- The Unsuspected
Infobox_Film
name = The Unsuspected
imdb_id = 0039941
producer =Michael Curtiz Charles Hoffman
director =Michael Curtiz
writer =Charlotte Armstrong (novel)Bess Meredyth (adaptation)Ranald MacDougall
starring =Joan Caulfield Claude Rains Audrey Totter Constance Bennett Hurd Hatfield Ted North Fred Clark Harry Lewis
Jack Lambert
music =Franz Waxman
cinematography =Elwood Bredell
editing = Fredrick Richards
distributor =Warner Bros.
released =October 3 ,1947
runtime = 103 min
language = English"The Unsuspected" (1947) is a
film noir starringClaude Rains ,Audrey Totter , andJoan Caulfield . Theblack-and-white film was directed byMichael Curtiz , based on a novel written byCharlotte Armstrong , and released byWarner Brothers .Plot
The story involves a woman who is found dead hanging from a chandelier in a posh mansion occupied by Victor Grandison. Grandison, a popular "true crime" radio story host, has arranged for the murder and set it up to look like suicide. The police have no reason to doubt it, but a mysterious man arrives claiming to be Grandison's niece's husband and immediately begins to investigate the killing.
Critical response
Critics compare the film to "Laura" and, though most reviews are positive, some find the film formulaic and predictable.
Channel 4 's [http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=109764 review of the film] states: "Lacking any real depth or complexity, the film relies on sterling performances from the cast, with Rains and his victim Caufield superb, and Curtiz's uncharacteristically quirky direction for its success."Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward's listing of the movie in the book "Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style" writes that the film is impressive because of its emphasis on style: "Jack Lambert as the blackmailed killer lies in bed smoking. The radio is on and Alexander Grandison is detailing the story of his particular crime. The only source of the illumination in this dingy hotel room comes from a partially obscured flashing neon sign. The letters that are visible through the window seem to echo the thoughts of the uncomfortable murderer as it keeps blinking "KILL... KILL... KILL."ref|book1
External links
* [http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=109764 Channel 4's review of the film]
References
#cite book | author= Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward| title=Film Noir An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style | publisher =The Overlook Press | year=1992 | id=ISBN 0-87951-479-5
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