Suspicion

"In his arms she felt safety...in his absence, haunting dread!"

1941 1h 39m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 931

MysteryRomanceThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A sheltered heiress falls for a charming playboy and elopes with him, but soon discovers his gambling vice and mounting debts. As his lies deepen and those around them meet mysterious ends, she begins to suspect that her husband’s affection may conceal a deadly motive—and that she could be his next victim.

“In his arms she felt safety...in his absence, haunting dread!”

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Cast

Cary Grant
John D. 'Johnnie' Aysgarth
Joan Fontaine
Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth
Cedric Hardwicke
General McLaidlaw
Nigel Bruce
Gordon Cochrane 'Beaky' Thwaite
May Whitty
Mrs. McLaidlaw
Isabel Jeans
Mrs. Newsham
Heather Angel
Ethel the Maid
Auriol Lee
Isobel Sedbusk

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Alma Reville, Joan Harrison, Samson Raphaelson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

85 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Harry Stradling Sr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Hamilton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine and Cedric Hardwicke carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "In his arms she felt safety...in his absence, haunting dread!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alfred Hitchcock directs. Harry Stradling Sr. behind the camera. Franz Waxman scores. William Hamilton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 4.1× over at the box office.
385 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Harry Stradling Sr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor William Hamilton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine and Cedric Hardwicke carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "In his arms she felt safety...in his absence, haunting dread!".
9IMDB entry: tt0034248 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 13 themes, including "poison", "married couple", "telegram", "investigation".
11Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Harry Stradling Sr.
Original score: Franz Waxman
Editing: William Hamilton
Costume design: Edward Stevenson
Makeup / hair: Mel Berns
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,103,000
Box office: $4,500,000
Return: 408% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Suspicion (1941)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Alfred Hitchcock

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-25
★ 7/10
Could this be Cary Grant as his most benignly menacing? The story itself is really nothing particularly new - a sort of "Gaslight" meets "Rebecca" style story that sees shy young heiress "Lina" (Joan Fontaine) hook up with debonaire "Johnnie" (Grant) and after a whirlwind romance the two are wed. His friend "Gordon" (Nigel Bruce) appears for a visit and soon some holes begin to emerge in her new husband's backstory. Further investigation reveals that lying is not something he has much difficulty with and after a few bumps on their road and when she discovers a letter from their insurers suggesting he was trying to borrow on her life policy, she begins to fear for her own life... Hitchcock's storytelling - at times the camerawork makes us feel like a peeping Tom - and Franz Waxman's tension-laden score add loads to this strongly character driven effort. Bruce shines as the jovial gent to whom "Lina" takes rather a liking, Fontaine herself treads the cinematographic line between reason and paranoia with some considerable skill - but it is Grant who really stands out. His character is likeable, plausible and if you've ever read Anthony Berkeley's rather wordy book "Before the Fact" then you'll recognise that his portrayal is really pretty spot on - can we believe him, do we (want to) believe him - and at the end, well.... It's great this. Well worth the watch.

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