B


This was a good, yet rather overrated Hitchcock classic. I think it was the ending that bothced the things a little. I recently saw in a documentary about Cary Grant's life, that originally, he was supposed to actually be the murderer at the end of the movie, but refused to play the part this way, so the script had to be rewritten. I think that's pretty noticeable when watching the film and I was a tad disappointed by that. It was a good thriller, but after all the build-up the ending was abti-climatic and, frankly, unrealistic. I mean, Johnnie basically shows that he was going to kill Lina, but then decided not too. However, it all is forgiven and forgotten apparently and that just didn't work well. The novel's much darker ending is way superior to this one's ending.

However, there are obviously good parts as well. The way Lina's perception of Johnny changes throughout the film, how Johnny manages to talk his way around everything and how he gets away with all the ugly stuff he is doing is a lot of fun to watch. Also, the acting is top notch here. Joan Fontaine delivers a nice, nuanced performance, but frankly I felt that Cary Grant was the real highlight here. It was surprising for me to find out that Fontaine received an Oscar for her performance, whereas Grant wasn't even nominated for his sleazy, yet charming and manipulative turn. Nigel Bruce provided some funny and well-done moments as well.

It's your typical Hitchcock with expected strengths in the technical department, but the screenplay's choice of the direction at the end of the film was a let-down. I have seen worse films by Hitch (Marnie, To Catch a Thief), but also better ones (Spellbound, Dial M for Murder). This lies pretty much in the midfield.

I'll agree that its good but overrated. I actually didn't mind the ending as much but I did have a bit of a problem with the overall character of Johnny. I felt there was just something missing. Grant still plays the part well though and Fontaine is great