You can see that Hitchcock formula and well done too.
Added 5/25/2009
The movie is very proud to be a David O. Selznick film and displays it proudly at the beginning.
This is one of those movies where you go "yeah yeah" I saw before. You are probably thinking of Richard Attenborough's " Trial and Error" (1962) or Billy Wilder's "Witness for the Prosecution" (1957). Much of this film is predictable and then again maybe not. Remember this is a 1947 film.
Rich old blind Mr. Paradine, of whom we never met, is found dead; is it suicide or is it murder? Soon Mrs. Maddalena Anna Paradine (Alida Valli) is accused of having motive and opportunity.
Assigned to defend Maddalena is Anthony Keane, Counsel for the Defense (Gregory Peck). Even with Mrs. Paradine's wild past and alluring continence, Anthony, a happily married man, is sure threat the butler (o.k. the valet) did it. We the viewers also want to help him, as it is obvious if it was not the Andre Latour, Paradine's Valet (a very young Louis Jourdan) than you know who will hang. Not only that but we find the valet to be quite devious.
A plus that gives this film added character is Charles Laughton as Judge Lord Thomas Horfield.
Trial and Error (aka The Dock Brief)
Witness For the Prosecution
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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BORING AND YAWN TO PARADINE CASE
Added 3/10/2009
I didn't like this film at all. I thought it was boring and dry. I'll stick with To Catch A Thief (Hitchcock), Mutiny on the Bounty (Laughton), and Roman Holiday (Peck) These are much better films by these guys.
0 out of 7 people found this helpful.
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"Keane" on winning the case AND the client
Added 1/3/2009
In Alfred Hitchcock's court drama THE PARADINE CASE, Gregory Peck is Anthony Keane, an English barrister who falls in love with his client, Maddalena Paradine (Alida Valli). She's accused of poisoning her husband-- an older blind man and one-time war hero. In fashioning a defense, Keane accuses Mr. Paradine's valet, Andre Latour (Louis Jourdan) of the murder, but this leads to disaster for Latour, Mrs. Paradine AND Keane.
Hitch's next directorial effort after "Paradine" was ROPE (1948), a story loosely based on the Leopold & Loeb murder case. Stars Jimmy Stewart.
Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.
(6.4) The Paradine Case (1947) - Gregory Peck/Ann Todd/Charles Laughton/Charles Colson/Ethel Barrymore/Louis Jourdan/Alida Valli/Leo G. Carroll
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Alida Valli & Gregory Peck, beauty, brilliant talent in a perfect showcase.
Added 1/19/2006
Alida Valli made very few American films, and it is a loss to our history. This star known best for her work in "Miracle of the Bells" (the story of a brilliant actress who plays Joan of Arc, and then dies with that being her only film), is not just a striking beauty. Unlike many of the glamourous, beautiful stars of the 40s, she shares with us a complex and intelligent internal life. We know that we will only know 10% of what is going on in her head, but we see the wheels turning through her eyes. It is this quality which makes this film come alive, and it is a perfect vehicle for her.
Gregory Peck (although slightly miscast - not old enough yet to be a middle aged lawyer in mid-life crisis) with his open accessibility to the audience, and his emotional availability is the perfect foil for Valli. This is perhaps one of his most complex roles, and possibly his sexiest.
I disagree with the amazon editorial review that this film is bound by it's setting. Hitchcock enjoied the challenge of making films in small, confined sets. The direction here makes the most of Valli's talents, and there are many incredible shots. The entrance of young Louis Jordan into the courtroom behind Valli is an incredible, captivating 300 degree follow shot. This shot physicallizes the chemistry between them without them ever looking at each other. It is worth mentioning here that this film also introduced Louis Jordan. In a rare performance using an American accent, he is raw and brooding and beautiful. He does not have the mannerisms that lessened his later performances, he was not yet a star.
It is interesting that in this film, Hitchcock has his usual blonde beauty (Ann Todd) protrayed as conventional and staid. We understand why Gregory Peck would both love her and be bored by her once he meets Valli. He heightens this by contrasting their acting styles as well. Todd's acting style, especially her diction, is old school, while Valli is something new entirely. As a Hitchcock fan, I feel this is one of his best films, ranking with VERTIGO, NOTORIOUS, SUSPICION and I CONFESS as one of my favorites. (It is worth mentioning for the Hitchcock fan, that this film uses many of the same music cues that were used in NOTORIOUS.)
I hope the DVD companies will produce a good version of this with commentary. Meanwhile, this VHS - the restored version - is crystal clear, and velvety.
4 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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Overdue Recognition
Added 10/21/2005
Alfred Hitchcock's THE PARADINE CASE is an interesting film from this director. On the surface it appears to be about a courtroom murder case where the accused Misses Paradine (Alida Valli) is defended by barrister (Gregory Peck) who becomes infatuated by here statuesque beauty and in doing so undermines his marriage to Ann Todd. Valli is accused of murdering her husband who we never see in person but only in a portrait. We never actually see the murder on screen. We must rely on the testimony of the witnesses to come to some conclusion about Mister Paradine's demise. Louis Jourdan is the late Mister Paradine's manservant. His relationship to both Mister and Misses Paradine leaves many questions for the viewer. Jourdan who delivers one of his best performances expertly plays this pivotal character. The film is really about relationships ending and evolving and to a degree about relationships that are imagined. Relationships end or are put on hold. Relationships reveal sharp realities for the central characters and they must come to terms with their own conduct. Other relationships such as Charels Laughton and his wife Ethel Barrymore have remained static and listless. They each fulfill what is left of a relationship that should never have been. The submissive Barrymore dutifully endures the bullying nature of Laughton, the presiding judge. Being a David O. Selznick's picture the production is lavish yet somehow it is overshadowed by the bleak nature of the screenplay. The production values are almost a counterpoint to the story and to actress Valli's rather sullen performance, which remains a bit of an enigma. Gregory Peck's performance is very good. Because of his basic good nature the viewer feels for his flawed character and his realization of this that will no doubt come by the end of the film. Louis Jourdan flat out gives a memorable and impressive performance showing off his mastery of histrionics. This film deserves long overdue attention.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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You can see that Hitchcock formula and well done too.
Added 5/25/2009
The movie is very proud to be a David O. Selznick film and displays it proudly at the beginning.
This is one of those movies where you go "yeah yeah" I saw before. You are probably thinking of Richard Attenborough's " Trial and Error" (1962) or Billy Wilder's "Witness for the Prosecution" (1957). Much of this film is predictable and then again maybe not. Remember this is a 1947 film.
Rich old blind Mr. Paradine, of whom we never met, is found dead; is it suicide or is it murder? Soon Mrs. Maddalena Anna Paradine (Alida Valli) is accused of having motive and opportunity.
Assigned to defend Maddalena is Anthony Keane, Counsel for the Defense (Gregory Peck). Even with Mrs. Paradine's wild past and alluring continence, Anthony, a happily married man, is sure threat the butler (o.k. the valet) did it. We the viewers also want to help him, as it is obvious if it was not the Andre Latour, Paradine's Valet (a very young Louis Jourdan) than you know who will hang. Not only that but we find the valet to be quite devious.
A plus that gives this film added character is Charles Laughton as Judge Lord Thomas Horfield.
Trial and Error (aka The Dock Brief)
Witness For the Prosecution
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
BORING AND YAWN TO PARADINE CASE
Added 3/10/2009
I didn't like this film at all. I thought it was boring and dry. I'll stick with To Catch A Thief (Hitchcock), Mutiny on the Bounty (Laughton), and Roman Holiday (Peck) These are much better films by these guys.
0 out of 7 people found this helpful.
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"Keane" on winning the case AND the client
Added 1/3/2009
In Alfred Hitchcock's court drama THE PARADINE CASE, Gregory Peck is Anthony Keane, an English barrister who falls in love with his client, Maddalena Paradine (Alida Valli). She's accused of poisoning her husband-- an older blind man and one-time war hero. In fashioning a defense, Keane accuses Mr. Paradine's valet, Andre Latour (Louis Jourdan) of the murder, but this leads to disaster for Latour, Mrs. Paradine AND Keane.
Hitch's next directorial effort after "Paradine" was ROPE (1948), a story loosely based on the Leopold & Loeb murder case. Stars Jimmy Stewart.
Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.
(6.4) The Paradine Case (1947) - Gregory Peck/Ann Todd/Charles Laughton/Charles Colson/Ethel Barrymore/Louis Jourdan/Alida Valli/Leo G. Carroll
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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