Alfred Hitchcock's fascination with psychoanalysis is almost at its peak in this film. He conducted a psychological analysis of almost every character that appeared. Elegance and charm, Alida Valli, who hides the secret of adultery with her servant Louis Jourdan, is first attracted by the accused, and then falls in love with the accused Gregory Peck. Ann Todd, who loves her husband Gregory Peck deeply and regards her husband as her everything, almost lost herself for this. Attorney Charles Coburn, who was also attracted to the defendants but stuck to the bottom line of professional ethics. Joan Tetzel, who has a crush on lawyer Gregory Peck, the daughter of lawyer Charles Coburn, and a close friend of Gregory Peck's wife's girlfriend, is torn between these relationships. Louis Jourdan, a servant who loved his master's wife Alida Valli and eventually committed suicide for her, Judge Charles Laughton, a lecherous and prejudiced judge of the accused, Ethel Barrymore, a judge's wife who was estranged from her husband, and the inn who didn't want her own hotel because of the scandal. Newspapers, and an innkeeper who is curious about scandals. Thinks the servant Louis Jourdan is a badass just because he thinks all foreigners are weird coachmen.
The purpose of writing so many characters is to show that Hitchcock is not satisfied with his single-line narrative style in this film. He used the clues of the Alida Valli murder case as the main line, and constructed the above-mentioned branch clues to tell the story. Each of the above-mentioned actors has contributed to the most wonderful performances under the wonderful hand of Hitchcock. (I like the performance of Ann Todd, who plays Mrs. Gregory Peck the most.)
The cinematography of the film is very German expressionist, whether it is the gloomy prison, the cold court, or the delicate relationship between lawyer Gregory Peck and his wife. territory.
At the end of the movie, Alida Valli admitted that she poisoned her husband, Gregory Peck lost the lawsuit, he was in a mixed mood, very melancholy, and finally his wife Ann Todd hugged him and forgave him all that was not, Hitchcock finally let love win. Ambiguous humanity. A bit of a commercial ending, but I love it.
By the way, Hitchcock has always liked to challenge the bottom line of film censors at the time, and this time he challenged the word make love.
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The Paradine Case reviews
