The Paradine Case

"The dramatic case of a beautiful woman whose trial for murder held the nation spellbound."

1947 1h 54m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 272

DramaMysteryRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In London, barrister Anthony Keane takes the case of Maddalena Paradine, a beautiful woman accused of poisoning her blind husband. Though happily married, Keane becomes infatuated with his enigmatic client and convinced of her innocence. His obsession clouds his judgment as he builds a defense implicating her servant, André Latour—an act that leads to devastating consequences both in court and at home.

“The dramatic case of a beautiful woman whose trial for murder held the nation spellbound.”

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Cast

Gregory Peck
Anthony Keane
Ann Todd
Gay Keane
Alida Valli
Mrs. Paradine
Charles Laughton
Judge Lord Thomas Horfield
Charles Coburn
Sir Simon Flaquer
Ethel Barrymore
Lady Sophie Horfield
Louis Jourdan
Andre Latour
Leo G. Carroll
Sir Joseph

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: David O. Selznick
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 $4.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 49% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

79 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Lee Garmes. 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

CAST

Did you know

Gregory Peck and Ann Todd and Alida Valli carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The dramatic case of a beautiful woman whose trial for murder held the nation spellbound.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0039694 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alfred Hitchcock directs. Lee Garmes behind the camera. Franz Waxman scores. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 49% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
379 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Lee Garmes. 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.
6Gregory Peck and Ann Todd and Alida Valli carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The dramatic case of a beautiful woman whose trial for murder held the nation spellbound.".
8IMDB entry: tt0039694 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lee Garmes
Original score: Franz Waxman
Production design: J. McMillan Johnson
Costume design: Travis Banton
Makeup / hair: Larry Germain
Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Status: Released
Budget: $4,258,000
Box office: $2,100,000
Return: 49% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Paradine Case (1947)

Also by

Alfred Hitchcock

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-07-07
★ 6/10
Gregory Peck is "Keane", a happily married London barrister who is called to defend a woman accused of murdering her wealthy, blind husband. Alida Valli (simply Valli in the titles) is the accused, a glamorous woman who simply reeks of gold-digger right from the start and with Leo G. Carroll leading the prosecution and a wonderfully curmudgeonly Charles Laughton as the High Court judge, you sense the writing is already on the wall for the women. Peck struggles in the role, to be honest, he lacks incisiveness - he is just a bit too "nice". When he discovers that it's possible that she had been having an affair with then old man's valet - a dashing Louis Jourdan - he seems torn between a sense of envy (he is clearly smitten) and a desire to secure a fair hearing and at times that drags this into melodrama territory. The courtroom scenes are all to frequently broken up by domestic issues - even Laughton and put-upon wife Ethel Barrymore as well as Peck with loving, and herself slightly envious, "Gay" (Ann Todd). For me, it is trying to accomplish too many things and ends up not really doing anything spectacular with Richard Hichens far more spicy and potent novel.

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