The Suspect (1944)

Charles Laughton stars in this enjoyable film that shows a man having his head turned by a bright young woman who helps motivate him to become more distant from the wife he is stuck in a loveless marriage with. But that is just the first step down a slippery slope, of course.

Based on a novel by James Ronald, this works as well as it does because it features a fantastic, and winning, central performance from Laughton, playing Philip Marshall. He seems to be a decent man, with his marriage to Cora (Rosalind Ivan) being the only part of his life that he cannot view positively, and his life starts to improve when he meets a young woman named Mary (Ella Raines). All seems well, but people start to gossip about the situation. Cora knows things cannot go on as they are, but it seems unlikely that Philip will be able to go back to the life he used to lead. It’s not long until the plot is punctuated by death, blackmail, and the probing questions of one Inspector Huxley (Andrew Ridges).

Adapted into screenplay form by Bertram Millhauser and Arthur T. Horman, two men with a number of gems tucked away in their respective filmographies, The Suspect works as well as it does because of the way it keeps a key moment offscreen. There isn’t really any ambiguity here, but those wanting to root for the main character can convince themselves for the first half of the movie that there’s still a small shadow of doubt over their guilt. Of course, that is all down to the performances as much as it is down to the script, and the cast is pretty perfect throughout.

Laughton is someone I have only seen in one or two main roles so far, but I have liked everything I have seen from him (and it’s still very sad to know that his one credited directorial effort, The Night Of The Hunter, was received so poorly that it put him off from trying more work behind the camera). Every little detail, from his measured and polite way of speaking to his consideration for others, makes Laughton’s character someone that viewers will be rooting for. Raines is also very good, a delightful presence without any plans to manipulate or scheme her way into a better position. Her innocence is another great choice, underlining the sweetness of the relationship that develops between Mary and Philip. Ivan is a bit over the top, but she has fun as the complaining wife, and Ridges is the typical Inspector trying to work hard to find evidence of guilt in someone he already knows is guilty of a crime. There are a few other enjoyable supporting turns, but I will just highlight Henry Daniell, who causes all kinds of problems as the drunken and abusive neighbour living next door to our lead, and often making life miserable for his own wife, played equally well by Molly Lamont.

Director Robert Siodmak is a safe pair of hands for this material, at the very least, and helmed a number of classics (major and minor) during this time. He does well by his cast, does well by the script, and generally doesn’t do anything that interferes with the gentle unfolding of the tale. There are one or two key scenes that could have been made more suspenseful, but I like the choices made. The focus stays on Laughton and his chance at happiness. Even the very last scenes have a bittersweetness, because the darkness has allowed someone to spend time watching a beautiful star twinkle and shine.

8/10

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Prime Time: Scarlet Street (1945)

Reuniting the director and stars of The Woman In The Window, this film shows a man who wanders down a dark path, led there by love/infatuation. He's manipulated and used, which eventually makes him angry and irrational, but it's hard to feel much sympathy for him, considering how he makes one bad decision after another.

Edward G. Robinson is Christopher Cross, an unhappily married man who finds his life brightened up slightly after a chance encounter with a woman named "Kitty" (Joan Bennett). He doesn't realise that Kitty is in a relationship with an opportunistic crook named Johnny (Dan Duryea), and so wastes his time and money getting an apartment for Kitty, where he gets to paint her and spend time in her company. Embezzling from his work, Christopher is desperate to figure out a way to make his relationship with Kitty more official. He doesn't realise that Kitty is just stringing him along. And neither of them realise that his paintings are actually worth a bit of money to the right collector.

It's nice, comforting, in a way to watch this Fritz Lang movie and see him so at ease with the cast he used to well in The Woman In The Window. The screenplay by Dudley Nichols (based on La Chienne, which had previously been filmed by Jean Renoir) is decent enough, it may not fire off the zingers but it gets all the characters were they should be and moves the plot forward in a way that never feels ridiculous or implausible.

Robinson is very good in his central role, a rather sad figure who fools himself into thinking he has found a shot at true happiness. His behaviour is that of a man in typical midlife-crisis mode, even though he may be a bit older, but he also looks self-aware and uncomfortable, not used to the apparent affections of such a lovely lady. Bennett is excellent, just the right mix of cute and moody, while viewers know it is all deliberate in order to keep a man wound round her little finger. Duryea is comfortable in the role of main rogue Johnny, Margaret Lindsay is good as the friend of Kitty who never warms to Johnny, and Rosalind Ivers is Mrs Cross, a rather stern and unhelpful woman who helps her husband be resolved in his actions.

I am in the minority here, in that I preferred the previous collaboration between director and stars, but this is a film that has a lot to recommend to fans of classic cinema. It is a well-crafted morality tale with solid performances from the cast, decent presentation throughout, and a dark and fitting ending to it all. And it feels like it has been remade/reworked numerous times, although I cannot put my finger on a prime example to cite right now. All suggestions and memory prompts are welcome.

7/10

There's a region-locked disc here.
Americans can buy the same disc here.