Under Suspicion (1944)

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Movie
German title Under suspicion
Original title The Suspect
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1944
length 85 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Robert Siodmak
script Bertram Milhauser
Arthur T. Horman
production Islin oyster
music Frank Skinner
camera Paul Ivano
cut Arthur Hilton
occupation

Under Suspicion (original title: The Suspect ) is in black and white twisted American thriller of Robert Siodmak from the year 1944. It is based on the novel This Way Out by James Ronald, of the historic criminal case to the murderer Dr. Crippen is ajar.

action

London 1902: Philip Marshall, the polite but flimsy owner of a tobacco shop, is an unhappy marriage to his bossy wife Cora. She emphatically rejects his offer to get a divorce. When Philip meets the young Mary Gray, the withdrawn man comes to life. The two spend cheerful evenings together, but their relationship remains purely friendly. After Cora learns about Philips' girlfriend, she announces that she is bringing Mary into disrepute with her employer and her landlord. Philip then kills his wife and disguises his act as an accident. Inspector Huxley is convinced that Philip murdered Cora, but cannot prove his suspicions.

A few months later, Philip and Mary get married. Philip's neighbor, Gilbert Simmons, a drinker who abused his wife, extorted money from Philip with the threat that he would otherwise be charged with murder by the police. Philip poisons Simmons and makes his body disappear. He later persuades Mary to follow his son John to Canada . Shortly before their ship departs, Huxley tells Philip that Simmons' body has been found and that his wife Edith will be charged as the prime suspect. Not knowing that Huxley is just bluffing in the hope that Philip will not see anyone convicted of his crime, Philip disembarks to surrender.

background

It was shot under suspicion in September and October 1944 and premiered in San Francisco on December 22, 1944 . The film opened in the Federal Republic of Germany on June 9, 1950 .

The historical Dr. Crippen, the role model for the film character Philip Marshall, poisoned his second wife Cora and walled up parts of her remains in the basement of his London apartment. He later embarked for Canada via Europe with his lover Ethel Le Neve . After the police discovered the body parts in the basement during a house search, Crippen and Le Neve were arrested on arrival and taken back to London. Crippen was convicted and executed, his mistress acquitted.

criticism

“A very leisurely excursion into the criminal field that is somehow overloaded with courtesy. […] Mr Laughton , incidentally, has rarely portrayed a lovable person or acted more cautiously than in this film. [...] 'Under Suspicion' is by no means a boring film, but it lacks the kind of tension that keeps you going in a successful melodrama . In a word, he's too elegant. "

"An atmospherically dense psychological crime film with an excellent design for the main role."

literature

  • James Ronald: This Way Out. Rich & Cowan, London 1939

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Under Suspicion on the American Film Institute Directory , accessed March 18, 2013.
  2. a b Under suspicion in the Lexicon of International FilmsTemplate: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used .
  3. ^ "This is a very leisurely excursion into crime, somewhat overburdened with politeness. […] Mr. Laughton, by the way, has seldom portrayed a more likable character or performed with more restraint than he does in this picture. [...] "The Suspect" is by no means a dull picture, but it seems to lack that quality of excitement which in good melodrama keeps one on edge. In a word, it is too genteel. ”- Review in the New York Times of February 1, 1945, accessed March 18, 2013.