Suspicion (1941), starring Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Cedric Hardwicke, Nigel Bruce
Synopsis of Suspicion
Handsome, charming, well-liked Johnnie Aysgarth (Cary Grant) is a worthless cheat. Then he marries Lina McLaidlaw (Joan Fontaine), the naïve daughter of a wealthy retired general (Sir Cedric Hardwicke). And everyone except Lina believes Johnnie is only after her inheritance. But when Lina discovers that Johnnie has stolen money, his business partner dies mysteriously …. And she finds a letter explaining her life insurance policy …. Love changes to Suspicion!
Cast
- Cary Grant (Holiday) … Johnnie. Lina’s handsome, charming, newlywed husband. With no visible means of support. He may be planning his wealthy wife’s death. But, perhaps not.
- Joan Fontaine (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea) … Lina. The shy, retiring, lovely young woman. She’s also lonely, and is flattered by Johnnie’s attention. And marries him. She’s also rich. And if she should die, her husband would inherit her fortune.
- Cedric Hardwicke (On Borrowed Time) … General McLaidlaw. Lina’s father. He doesn’t trust Johnnie. Can’t really blame him.
- Nigel Bruce (The Hound of the Baskervilles 1939) … Beaky. The old school friend of Johnnie. No, don’t harm Beaky! He’s just adorable.
- May Whitty (Gaslight) … Mrs. McLaidlaw
- Isabel Jeans (Gigi) … Mrs. Newsham
- Heather Angel (The Premature Burial) … Ethel [Maid]
- Auriol Lee … Isobel Sedbusk
- Reginald Sheffield (The Story of Mankind) … Reggie Wetherby
- Leo G. Carroll (Tarantula) … Captain Melbeck
Editorial review of Suspicion courtesy of Amazon.com
Well-to-do wallflower Lina McLaidlaw is in love, perhaps in danger. She suspects that Johnnie Aysgarth, the playboy who swept into her life and married her, is a murderer – and that she is his next intended victim. Alfred Hitchcock’s Suspicion slyly combines romance, mystery and atmospheric flourishes (like an eerie, glowing glass of milk, an effect achieved with a light bulb inside the glass). Joan Fontaine plays vulnerable, nerve-wracked Lina, following her acclaimed work in Hitchcock’s Rebecca with a striking performance that won the Academy Award and New York Film Critics Award as 1941’s Best Actress. Playing against type, Cary Grant makes Johnnie an imposing charmer, wastrel and cad. But also a killer? Like the glass that may or may not contain poison, Johnnie’s words and deeds may or may not be laced with menace.