THE PARADINE CASE - Alfred Hitchcock (1947)

Posted By: cinefile

Date: Feb. 13, 2010

THE PARADINE CASE - Alfred Hitchcock (1947)
A Film by Alfred Hitchcock
DVD5 | 1.37:1 | BW | Original english version | 125 min.
Untouched DVD Image (.ISO) | PAL | 4.4GB | 200MB RARs | RS

Men never ruin themselves – it’s always the fault of manipulative and conniving women. At least that’s the impression you get from some of Alfred Hitchcock’s films. An example: The Paradine Case, in which star lawyer Anthony Keane (Gregory Peck) is all but ruined by a near-fatal attraction to the mysterious Mrs. Paradine (Alida Valli).

Mrs. Maddalena Anna Paradine has been arrested in the poisoning death of her husband, an elderly, blind and wealthy London man. Mrs. Paradine is Italian, much younger, and extremely beautiful. Keane has been hired to represent her and from the moment they meet, he is enthralled by her beauty and mystery. He’s also absolutely devoted to making sure she’s found innocent.

Keane’s fascination with Mrs. Paradine causes great distress for his wife (Ann Todd), who is strongly devoted to her hotshot lawyer husband. Naturally, she stands loyally by on the sidelines, waiting to see whether she will lose him.

Keane encounters great personal conflict when he learns that there might have been another man in Mrs. Paradine’s life. His previously sharp judgement is now doubly dulled – first by his feelings for Mrs. Paradine, and now also by his jealousy. Keane’s strategy for saving Mrs. Paradine from conviction for murder is at odds with her unwillingness to point fingers at the other man.

THE PARADINE CASE is a talky film that features virtually no physical action or exterior shots. It might be static physically, but it’s psychologically alive, with unspoken emotion constantly bubbling right beneath the surface.

Peckhttp://avaxhome.ws/javascripts/StEditor/skins/default/icons/bold.gif gives a thoughtful performance as the troubled Keane, allowing his disturbed look to tell us all we need to know about what he’s thinking. Valli is perfectly suited to the role of Mrs. Paradine, with her sharp gaze and her reserved demeanour working utterly convincingly. The supporting cast is tremendous: Charles Laughton as the lecherous judge, Ethel Barrymore as his long-suffering wife, Charles Coburn as the Paradine family lawyer, and Louis Jourdan as the servant Andre Latour.

David O. Selznick took primary credit for the script, which is based on the Robert Hichens novel. While the story at one level seems distinctly misogynous, in the final analysis, it is clearly Keane himself who brings himself down. In fact, if not for Keane’s inability to control his own attraction to Mrs. Paradine, everyone would have ended up happier.

It’s another fascinating and thought-provoking Hitchcock film. (Brian Webster)

DVD FEATURES

THE PARADINE CASE has been restored from the original negative and has also been digitally re-mastered for optimum picture and sound quality
Moving Menus and Chapter Points
Cast Biographies, Quotes and Trivia
Film Trivia, Awards & Taglines
Photo Gallery
A Conversation with Hitchcock
An Interview with Kim Newman
The Real Me - (The Thin One)
Extracts from François Truffaut's Book - "Hitchcock"
Hitchcock Biography, Quotes & Trivia

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