortunately for Eve, she is needed as Charlotte's maid and thus is exposed to Detective Smith with whom she has attended the event.

Afterwards, the Commodore and Eve have to tell Smith everything. He is not impressed by their meddling nor by the fact it seems he has been used by Eve. She tries to persuade him that she did once love Jonnie and that is why she got involved but now she is falling for Smith.

With help from the police and the theatre, they try to catch Charlotte out by bugging the quick-change dressing room and getting her to talk about the dress and the murder. Eve gets Charlotte talking but the confession is not quite what was expected. Charlotte blames Jonnie and reveals how he was the one who committed the crime. Eve is reluctant to believe it until soon, Jonnie is on the run again and she hides him in the theatre basement. It turns out he has a criminal history and he believes the only way he can get away with his life intact would be to plead insanity. The only way to prove his unhinged mental state would be to kill again for no apparent reason.
Eve says she will help him but locks him in the orchestra pit and screams for help.
The police come for him and he tries to escape, only to be crushed by the falling safety curtain as he clambers onto the stage.

Wilfred Smith embraces and consoles Eve as they walk off-stage together.

THE END

Great Lines

Commodore Gill and his daughter discuss the anoozing Jonathan:

Commodore Gill: "He's a friend of yours is he?"

Eve Gill: "Oh yes..."

Commodore Gill: "I see - More than a friend, eh?"

Eve Gill: "When I am with him, I get a feeling in here that... that's sort of..."

Commodore Gill: "Yes, well... we'll go into symptoms later. Meanwhile, I take it you're either keen on him or still hungry."

When Charlotte is being dressed for the funeral, she is not keen on the style:

Charlotte Inwood: "If we could only work in a little colour somewhere. Oh well..."

Charlotte on detectives:

"They are only policemen with smaller feet."

Charlotte on small talk:

"I hope you're not going to turn into one of those explicit people who always tell you exactly how they feel when you ask them."

And for all other great lines, just listen to all scenes with Alistair Sim and his brilliant delivery.

Comments
I love the way we are thrown straight into the plot. there is no faffing around. As soon as that curtain is raised, we're knee deep in plot and adventure, even if it is not all is it seems to be at first.
The whole 'stage' theme is played continually throughout, sometimes subtly, sometimes brashly, but either way effectively. As Shakespeare wrote: All the world's a stage...

There are a number of utterly delightful scenes within the movie. For a start, the scenes at the home of the Gill's are always glistening with sparkling dialogue - particularly when Sybil Thorndike and Alistair Sim are trading their banter.
The scene where Marlene is singing Je vois la vie en rose as the cub scout produces the doll with the blood stained dress is eerily directed as only Hitch could.
My favourite scene has to be where Alistair Sim tries to purchase a doll from the hilarious Joyce Grenfell at the "Lovely Ducks" stall. First he offers to buy the doll until he realises how much he'll have to fork out. Then he tries to win one, but fails miserably. He pretends a larger fellow's winning turn was his own, but his opponents threatening nature persuades him to give that one up and, with this lesson in mind, turns the tables on a weaker chap to his right who turns out to be easily intimidated. It's a golden moment of comedy.

Finally, two little casting notes.
Ballard Berkeley who plays Mellish will always be Major Gowen from Fawlty Towers to me.
Patricia Hitchcock, Alfred's daughter, makes her first of three appearances within her father's films - this time as the oddly monikered 'Chubby Bannister'. It makes me think of something easy to slide down but too wide to grip. Thank heavens this isn't a Carry On film.

My Verdict
Hitchcock is wonderful at blending comedy with thriller. The mystery is played out very well and Jane Wyman is as entrancing as she is attractive. The twisting plot is gripping too. The only negative thing is the all-too convenient placing of Jonathan in various scenes. He seems to be terrible at hiding. 8/10

Under Capricorn

Title: Under Capricorn
Year: 1949
Studio: Transatlantic Pictures/Warner Brothers
Screenplay: Adapted by Hume Cronyn, Screenplay by James Bridie
Source Material: A novel by Helen Simpson
Running Time: 117 minutes

Saturday 26th March, 9:00am
I was hindered last weekend by technological issues. I had planned to watch this antipodean drama but my computer was infected with some evil Trojan virus thing. Thankfully, my genius friend Adam was able to give up his weekend in order to fix things like only he can. So, it meant I had to postpone the screening and write-up, but so be it. I'm not giving myself a strict schedule here. I'll get through it all in my own time.
Golly, it has been colder than one would have imagined for what should be the latter end of an Australian summer. I had to put an extra quilt on my bed last night. Madness! As I have now begun using the online delivery service for my shopping, I had no need to get up first thing and head to the shops as I used to do. No siree! No, I had breakfast in bed instead. In fact, as I type this, I am still in my jim-jams. Hoorah for weekend laziness.
With a lackadaisical notion in mind, I am going to force myself to be as brief as possible with the synopsis this week. (Particularly considering it's not the most exciting plot...)

Cast
Lady Henrietta Flusky - Ingrid Bergman
Samson Flusky - Joseph Cotton
Charles Adare - Michael Wilding
Milly - Maragaret Leighton
Governor - Cecil Parker
Mr Corrigan - Denis O'Dea
Winter - Jack Watling
Coachman - Harcourt Williams
Mr Potter - John Ruddock
Mr Banks - Bill Shine
Reverend Smiles - Victor Lucas
Mr Riggs - Ronald Adam
Major Wilkins - Francie de Wolff
Dr Macallister - G H Mulcaster
Sal - Olive Sloane
Flo - Maureen Delaney
Susan - Julia Lang
Martha - Betty McDermott

Synopsis
Sydney, New South Wales, 1931
A new Governer arrives and brings his Irish cousin, Charles Adare along with him.
Charles makes the acquaintance of Sam Flusky at the bank and the rich ex-convict helps Charles out with some money. He invites him to his home for dinner, much to the chagrin of the Governor who warns him against it.

At the dinner party, Charles is curious and slightly amused at the fact that, although invited, none of the wives of the male guests have turned up, either feigning illness or with reports of being 'detained at the last minute'.
Sam wants his wife to meet and socialise with local woman, but his reputation proceeds him and steers them clear. His home is called Minyago Yugilla which translates to "Why Weepest Thou?", which must be a slight deterrent too, surely.

During the meal, Henrietta descends from her room, she's a tad tipsy and acts a little barmy (and appears to be literally blind, which confused me for a bit) but she is so pleased to see Charles Adare whom she knew when she was much younger.
Later she calls for him to shoot an imagined creature in her bedroom and he merely humours her by shooting into the fireplace to remove the 'rat'.

Sam tells Charles about his story. How he killed Henrietta's brother and escaped the gallows as it was deemed to be culpable homicide. He was sent to Australia and his wife followed him after selling everything back in Ireland.

Charles goes to see Henrietta in her room and is found by the housemaid, Milly, who likes to imply that something dirty was going on.
Milly is disgusted by the goings on in the house and says she is leaving for good. Henrietta has to become more forceful within the house, egged on by Charles who thinks it is best for her to stand on her own two feet.

Charles pretends that Henrietta and Sam have been invited along with him to the Governor's ball, even though he himself is persona non grata with his cousin since disobeying orders.
Sam declines, but Henrietta attends. She dresses up beautifully and Sam is all ready to supply her with a beautiful ruby necklace, but he does not get the opportunity to present them as Charles and Henrietta mock the notion of red with her dress.

When Charles and Henrietta have left, Milly turns up to collect the rest of her things. However, she is there to stir and implies that there must be something untoward going on between Charles and Henrietta. Sam takes the bait and heads off to the ball.

At the ball, the Governor is swayed by Henrietta's beauty but when Sam blasts in, the night for her is ruined. She returns home with Charles and confesses that it was she who shot her brother and Sam just took the fall.
Sam returns and throws Charles out. Adare takes Sam's favourite mare and cripples it after not seeing a closed gate. Returning to the house with the bad news, Sam has to shoot his own horse and then in a temper attempts to attack Charles. The gun goes off and Charles is wounded.

With Sam's apparent 'second' offence, it is likely he will be hanged. Henrietta confesses her crime to the Governor to protect him, but Sam would need to confirm it and they wait for Charles to either die from his wound or recover and hope he says the shooting was an accident.

Back at the house, Milly has stayed on and she tries to drive her mistress further into insanity by leaving a grotesque shrunken head on her bed and then tries to poison her with an overdose of a sleeping draught. Henrietta calls for help and Sam comes to the rescue.
Milly was doing everything for her loyalty to Sam, but he sees her for what she is.

Charles recovers and as the true gent he is, says the shooting was an accident. Sam is cleared of his previous conviction and with new honesty between Sam and Henrietta they have a new life to lead. Charles gallantly returns to Ireland.

The End

Great Lines
The Governor is dictating a letter:

"...tell him the approach to the docks is the filthiest sight I've ever seen. Tell him I don't like old barrels and cartwheels and cabbage leaves and dead cats..."

At the dinner party, Charles is enjoying some chit-chat with the other guests:

Mr Riggs: "And how do you like Sydney Mr Adare?"

Adare: "Oh, I like it very much. I admire in particular the bandicoot, the rock wallaby and the duck-billed platypus. Don't take this preference as implying my derogation of the spiny anteater, the cockatoo or even the frilled lizard. There's always the kangaroo, Mr Riggs, always the kangaroo."

Mr Riggs: "I didn't mean that exactly; I meant the society."

Adare: "Is there any!?"

Comments
Jack Watling is the father of Deborah Watling who played Victoria in Doctor Who back in the 1960s. Just thought I'd mention it...

I have always regarded Ingrid Bergman as one of the most beautiful women ever to grace the screen. She was also a highly accomplished actress. However, I think it is fair to say that accents were not her forte. She's not exactly Meryl Streep.

It's interesting to note that Alfred was very particular about historical accuracies so if anyone mentions the lack of heavy Australian accents, it would be worth pointing out that those particular tones did not evolve for another hundred years or so.

Joseph Cotton does a reasonable job of the stoic and domineering Sam, but extra credit goes to Michael Wilding who is the most interesting person on screen (and he's handsome too!)
Praise is also due to Margaret Leighton whose portrayal of the conniving and slightly evil Milly is wonderful.

Henrietta basically gets away with murder, unless I missed a major plot point. Admittedly, I was becoming a bit bored by the end, so I may have missed an integral part of the dialogue in which everyone says; "Oh, never mind, your brother deserved it anyway. La de da!"
Please feel free to let me know...

My Verdict
This is not one of Hitch's most thrilling movies and I feel at just under two hours, it's a tad too long. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to a first time viewer of Hitchcock's oeuvre. 4/10

Rope

Title: Rope
Year: 1948
Studio: Warner Brothers/Transatlantic Pictures
Screenplay: Adapted by Hume Cronyn, screenplay by Arthur Laurents
Source Material: From the play Rope's End by Patrick Hamilton.
Running Time: 77 minutes

Monday 14th March, 2:00pm
I'm back! Yes, it has been a while, but I did warn you I'd be taking a bit of a hiatus. Firstly it was only supposed to be for about a month while I was on holiday in the UK, but then when I returned to Australia I came down with sinusitis which crippled me for a bit. So, my return was delayed by a couple of weeks. Never fear, for I am back.
Even though I have enjoyed my break from this blog, I am glad to be back into the rhythm of it all. One thing I have come to learn is that writing out detailed synopsis is both tiresome and redundant. So I will make those entries much briefer - for your sake and for my sanity.
So, back to the project... A lovely one to ease me back in.

Cast
Rupert Cadell - James Stewart
Brandon Shaw - John Dall
Phillip Morgan - Farley Granger
Mr Kentley - Sir Cedric Hardwicke
Mrs Atwater - Constance Collier
Kenneth Lawrence - Douglas Dick
Mrs Wilson - Edith Evanson
David Kentley - Dick Hogan
Janet Walker - Joan Chandler

Synopsis
The movie begins with a murder in a New York apartment. David Kentley is being strangled with some rope by his two fellow students, Brandon Shaw and Phillip Morgan. The two young men lower David's corpse into a chest and try to recover themselves.
Brandon is exhilarated and rather pleased with himself. Phillip is winded with realisation of his crime.
The two have organised a party to be attended by David's friends and family, purely to entertain the ego of Brandon. To put the icing on the cake, Brandon also decides to use David's coffin as the buffet table for the evening's food.

First, Mrs Wilson, the boys' housekeeper, returns from the shops having had the entire afternoon to do all the shores. Then each guest arrives.
Kenneth Lawrence, a fellow student, arrives first. Phillip and Brandon explain that this soiree is merely a sort of farewell as Phillip is heading off to Connecticut to spend time rehearsing his piano skills at Brandon's mother's place as he has a concert at the town hall in a few weeks.
Janet Walker, David's girlfriend, is the next to arrive. She once dated Kenneth, but (as we discover later) he dumped her and she fell into the arms of David, making the social situation a little awkward.
David's father, Mr Kentley, arrives without his wife as she has come down with a nasty cold. Mrs Atwater, his sister-in-law, has come in her place.
She calls out "DAVID!" when she sees Kenneth, mistaking him for her nephew and Phillip nervously breaks his champagne glass and cuts his hand (shame about the continuity which fails to follow this up - especially when we see his hands unscathed later on!)
Rupert Cadell turns up last, the boys' former tutor and the one to whom Brandon feels a particular bond as it was Rupert's thoughts on Friedrich Nietzsche and the Übermensch which led him to this afternoon's crime.

Throughout the evening, there is debate about inferiority and murder, much to the distaste of David's father who is uncomfortable with the macabre humour.
There are also a number of moments where Phillip's paranoia gives tell-tale signs to Cadell that something is not all that it should be. Phillip squirms when Brandon uses the murder weapon to tie up some books for Mr Kentley. he panics while Mrs Wilson talks about the use of the chest for the buffet. Slowly, Rupert is becoming suspicious of the boys. His suspicion is exacerbated by Brendan's cockiness and unsubtle hints about his recent personal victory. It is clear that Brandon is keen to show off to his old tutor about what he has succeeded in doing.

The guests grow a little concerned about David's absence and when Mrs Kently telephones to express her distress, the party breaks up. On the way out, Mrs Wilson accidentally gives Cadell the wrong hat from the closet and he notices David's initials inside.
They all leave and Brandon is gloating. However, Rupert Cadell fabricates a story about leaving his cigarette case behind so that he can re-enter the apartment and piece a few things together. Phillip is beside himself with fear and betrays their facade but Brendan doesn't seem to care as he even helps Rupert put the pieces together.
When Rupert discovers the corpse, he is horrified and appalled. Even more so when Brendan implies it was all inspired by things Rupert had once taught them.
Stunned and gutted, he lectures about the ethics involved the total disregard for human life Brendan and Phillip have shown. He wrestles a gun off Phillip and fires it out of the window, alerting pedestrians below to the scene. Sirens wail and help is on its way. Rupert, in his abhorrence for the other two states that they will pay for their malicious crime with their lives.

Brandon nonchalantly pours himself a whiskey.
Rupert staggers to a seat by the chest and sits down.
Phillip begins playing the piano for one last time.

(That was still a fairly long synopsis... oh well.)

Great Lines
Brandon and Phillip quote their old tutor:

"Murder is a crime for most men but a privilege for the few."

Janet's response to the fact Rupert publishes books on philosophy, mainly:

"Small print, big words, no sales."

Mrs Atwater tries to read Phillip's fortune by reading his palms:

"These hands will bring you great fame!"

And Rupert's explosion of anger:

"You're going to die! Both of you!"

Comments
Rope is based on an British play which was, in turn, based on a true life murder case. In Chicago, 1924, two young men named Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murdered Robert Franks purely for the thrill of it. It made the headlines around the globe for the sheer macabre nature of the crime.
So the story went from Chicago, to England and then to New York where the movie is ultimately set.

It's also worth noting that, although not explicitly stated, this film is about two gay men who try their hand at murder. It was always the intention of the screen writer and the director that it was about homosexuality, but due to the conservative nature of the Hollywood studios, it was never allowed to be made too obvious.
Well, they may have fooled the censors, but they certainly didn't fool a lot of the audience!
Originally, Montgomery Clift was supposed to play Brandon, but as he was struggling with his own sexuality at the time, he felt it would be too complicated for him to take on this role.

Hitchcock's first "Technicolor" picture. Apart from that splash of red in Spellbound, this was Hitchcock's first dabble with colour on screen. He was so fastidious about it, they had to re-shoot a couple of reels as he wasn't happy with the finished tones.

Rope is also famous for the long takes and the panning camera around the rooms, trying to make it appear as if it is one long take. Some of the cuts are a little clumsy, whereas some work nicely. There are a couple of natural cuts which, due to the pace of the movie, one may not even notice.

Arthur Laurents, the screenwriter, has gone on record to say that he didn't approve of Hitchcock putting in the opening shot of David's murder as it took away some of the tension from the rest of the movie. I have to say, I am inclined to agree.

There has, over the years, been a lot of criticism over Farley Granger's performance in this film. However, I think he does a fantastic job and I love him even more in Strangers on a Train - very handsome too.
Both Farley Granger and John Dall suit their roles perfectly. I love the way John inhabits the role of Brandon so efficiently. His stutter is perfect without being too dramatic and that lovely touch of him raising a toast to his own success early in the picture - his stance and tone of confidence betrayed by the tremors in his hand as he holds his champagne. It's touches like that which make me want to be an actor myself.

Oh, and I love the moment Mrs Atwater is trying to recall the name of the film with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. A nod to Notorious, surely?

My Verdict
As an unashamed fan of theatrical performances, I love the stagey atmosphere of this movie. Although the long takes were essentially a technical gimmick, I appreciate the challenge Hitch gave himself. The themes and social politics the film provokes are delicious in their dark way and I enjoy the performances from all. 8/10

The Paradine Case

Title: The Paradine Case
Year: 1947
Studio: A Selznick International Picture
Screenplay: David O Selznick & Alma Reville
Source Material: From the novel by Robert Hichens
Running Time: 109 minutes
A black & white picture

Saturday 22nd January, 11:45am
This will be my last entry for a few weeks as I am going to be on holiday for the month of February and I simply will not have time to watch and blog I'm afraid. Still, I feel I am becoming a little stale in my write-ups and a break may do me the world of good and perhaps inject a certain energy back into my writing. Heaven knows I need it. Even today, as I watched the movie, I felt a certain lethargy and apathy towards the project, but I continue on.
It was a little stressful trying to get this one done as I have so much to do prior to my vacation and there is such little time left. However, I squeezed it in - please forgive me if this entry is a little shorter than normal too. I don't seem to have my heart in it this weekend.

Cast
Anthony Keane - Gregory Peck
Gay Keane - Ann Todd
Judge Lord Horfield - Charles Laughton
Sir Simon Flaquer - Charles Coburn
Lady Sophie Horfield - Ethel Barrymore
Andre LaTour - Louis Jordan
Mrs Paradine - Alida Valli (credited merely as 'Valli')
Counsel for the Prosecution - Leo G Carroll
Judy Flaquer - Joan Tetzel
Innkeeper - Isobel Elsom

Synopsis
London. The time: the recent Present

Maddalena Paradine is at home playing the piano. Her butler announces the arrival of the police who politely inform her that they are there to arrest her for the willful murder of her husband, Colonel Richard Patrick Irving Paradine on 6th May 1946 by poisoning. Mrs Paradine is graceful and calm as she collects her things and goes with them.
Her solicitor, Sir Simon Flaquer, tells her that she will be represented by Anthony Keane, a lawyer with a superb reputation. Keane's wife, Gay, believes Mrs Paradine is innocent just because she seems like a nice sort of person. Tony is the sort of man to apply a little more logic to the situation, but upon meeting Mrs Paradine he is almost bewitched by her beauty and cannot bring himself to believe her guilty of anything.

One evening, at the home of Judge Horfield, there is a dinner hosted by the Horfields and attended by the Keanes, Sir Simon and his daughter Judy. Horfield is a rather lascivious fellow and makes uncomfortable advances on poor Gay Keane but she is strong enough to brush him off as politely as she can manage.
She also begins to become a little jealous as she notices how her husband is becoming more and more infatuated with his client. She even overhears and impassioned speech he makes in her defence. She worries that she may be losing her hold on him.

Anthony decides he wants to visit the Paradine home in Cumberland and takes a trip up to the Lake district. He stays at a local inn and listens to the gossip regarding the case so he can get a better understanding of people's views. The next day he takes a pony and trap up to the Hall and when he gets there he meets the Valet, LaTour but he stands in the shadows and hides from Keane. The housekeeper shows Keane around the home and he assesses the area making mental notes. He is surprised to discover that LaTour's bedroom was alongside the main rooms and not in the servants' quarters.
When he returns to the inn, he is making himself comfortable on a stormy night but he is aroused by a knocking at the window. He draws back the curtains to see Andre LaTour standing there. Andre wanted to come and see Keane on his own terms and explains that Mrs Paradine is evil. Anthony is unimpressed and forces him to leave. The next day, Tony returns to London. When he tells Mrs Paradine about his trip, she is very unimpressed and tells him so. He also admits that he is attracted to her.

During the trial, Keane attempts a couple of lines of defense - he suggests that the colonel committed an act of suicide as he was so unhappy with his life as a blind man. When this fails, he tries to direct blame to LaTour who was named as a beneficiary of the late colonel's will and also was a deft hand with poison having put down a dog not so long before. During the whole drama of the courtroom, LaTour confesses he and Mrs Paradine had an affair.
The court adjourns.

The following day, LaTour is discovered dead having taken his own life. Mrs Paradine is distraught and suddenly apathetic and admits to killing her husband. There was no longer any point to her life now that her husband and lover are now dead.

Keane is shaken and horrified by events and feels like he is a disgrace to the profession. He is comforted later by his loyal wife, Gay who says he should continue on and fight the good fight as this is merely one obstacle.

The End

Great Lines

Gay Keane: "Nice people don't go around murdering other nice people."

Lord Horfield: "I do not like to be interrupted in the middle of an insult."

Judy Flaquer: "I hope- no, I don't hope they hang her. I don't like breaking pretty things."

Andre LaTour: "I would never have served a woman. It's not in my character to do that."

Comments
Firstly I want to mention Louis Jordan who has had a long and varied career. He is a stunningly handsome fellow and in The Paradine Case hols his weight against the equally talented and good-looking Gregory Peck.
It has long been noted that the forums on www.imdb.com are plagued by morons and it is a bit of a joke that under the majority of actors' profiles, there will be one discussion board asking "Is he gay?" or similar. Whilst looking up Louis Jordan's profile, I came across this very question and rolled my eyes. The poster stated "He has gay aspect" (?) but one person made me laugh with their succinct response; "He's French, not gay."
Comedy gold.

Hitchcock handles the different locations brilliantly creating some claustrophobic atmospheres within certain buildings (The prison and the Paradine home.
His homing in on Ann Todd's flesh from the viewpoint of Charles Laughton is eerie and disturbing.

One of my main problems with this film is that I have absolutely no sympathy for Mrs Paradine. There isn't one moment where I feel like she might be an innocent awaiting her deathly fate. She looks guilty from the moment we see her. I know we should feel sorry for her, but she just leaves me cold.

My pick for favourite touches in this film have to be the shadows which disguise LaTour's stunning features the first few times Keane is near him, only for his striking looks to be 'announced' by the vicious winds with his arrival at Keane's room at the inn. Perfectly dramatic and brilliantly effective.

Oh, and it was years and years until I finally watched this film (in fact, I watched it only last year for the very first time) and I was surprised to learn that it was pronounced Paradene not Paradyne as I had been referring to it for all the years previous. The latter still sounds better if you ask me. But then, I always say 'scone' as "scohne" to rhyme with 'cone' not "scon" to rhyme with 'gone'.
It's only 'Scon' when there's none left! (ho ho ho)

My Verdict
The cast is rather splendid and Hitchcock directs as beautifully as ever (the scenes in the Lake District are gorgeously shot), but the film as a whole is a little lacklustre. 5/10

Notorious!

Title: Notorious!
Year: 1946
Studio: RKO Pictures
Screenplay: Ben Hecht
Source Material: Inspired by Mata Hari and a short story called 'The Song of the Dragon' by John Taintor Foote
Running Time: 970 minutes
A black & white picture

Sunday 16th January, 2:30pm
I had risen early this morning and popped out to buy a whole heap of cat litter in readiness for my month away (for which period this blog will have to rest) and I was ready and eager to watch Notorious by 8:30. However, as I began, my eyes became heavy and I just could not concentrate. (Even whilst boiling the kettle for tea, I wasn't fully awake and ended up burning my arm on the steam as I reached over to get a hand towel!) So I switched off and pottered about the flat for most of the day, doing very little indeed. I tried again around 2:30 and successfully sat through the movie. Even now, as I sit at my desk, I am struggling to keep my eyes open. Why am I so incredibly tired? It's rather stress inducing considering how busy I am going to be over the forthcoming week as I prepare for my holiday away by doing a ridiculous amount of work in a short space of time. If you know me and I lose my patience at any point, please forgive me.
As I type, I am very aware that over the next few minutes, I am going to make lots of typos as I am so lethargic. Forgive me if I do... Let's go.

Cast
Devlin - Cary Grant
Alicia Huberman - Ingrid Bergman
Alexander Sebastian - Claude Rains
Paul prescott - Louis Calhern
Mme. Sebastian - Madame Konstantin
'Dr Andreson' - Reinhold Schunzel
Walter Beardsley - Moroni Olsen
Eric Mathis - Ivan Triesault
Joseph - Alex Minotis
Mr Hopkins - Wally Brown
Commodore - Sir Charles Mendl
Dr Barbosa - Ricardo Costa
Hupka - Eberhard Krumschmidt
Ethel - Fay baker

Synopsis
In Miami, Florida, a man is being sentenced to prison for treason against the United States of America. His daughter, Alicia Huberman, is hounded by the press on her way out.
She has a party to say goodbye to the country and she meets a gate-crasher named Devlin. They have chemistry and when her guests have either gone or have fallen asleep, the two of them go out for a drive. She is drunk and gets pulled over, but when Devlin shows his ID, the cop lets them go. It turns out he is an American agent.
He has been sent to get her help in infiltrating some Nazis - initially she refuses, but after he plays her a recording of a conversation she had had with her father expressing her distaste for the Nazis and support for America, she relents.

The two of them head to Rio and after spending some time together, the chemistry between them becomes a greater bond and they fall in love. This makes the next step so much harder for Devlin. He is required to ask her to marry into the group they are trying to infiltrate as one of the men is an old flame from her past.
Devlin is gutted, but has to go along with it. Alicia knows she has to do so too.

They meet Alex Sebastian whilst out riding and he becomes reacquainted with Alicia. His love for her is reignited almost immediately and she lets him believe he is succeeding with his advances.
She has dinner with Alex and his cohorts and is surprised when a man named Emil Hupka gives a little anxious scene when he spies a certain bottle of wine on the shelf. His colleagues are not impressed... After dinner, whilst the men drink brandy and smoke cigars, Emil apologises and the other men say they forgive him, but he knows deep down he has dug his own grave.

Over a period, Alicia keeps meeting with Devlin and reports back to him about the various men and places she learns of. Alex has proposed to her and she accepts, much to Devlin's chagrin.
Whilst settling in her new home, she discovers that a lot of the doors are locked and her new mother-in-law is not at all keen to let Alicia have a run of the house. One door is kept locked and only Alex has the key - the wine cellar!!
One night, Alicia sneaks the key off her husband's fob and hides it from him, dropping it when in an embrace with him and kicking it under the table.
Later, at a big party, she hands the key to Devlin. They both go to the cellar and discover, when Devlin drops a bottle, that some of the wine bottles do not contain wine, but a mineral ore. He tries to clean up the mess and replace the bottle with one with a similar label. They leave the cellar just in time, but they do not get away from the basement before Alex comes down. Devlin kisses Alicia in a deep embrace to make Alex think they were just down there to make love.
Initially, Alex believes this but upon finding broken glass and notices the incorrect date on the replaced bottle, he begins to piece things together.

Alex goes to his domineering mother and tells her he has married an American agent. She is horrified but also calm about it and plans to sort things out. Alex is concerned because he knows his colleagues killed Hupka for simply losing his nerve over a wine bottle. What will they do to him for being so naive?
His mother's plan is to pretend everything is normal and slowly poison Alicia over a period of time.

Meanwhile, Devlin and his department discover that the metal ore (of which he took a sample) was Uranium and they need to find out the location of the mine.

Devlin meets Alicia again, but she is looking terrible. Devlin merely thinks she is back on the bottle and all she feels is weary and wants things to be over.
One night, when Alex's doctor is visiting, he nearly sips from Alicia's cup - alarming Alex and his mother. This only alerts Alicia to what's been happening, but it is too late. She is too weak and she collapses. They take her upstairs, disconnect the phone and leave her semi-conscious in bed.

Devlin begins to worry about her when she doesn't turn up for her meetings. Eventually, he takes matters into his own hands and goes around to the Sebastians' home and sneaks upstairs whilst Alex and his Nazi colleagues discuss other matters in the study. He lifts her from her bed and helps her downstairs. ON the way he meets Alex and his mother who are both terrified of their fellow cohorts finding out the truth about Alicia. Devlin threatens to expose Alex to them if he doesn't let them out of the building safely. They all walk to the car with the Nazis watching closely. At the car, Alex pleads for Devlin and Alicia to take him with them, but they refuse and drive off.
Alex is left to ascend the steps back to the house where the already suspicious colleagues are waiting for an explanation. he goes inside and closes the door to receive his fate.

The End

Great Lines
I love Alicia's flamboyant yet simple way of ending a party;

"I'm very sorry, you all have to go. It has been a perfectly hideous party!"

I also love her line;

"There's nothing like a love song to give you a good laugh."

Comments
I've said it before and I'll say it again; Ingrid Bergman is one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the silver screen. Even when she is being slowly poisoned and she is looking close to death, she still looks magnificent. With that, I should mention the subtle yet effective job the make up department have done. It is so slight that you don't notice but you are subliminally aware of the difference. Genius.

Hitchcock has a wonderful time playing with the camera and various points of view shots. When Alicia is drunk, the camera revolves around making us feel as hungover as she.
Later, when she is being drugged, the silhouettes and shadows of her poisoners loom ominously before her as she sways on her feet. It's a very creepy effect.
One of the most famous shots (or should I say 'notorious shots'?) is the one of Alicia in the background with the poisoned coffee cup in the foreground. Hitchcock achieved this unsettling effect by using a larger than life prop. It certainly makes one feel uneasy when watching.
My absolute favourite though is a crane shot at the Sebastians' party. We flow down from the balcony across the party, toward Alicia and we zoom in tight on her hand to see the wine cellar key. It would have been a devilish shot to get right, but it pays off superbly.

My Verdict
Great performances from Brant, Bergman, Rains and Konstantin bring this story to a higher level than if it were a mediocre cast. I don't find the plot as satisfying as some critics, but it's an enjoyable cat and mouse game all the same. 7/10