The Unsuspected
| The Unsuspected | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Curtiz |
| Produced by |
Michael Curtiz Charles Hoffman |
| Screenplay by |
Ranald MacDougall Bess Meredyth |
| Based on |
the novel The Unsuspected by Charlotte Armstrong |
| Starring |
Joan Caulfield Claude Rains Audrey Totter Constance Bennett Hurd Hatfield |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Cinematography | Woody Bredell |
| Editing by | Fredrick Richards |
| Studio | Michael Curtiz Productions |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Unsuspected is a 1947 black-and-white film noir directed by Michael Curtiz, and starring Claude Rains, Audrey Totter, and Joan Caulfield. The film was based on the novel written by Charlotte Armstrong.[1]
Plot
The story involves a woman who is found dead hanging from a chandelier in a posh mansion occupied by Victor Grandison, a popular "true crime" radio story host.
Cast
- Joan Caulfield as Matilda Frazier
- Claude Rains as Victor Grandison
- Audrey Totter as Althea Keane
- Constance Bennett as Jane Moynihan
- Hurd Hatfield as Oliver Keane
- Ted North as Steven Francis Howard
- Fred Clark as Richard Donovan
- Harry Lewis as Kent, butler
- Jack Lambert as Mr. Press
- Nana Bryant as Mrs. White
- Walter Baldwin as Judge Maynard
Reception
Critical response
When the film was released, the The New York Times film critic, Bosley Crowther, gave the film a mixed review, writing, "There is reasonable ground for suspicion that the people who made The Unsuspected thought that they were fashioning another Laura, popular mystery of a few years back ... But, beyond a brisk flurry of excitement and wickedness at the start, it bears little showmanly resemblance to that previous top-drawer effort in this line. Rather it is much more suggestive, the further along it goes, of a second-rate mystery melodrama upon which too much money and too big a cast has been spent ... Once launched, however, it starts leaking, pulling apart at the seams, and generally foundering in a welter of obvious contrivances and clichés ...However, the rest of the performers—Joan Caulfield, Audrey Totter, Hurd Hatfield, Constance Bennett and a half dozen others—are as patly artificial as the plot."[2]
More recently, film critic Dennis Schwartz, while disappointed with a few "plot holes", lauded the work of director Curtiz, writing, "A creepy noirish thriller and damsel-in-distress tale, much like Otto Preminger's superior Laura (1944), directed in a grand expressionist style by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) ... The film only bogs down when it doesn't do as much with the author's intricate plot as it could have, and things seem too muddled to be believable. But it makes up for that with a eloquently menacing and macabre performance by Claude Rains ... If one can get past the holes in the plot, one should be on firm footing for this well-acted and charmingly told stylish film noir. It is further enhanced by the shadowy and glossy cinematography of 'Woody' Bredell. When the heroine is being poisoned, we view the deteriorating effects the drugs has on her through a wine glass."[3]
Noir analysis
Film historians Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward write that the film is impressive because of its emphasis on style: "Jack Lambert as the blackmailed killer lies in bed smoking. The radio is on and Alexander Grandison is detailing the story of his particular crime. The only source of the illumination in this dingy hotel room comes from a partially obscured flashing neon sign. The letters that are visible through the window seem to echo the thoughts of the uncomfortable murderer as it keeps blinking "KILL... KILL... KILL."[4]
References
- ↑ The Unsuspected at the Internet Movie Database.
- ↑ Crowther, Bosley]. The New York Times, film review, "The Unsuspected, New Warner Mystery, With Joan Coalfield and Michael North, at Strand -- Blonde Savage at Rialto", October 4, 1947. Accessed: July 13, 2013.
- ↑ Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, February 25m 2005. Accessed: July 13, 2013.
- ↑ Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward (1992). Film Noir An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style. The Overlook Press. ISBN 0-87951-479-5.
External links
- The Unsuspected at the Internet Movie Database
- The Unsuspected at allmovie
- The Unsuspected at the TCM Movie Database
- The Unsuspected informational site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images)
- The Unsuspected film trailer at YouTube