Post by sawakatoomeTime and time again, I've heard or read how 'The Paradine Case' is, at
best, lesser Hitchcock. This infuriates me .. because I personally
can't see how its any worse than the films that surround it.
Fergal #.
My last attempt to cut & paste my review was pretty much a mess.
Hopefully this attempt will be more readable.
Rich Wagner
I remembered watching what I had considered a rather slow and
predicable story about a happily married lawyer (Gregory Peck), who
quickly becomes infatuated by his new client. She's accused of
murdering her blind husband for his money.
In the past, I've always sat down and waited for the story to
entertain me and didn't really pay much attention to all of the subtle
details. IMO, this film must be carefully watched to be enjoyed the
way it was intended.
This time, notebook in hand, I understood a little more about
Hitchcock and his technique. I discovered that there's much more to
the story than I've allowed myself to see in the past.
This was also a David O. Selznick production, but much to my surprise,
the introduction also says that the screenplay was actually written by
Mr. Selznick himself!
1. [I've learned that by dividing a film into 30 minute episodes, I
usually can find a good place to stop. That's what I did when I wrote
this extensive review.]
THE STORY: (The first 30 minutes)
The opening scene begins with two women walking in the dark in front
of a large building that does not look like a residence, but quickly
the scene changes to an internal view of a mansion with the sound of
piano music being played by someone.
As the camera slowly passes through the lobby past two metal
candelabra stands with a snake winding around each of them, the butle
arrives, enters the room where the piano is being played to tell Mrs.
Paradine that dinner will be served in 15 minutes.
After a closeup so we can see that she's very beautiful (although not
familiar to me), the camera pulls back and we watch as she looks up at
the larger than life portrait of a man on the nearby wall.
Immediately, the police arrive and she's arrested. We learn from this
scene that she had already been interviewed previously about her
husbands death, but this time she was being charged with the murder.
Before she leaves, they’re looking at the portrait. We learn that it's
of her dead husband, and we also learn for the first time that he was
also blind. A very
calm and cool Mrs. Paradine leaves with the police after they formally
charge her with murdering her husband.
The jail scene is very typical Hitchcock, with the emphasis on the
fear of being shut-up like jails do to people.
Scene switches to Tony Keane (Peck) returning home in the rain after
meeting with Paradine's family lawyer, Sir Simon and his daughter.
His adorable and loving wife Gay (Ann Todd) greets him and the film
clearly shows them to be a happily married couple as he tells her he's
been asked to defend Mrs. Paradine.
Gay thinks that's a wonderful idea because she believes that
Mrs.Paradine can't be guilty, if only because she's too nice of a
person.
Scene switches back to harsh prison scenes and quickly goes to the
home of Mrs. Paradine's lawyer, Sir Simon where we see him and his
daughter Judy, talking about Tony taking on Mrs. Paradine's case.
It's Judy, the attractive young daughter of old Sir Simon who first
suggests that Tony is infatuated with Mrs. Paradine. As her father
dismisses the idea, you also sense that there's something more to this
idea that's in Judy's head? Perhaps this has happened to Tony before,
or perhaps, Judy is actually love with Tony, and wishes that his
marriage might fail. What ever the reason, she can't help talking
about what she sees as a romantic relationship when it's supposed to
be a lawyer defending his client. The seeds of suspicion have been
planted in the story.
Scene switches to the Judge's home in the evening where Sir Simon,
Tony and his wife Gay are having dinner with Judge Lord Thomas
Horfield (Laughton) and Lady Horfield (Ethel Barrymore).
The Judge insists on telling old stories of his early feminine
conquests and if that isn't enough to reveal his character, after
dinner, as he's seen gazing at the lovely Gay, the camera zooms in to
a close-up of her bare shoulder and bosom. This old judge is a dirty
old man as the film sets out to prove.
Sending the others out of the room, he makes a pass at Gay until she
quickly tires and moves away as the others return. Rebuffed, Horfield
comments that Gay has grown tired of him.
Later, and back at the Keane home, Tony returns after a visit at the
prison where he's had his first meeting with Mrs. Paradine.
When Gay asks, "What she like?", he replies, "Strangely attractive."
What he's done (by saying that), is plant a small seed of doubt in
Gay's mind, because later on, she will repeat those same words to him
again saying, "Other men find me attractive." When he asks who, she
answers "Tommy Horfield" (that dirty old man, Laughton), and they both
laugh as they embrace.
Tony visits the jail again to learn about his client's past, and
there's soon tension between him and Mrs. Paradine, who doesn't
understand why her past is important.
Once she begins telling him of all her previous affairs, he realizes
he's got a difficult case to defend and decides the best thing to do
is to put suspicion on someone else, perhaps even suggest that someone
assisted Mr. Paradine in committing suicide.
He tells his plans to Sir Simon who reminds him that, it is Mrs.
Paradine whose accused of murder; and that they must stay focused on
her because that is what the prosecution will be doing.
Some time passes and the two lawyers have a meeting long into the
night at Tony's home. Gay comes in (it's already after 1AM), and when
her husband tells her that he and Simon are still not finished, she
leaves to fix them some drinks.
As Gay is returning with the drinks she hears a passionate argument
erupt into shouting when Tony become outraged at Simon's comment that
Mrs. Paradine's reputation is somewhat that of a woman of "easy
Virtue"
(also the title of a Hitchcock film). Tony defends Mrs. Paradine's
honor as if she had just been assaulted.
As Gay comes into the room, Tony is embarrassed, Simon is frustrated
and Simon looks first at Gay, then at Tony and then back at Gay again.
The tension in the room is very strong, very tense.
The scene switches again to a harsh view of the prison. Tony has come
to see his client, determined to plant the idea that Mr. Paradine
committed suicide with the help of his loyal valet, Andre Latour.
He's about to be surprised.
End of my review of the first 30 minutes.
PART 2.
At the prison, Tony begins to create the idea that a servant mighthave
helped Colonel Paradine to commit suicide and suggesting this, he's
shocked to hear Mrs. Paradine refer to him by his first name Andre.
His reaction upsets Mrs. Paradine and she begins to complain of the
wealthy class always looking down with contempt on the working class.
The scene changes to Sir Simon's home where he and his daughter Judy
are playing chess. Judy also serves the viewer as narrator, since her
comments often reflect the direction the story has taken.
In this case, the talk is about the handsome Valet, and how this
must be upsetting Tony who Judy claims is already infatuated with his
new client. She suggests that there's something between Mrs. Paradine
and the Valet and even talks about how Tony has become
jealous of him.
The father dismisses this as all nonsense, but Judy says, "I wish I
were married to Anthony Keane..." [The audience is left to wonder what
Judy's real plans are?]
Tony returns home and we see that the once romantic home is now
strained to the breaking point. Instead of laughter and small talk,
it's now, "I have a headache" or "I'm a little ragged tonight."
When wife Gay, suggests getting away to celebrate their anniversary,
Tony raises his voice and as he turns away says, "Really darling,
there are some things more important than anniversaries," and she
replies, "You didn't used to think so."
Remembering his plans to visit the Paradine estate, Tony tells Gay
that he needs to go away and refuses to allow her to come along. As
she protests, he asks, "What are you afraid of," and she answers,
"Need I say?" and Tony walks away, troubled by what's been said.
Tony makes the grand sacrifice, and tells Gay that he'll quit the
case , but she tells him that he'll do no such thing saying, "I
wouldn't want any woman to be hanged because my husband had a
rendezvous with her.....in jail." As he listens, you can see the guilt
come over Peck's face. They say goodnight, and both have worried looks
on their faces.
Scene changes to scenic view of the countryside from the train
window as we hear the sound it makes as it approaches the station.
After a night at the Inn, Tony goes by horse & buggy through more
scenic countryside to the Paradine Estate.
Talking to the coachman, we learn that many are suspicious of Andre
Lature and that there's a 'shadow of doubt' about him simply because
he's not English born.
Arriving at the estate, pretending to be an interested buyer, Tony is
quite surprised when the door swings open and a man (his face in kept
in the shadows) announces that he knows that he's really lawyer Tony
Keane. Just as quickly, he vanishes when the housekeeper arrives and
she begins by showing him Colonel Paradine's favorite room that also
had a lovely view of the estate grounds. It seems strange that it
would be a blind man's favorite.
As Tony begins to ask about Mrs. Paradine, he's interrupted by the
housekeeper who impatiently hurries him upstairs to see the rest of
the house.
Inside the huge bedroom that was Mrs. Paradine's, Tony’s drawn to the
very lifelike image of Mrs. Paradine that's been painted on the gaudy
headboard of her bed. As he stares at it, he suddenly hears laughter
outside and investigating, finds Lature standing along side of the
buggy he came in. Opening the window, he hollers down and tell him
that he wants Lature to show him the grounds and to wait, because he
would be coming right down.
As he leaves the bedroom, he asks the housekeeper, whose room was
behind the door next to Mrs. Paradine’s, and learns that Andre Lature
was actually living in this part of the house and not the customary
servant quarters. Asked why, the woman replies, "She felt he should be
near (pause) the Colonel.
Arriving outside, he discovers that Lature has vanished and the
coachman says that he's been called away, but as the buggy leaves, we
see that Andre had been hiding, waiting for Tony Keane to leave. So
far, except for distant shots, we have not see the face of Andre
Lature.
Back at the Inn, Tony's looking over papers as the wind begins to blow
and the shutters start to bang outside. Tony goes over and closes the
shutters and sits down only to hear more knocking outside on another
window pane. Opening the curtain as before, we suddenly see Andre
standing outside, looking face to face at Tony. We learn that this was
an outside door because Tony opens it and allows Andre to enter the
room.
Asking Andre what he wanted only brought other questions in his
response. Andre answers Tony, saying that when he tells Andre why he
traveled all the way from London to see him, then he would explain why
he has come to see Tony. The two sit down opposite each other and the
discussion continues with only vague answers from both men.
Becoming the lawyer again, Tony says, "Remember this Lature, you
forced yourself on me, I didn't seek you out. You're apparently going
to be a very hostile witness in this case; you're not one of my
witnesses." Pacing the floor Tony continues, "I came on you entirely
by chance," to which Lature corrects him, saying, "But, you wanted to
come on me sir."
When Tony refers to Mrs. Paradine as Lature's
mistress, he stops him saying, "Colonel Paradine was my master; she
was never my mistress! I would never serve a woman!"
The bantering continues between them and Tony insists on knowing why
Lature has come to see him at the Inn. Again he replies, "If you tell
me why you came all the way from England, then I will tell you why I
came here tonight.
As things quiet down, Andre begins to talk, telling Tony, "You may not
think it, but you're on the wrong side sir." Asked what the devil that
meant he continues, "You can't possibly know the woman you're
defending. If you did, I wouldn't have to tell you that only God, or
that black devil knows what's going on in that head of hers."
As before, Tony is outraged by what he's heard and orders Andre to
leave saying, "I don't want any dirty lying sneats in my room." As he
prepares to leave Andre says, "If you will allow me sir, I'm very
sorry for you, and God help you."
Scene changes and once again were in the beautiful countryside as we
hear the sound of the moving train heading back to London. As soon as
he arrives, he goes straight to the prison.
Mrs. Paradine is brought to the meeting room and he begins to tell her
what he's both seen and heard, and that he has talked with Lature.
Telling her how Lature had called he evil, he asks why he would
talkthat way about her? As he begins to lecture her about appearances
in court, she becomes annoyed and complains, "I don't understand you."
Tony says, "Alright. Is it possible that Lature hates you because
you made him disloyal to his master?" Hearing this, she coldly
replies, "That's enough Mr. Keane." and when he demands again saying,
"What existed between you and Lature?" she answers, "I will not be
treated in this manner by my own counsel; I
should prefer that you give up the case."
Panic comes over Keane and he says, "No, no I must save you; no one
else can. My personal feeling are such that.." He's interrupted when
she continues, "You must forgive me if I regard my life as more
important!"
Crushed by what he's heard, he says, "I apologize deeply, but if you
will forgive me, I shall do my best to defend you. Hearing this, she
turns and returns with hands outstretched and the embrace each other
(well, at least with their hands). Scene switches to a posh English
restaurant where Judy and Tony's wife Gay are having lunch together.
Wanting to ask questions, she begins coyly talking about how rude it
can be to ask personal questions, knowing that Gay will surely invite
her to ask them. Much to Judy's surprise she learns that it was Gay
who had insisted that Tony stay on the case, and as she explains, to
have stopped him would have meant certain ruin for their marriage. As
she finishes explaining the reason, Gay tells Judy, "After all, I
don'town him. I only love him."
End of part 2 after less than another 30 minutes of the story.
[Great viewing experience for me, watching this film carefully. It
makes me want to watch it all over again because the script is really
quite good.]
PART 3
Early editions of the daily paper have printed a photo of Tony,
telling of him arriving at the prison to meet with Mrs. Paradine just
as soon as he had returned to London by train.
Much later, Tony arrives home and we see that wife Gay has already
seen that paper and knows he didn't come home straight away from the
train station.
[Listening carefully, I sensed much tension in their talk, but still
love in their voices.] The friendship of their love has held them
together and we listen as Gay calmly assures her husband that he
really doesn't love Mrs. Paradine. [To accomplish that mood in both
the dialogue and image on the screen is really quite remarkable in
myopinion.]
The Trial Begins:
Down from the pit below, Mrs. Paradine climbs the stairway up into the
courtroom (a room apparently identical to the original British
courthouse), while (in another scene), we also see Judy calling Gay on
the telephone, encouraging her to come and watch the trial
proceedings. She tells her not to worry because Tony won't even know
that they're there.
[I kept wondering what Judy was really up to, getting Gay to do
something she wouldn't have done on her own?]
Andre Lature is called to the stand and as he's walking slowly to the
stand, the camera follows with Mrs. Paradine's image clearly seen in
the center at all times, yet with both images in focus. Typically, one
image or the other will be out of focus when doing this on film, so
this was an interesting shot to see. The trial is quickly postponed
until tomorrow.After a brief scene first at the judge’s home, and then
at Tony Keane's home, we see the bombed out exterior of the Bailey
Courthouse.
[According to TCM's Robert Osborne, David O. Selznick spent $70,000
(in
1948) just in recreating this image and probably the courthouse
interior
of this one building seen in the film.]
Veteran Hitchcock actor, Leo G. Carroll is the prosecutor and we hear
Lature begin his testimony, telling of the last time he saw Colonel
Paradine alive.
Asked to explain exactly what was said by the Colonel when he first
answered, "he burst out with it," Lature said that Mrs. Paradine had
told the Colonel that Lature was leaving because Mrs. Paradine wanted
to get rid of him. This, he says, was the reason that the Colonel was
so angry at him on that day.
Defense attorney Tony Keane quickly begins calling Andre Lature a
liar, even though he had no proof that he was actually lying about
anything.
Both the prosecutor and judge admonish Tony (Peck) and Lature
becomes very angry as he's made to listen to all this. Working the
assisted suicide angle, Tony asks Lature if he'd ever
seen anyone poisoned, and then expanded the question to include any
animal poisoned? Although Andre denied this, Tony had learned through
investigating that Lature was the one who was called upon to poison
the Paradine's sickly dog, and with this, Tony again creates a
scenario where it was Lature who used the poison, calling anything
that Lature said on the stand a complete lie.
Mrs Paradine is seen becoming more and more angered by what her
attorney has been doing to Lature and when I recess is called, we
listen as Tony tells her, "I was idiot enough to fall in love with
you."
When he asks if she was in love with Andre she answers, "What has that
to do with it? You're my lawyer, not my lover!" [Obviously
referring to what Tony had just said.]
It's come down to Mrs. Paradine's testimony and his orator skills
to save her from certain conviction, but she continues to threaten
Tony, telling him not to point the blame at Lature, or she would never
forgive him.
[NOTE: Given Andre Lature's apparent hatred for Mrs. Paradine, we the
audience still don't understand this relationship?]
Under examination, Andre Lature lets it slip out that he did have sex
with Mrs. Paradine, and that somehow, the Colonel had discovered this.
The witness, Andre Lature is dismissed and Mrs. Paradine is called to
the stand. In Tony Keane's opening comments, Tony reminds the jury of
their natural prejudice against foreigners, and points out that Mrs.
Paradine is indeed a foreigner, whose depending on their fair
treatment of her.
Trying to establish what happened, Tony gets Mrs. Paradine to tell the
court that she had asked her husband to relocate Andre Lature, and
that she had complained to him about Lature's apparent contempt for
her.
As the details of the death of Colonel Paradine were being discussed,
the issue of the wine glass, and how it came to be washed became the
central issue of the case.
As Tony begins to demand to know who washed the wine glass, the judge
stops him, warning him to be careful of his conduct, but Tony
continues anyway, demanding again until Mrs. Paradine finally says
that it was she who washed the glass.
The court is adjourned, and will reconvene the
following day. Tony returns home to find Judy about to leave his home,
and learns that she had taken his wife to watch the proceedings.
[Always leading the audience's thoughts in the story], Judy asks why
Tony was hammering away at the quarrel in the bedroom, the night that
the Colonel died?
He answers her that it was to find a way to get to the motive. [after
all, what is the motive here?]
Tony claimed that Lature was in love with Mrs. Paradine and it was
Lature who wanted to get rid of the Colonel. To that comment, Judy
asks Tony, "What about your motive?
She continues, "You know, and I know, and Gay knows, why you think
Lature is the murderer." She advises Tony that he'd better start doing
a better job if he expected to save Mrs. Paradine for
everyone's sake. [I wondered if Judy was included in that everyone?]
The final day of the trial arrives and without asking one single
question, Tony Keane announces that he's completed his questioning of
Mrs. Paradine. It's now up to the prosecutor (Leo G. Carroll).
He begins by accusing Mrs. Paradine of encouraging Andre Lature's
affections, especially after she first realized that Lature took no
interest in her, or other women for that matter.
Suddenly, officers arrive at the court and we soon learn that Andre
Lature has just killed himself. The courtroom is aghast with the
news, and the future of the trial is now uncertain?
In spite of the news, it's agreed by all to continue the proceedings,
and the prosecutor begins to ask for more details about why she washed
the wine glass?
Mrs. Paradine answers, "Why does it matter now? The man I love, Andre
is dead. I wanted us to be free, but Andre wouldn't help me." (Pause)
" HE, AND HIS HONOR!!" She tells the court that even though she never
told him so, "Andre knew that I had killed the blind man." Hearing
this admission, the prosecutor tells the judge that he's finished and
the judge invites Tony to ask further questions of the witness.
As he begins, she declares to the courtroom, "I have nothing more to
say to Mr. Keane!" She stands in the courtroom blaming Tony for
Andre's death, saying, "My only comfort is in the hatred and contempt
I feel for Mr. Keane."
After a very long pause, Tony stands and says, "My Lord, members of
the jury; I've done my best. This case has already taken a heavy toll;
in the life of Lature, in it's burden on you; indeed, on me. I am more
than ever, aware of my shortcomings. Everything I've done, seems to
have gone against my client." He searches for the words, but cannot
find anything to say. Finally, Tony requests that Judy's father, Sir
Simon would complete the case, and he walks out of the courtroom.
The screen immediately shows a statue of "Justice" (a sword in one
hand and a balance in the other), as it stands high on top of a
building (perhaps the courthouse itself). Just as quickly, we find
ourselves watching the judge and his wife alone at home, having
dinner.
His wife begins asking him if there would be some way that he could
help that poor Mrs. Paradine, wishing that somehow she would be found
not guilty. She knocks over a glass as she's motioning with her hands
and the judge stands up and goes to help her. She reminds him that
once, he had been so very kind, but wasn't any more. He responses to
her saying that, "It is the jury, and not the judge who decides the
guilt or innocence of those on trial," and berates her for suggesting
that he should do something to change the outcome of any case. [While
he may saythat, his actions in the courtroom often attempted to do
just that.]
Unexpectedly, the judge announces to his wife that Mrs. Paradine will
surely be hanged in just a few weeks. Upset by what she hears, his
wife leaves the room.
[No other mention of a verdict is heard in the film. The question is:
has the jury
returned with a guilty verdict, of is this simply the judges opinion?]
It's early morning when we find Tony with Sir Simon in his office,
overlooking the city and Simon cannot even get him to call his wife.
By his demeanor, it's clear that this is the following day and that
he has not even been home since leaving the courtroom yesterday.
Soon, daughter Judy arrives, telling her father that Gay has arrived,
and they leave the room, allowing Gay and Tony privacy as Gay comes to
see her distraught husband.
She begins by suggesting breakfast, telling Tony that he should have
at least called because she's been so worried. Then she ends the film
with a passionate speech to her husband.
She tell him that she's proud of him today. "There will be those
who sneer and the newspapers won't be kind," but she tells him, "The
Most Important Moment In Your Life Is Now!"
She tells him that she wants him back at work, and when he smiles
about her fancy ideas about him (referring to an early scene in the
film), she smiles and says, "Incidentally darling, you do need a
shave."
The Film ends,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,