A marvelous original score by Larry Grossman opens the film as Johnnie, an enigmatic British playboy, first crosses paths with the mousy Lina McLaidlaw near her wealthy parents’ estate. A torrid love affair evolves into a passionate marriage, yet the newly ordained Mrs. Aysgarth suspects foul play on behalf of her husband. Odd disappearances and financial burdens strain their initial bliss, and Lina finds herself amidst an expanding murder mystery, with herself as the victim.
Beaky (Jonathan Lynn) presents himself as Lina’s only ally, though his loyalties are murky. As tension escalates, director Grieve paints a horrifying portrait of a woman bereft of rationale, trapped in a loveless marriage with not a trusty onlooker in sight. Gorgeous cinematography by Brian Morgan juxtaposes the thrilling plot with the serenity of the rural British bourgeois.
Alfred Hitchcock was a master of delaying an audience’s hunger for resolution, playing with cinematic sequencing and plot twists, giving just frequent enough tastes of conclusion that the viewer would remain entranced. Grieve channels Hitchcock’s style as an emblematic auteur, yet he infuses the film with his own unique visual techniques, using the fast cutting and fades popular during its late eighties release.
The significant shift in era updates the storyline of Suspicion, but manages not to diminish the essence of the story with overdone technological shortcuts. The clothing is classic, the setting timeless and the storyline enduring. Hitchcock, and now Grieve, perfected the art of titillating the most taboo insecurities of the human psyche in carefully constructed thrillers. Andrew Grieve’s Suspicion traces a cautious finger over themes of love, lust, doubt and insecurity and emerges successful as it retells and reinvents a classic.
Take home this DVD today and relish its vibrant colors and easily navigated menu. At 96 minutes, Suspicion promises to provide exhilarating fodder for any thrill seeking movie night.
