hwg1957-102-265704 ....so says Cora Marshall (Rosalind Ivan) to her husband Philip (Charles Laughton) as she bewails the bickering state of their marriage. He happens to meet Mary (Ella Raines) and they begin a relationship which Cora finds out about and threatens Philip and Mary. Soon Cora is dead and the tension starts racking up until the last tense scenes. Is Philip a crooked tree or not? It is a good film, not particularly original, but engrossing.Set in Hollywood's London where the fog billows around it looks good and Frank Skinner's musical score swirls around nicely too. Director Robert Siodmak knows how to make this kind of film. ('The Killers' of 1946 is his masterpiece) very well and this is no exception.Laughton is excellent in his role as a kindly man caught up in a bad marriage who meets a younger woman and he holds one's sympathy right to the end. He underplays the role all for the better. Rosalind Ivan as his wife is wonderfully acid and Henry Daniell (Mr Simmons) is good too as a drunk who hits his wife, a rather pathetic but deeply selfish man. Molly Lamont who plays Daniell's wife also shines.Well worth watching.

Spikeopath The Suspect is directed by Robert Siodmak and adapted to screenplay by Bertram Millhauser and Arthur T. Horman from the novel This Way Out written by James Ronald. It stars Charles Laughton, Ella Raines, Dean Harens, Stanley Ridges, Henry Daniell and Rosalind Ivan. Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Paul Ivano. In 1902 Edwardian London, unhappily married shopkeeper Philip Marshall (Laughton) meets beautiful Mary Gray (Raines) and a tender friendship begins to form. But once Philip's wife discovers what is going on she threatens him with exposure and scandal, forcing Philip to take drastic action... How delightfully off, that a film that features a wife murderer, an alcoholic wife beater and blackmail, should be so restrained and actually beautiful. The Suspect in principal is about a decent man pushed to do bad things by his awful life when hope then springs from an unlikely source. The moral shadings here are most intricate, Laughton's Philip Marshal is a completely sympathetic and fascinating character, the makers deftly toying with our perceptions in the process. There's no mystery element to drive the story forward, we are only really left wondering how the finale will play out. However, the lack of mystery is not a problem because Siodmak has a keen eye for suspense and knows how to use gaslight interiors and foggy streets to represent the psychological turmoil of Philip and his life that's now drastically changing. Murder as justifiable homicide? Ridding the world of bad people is OK? Rest assured that it is far darker than it appears on the surface. Brilliantly performed by Laughton and Raines, and mounted with great atmospheric skill by Siodmak, The Suspect is a little seen gem waiting to be found by a wider audience. 8/10

kidboots The capturing of Dr. Crippen was one of the most sensational stories of the day (1910). The suspected wife killer had booked a passage to Canada along with his pretty secretary and mistress (who was disguised as a young man). Through means of the Marconi wireless and morse code the police were able to apprehend them while at sea. According to a documentary that I saw, witnesses at the time said that while Dr. Crippen was a nice quiet man, his wife was an overbearing harpie. "The Suspect" is a retelling of the Dr. Crippen case with Charles Laughton playing to perfection the meek and kindly shop manager married to a complete harridan (Rosalind Ivan was excellent and very scary in the part).The movie created great suspense by the questions that were not answered - did Phillip Marshall kill his wife?? - the act wasn't shown and the murder that Phillip actually committed posed the question, will he get away with it and find true happiness?? Whatever happened the audience is on Phillip's side all the way!!Phillip Marshall is married to a nagging shrew and when his son leaves because his mother has deliberately burned some documents, for him it is the last straw and he moves to a different bedroom. The same day he meets Mary Gray (beautiful Ella Raines) when she comes seeking work, she is taken by his kindness to one of the junior clerks but, unfortunately, there is no work for her. On his way home Phillip finds Mary crying in the park, she is destitute and needs a job. After taking her to a cafe he finds her a job and so begins the start of a beautiful friendship which blossoms into love - they go to the music hall, ballet etc and Phillip suddenly finds life worth living again. Of course his wife refuses to divorce him and after a particularly vicious quarrel where she threatens to drag Mary's name through the mud, the next morning she is found dead. It seems to be a case of accidental death but suddenly Scotland Yard Detective Huxley (Stanley Ridges, who was excellent in "Black Friday") is snooping around.Phillip has always tried to be a friend to his long suffering neighbour Edith Simmons (Molly Lamont is just marvellous) who is married to the despicable Gilbert (Henry Daniell) who is not above knocking her around. When vile Gilbert tries his hand at a little blackmail, he has no proof that Phillip did kill his wife but he says he will lie to the police unless Phillip starts giving him money whenever he requests it. When Phillip goes into the kitchen and spies the sleeping medicine Gilbert is history but......There are some parts that are hard to believe. Phillip hides the body behind the sofa and convinces his now wife Mary that Canada is the place to start a new life but before they can sail is persuaded to give himself up as Edith has been arrested for her husband's murder. As Huxley says "he is too much of a gentleman and fine person to allow her to take the blame"!! Why was Huxley hounding him then and how come the body was found in the river??? How would a very out of condition Phillip be able to get the body down there??? Another jarring moment to me was that I thought Ella Raines was just too young and beautiful to be attracted to Charles Laughton's character in any but a friendly, fatherly way. The fact that Ella Raines makes her character's feelings completely believable is a real tribute to this very under rated actress. Those were just a few, slight quibbles with what was an overall superlative film.The big news of the moment is that new DNA evidence has come to light to suggest Dr. Crippen is really innocent of killing his wife.

Alex da Silva Philip Marshall (Charles Laughton) is trapped in a loveless marriage and his wife Cora (Rosalind Ivan) refuses to grant him a divorce. He meets Mary (Ella Raines) and they embark on a romance of friendship before he puts an end to it because of his married status. Meanwhile, Cora has discovered the secret and jumps to a wrong conclusion vowing to humiliate both him and Mary in both their workplaces and their social sets. Cora has an accident and dies. Phillip and Mary are now free to live together but Inspector Huxley (Stanley Ridges) suspects murder.This is an atmospheric thriller where the viewer is in complete sympathy with the suspect. The cast are all very good with the exception of John Marshall (Dean Harens) and his annoying girlfriend. Why has he got an American accent when he is supposed to be English? Anyway, the rest of the cast give their characters real depth so that we dislike those that we are meant to - Rosalind Ivan as Laughton's wife and neighbour Gilbert (Henry Daniell) - and like the main characters of Laughton and Raines.....and you always think "Oh no" whenever Inspector Huxley appears on the scene.......if only he wasn't so inquisitive and determined.........It's a good film and Laughton is both funny and charming - the scenes between him and his wife are very entertaining.