Leo G. Carroll – Matt Lynn Digital

Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and George Sanders in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Rebecca’

The presentation of the movie Rebecca (1940) by director Alfred Hitchcock offers an interesting and smart premise to the ways psychological pressure can be expressed. The film begins the story from the middle of the larger tale, though details unexpectedly revealing and revealed so as to make the experience one that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Hitchcock‘s first movie made in the United States with producer David O. Selznick is based on the 1938 Daphne du Maurier novel Rebecca.

(**Laurence Olivier** as ‘Maxim’ de Winter in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Rebecca**).

The movie begins with a glimpse of ‘Maxim’ de Winter, as portrayed by Laurence Olivier, considering taking of his life at the edge of a cliff. A woman yells to him in an attempt to change his mind. The scenario ends with rudeness on behalf of de Winter, though the plot for the movie is cleverly planted with this simple yet strong interaction.

(From left, **Florence Bates** as Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper and **Joan Fontaine** as the second Mrs. de Winter in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Rebecca**).

It would be in Monte-Carlo, Monaco where de Winter and the young lady unexpectedly meet again, with the young lady as a paid companion to the intentionally demonstrative and extravagant Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper. It is owing to Van Hopper that we, along with the young lady, learn that de Winter was recently widowed. Through a warmth the belied a distinctly different station in life, de Winter is taken with the young lady in this setting and proposes marriage. Florence Bates portrayed Mrs. Edythe Van Hopper to Joan Fontaine portraying the woman who would become the second Mrs. de Winter.

(From left, **Judith Anderson** as Mrs. Danvers and **Reginald Denny** as Frank Crawley in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Rebecca**).

It would be at Maxim de Winter’s sprawling southwestern England estate, named Manderley, that we learn of the fondness that many serving the mansion and grounds were devoted to the first Mrs. de Winter. Rebecca would be the former lady of the house. The Manderley staff included Mrs. Danvers as housekeeper, Frank Crawley as Maxim’s estate manager, Frith, as a butler, and so forth. Judith Anderson, Reginald Denny and Edward Fielding portrayed Danvers, Crawley and Frith, respectively. Precisely how the staff worked to make the young Mrs. de Winter uncomfortable. That these truths rolled into our getting to know Jack Favell, Mrs. Rebecca de Winter’s cousin, ultimately makes the story one of greater depth than simple devotion to a prior lady of the house.

(From left, Billy Bevan as a policeman, director **Alfred Hitchcock** in cameo, and George Sanders as Jack Favell in the **Alfred Hitchcock** move **Rebecca**).

The story of Rebecca stands out among the earlier work offered by Alfred Hitchcock in that the psychological tension takes on distinct tones of loyalty, romance and questions of well-being at levels that intermingled so smartly that true motivations among the characters were, at times, less than straightforward. That the truth of who had done what and why becomes clear, my appreciation for the artistry presented makes me satisfied with the experience. I rate Rebecca as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine and Nigel Bruce in the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Suspicion’

Using the pseudonym Francis Iles with the 1932 crime novel Before the Fact, Anthony Berkeley Cox wrote what became the underpinning for the movie Suspicion (1941). The movie offers an interesting mixture of Alfred Hitchcock‘s perspectives of film noir, romance and psychological thriller. It’s our belief that you should watch the movie Suspicion.

(From left, **Cary Grant** as Johnnie Aysgarth and **Joan Fontaine** as Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Suspicion**).

Suspicion establishes setting and character when eligible, handsome and financially irresponsible Johnnie Aysgarth meets Lina McLaidlaw on a train traveling in England. Johnnie aims to initiate conversation with a suspicious insult meant as a means of beginning the desire for communication. When Lina later overhears her parents mentioning that they believe Lina will never marry, she lashes out by kissing Johnnie in defiance. Cary Grant portrayed Johnnie Aysgarth. Joan Fontaine, winner of an Academy Award for the performance, portrayed Lina McLaidlaw.

(**Cedric Hardwicke** as General McLaidlaw in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Suspicion**).

The kiss to spite her parents leads to an afternoon date between Lina and Johnnie, which Johnnie cancels before vanishing. Things eventually turn around, with a proposal for marriage that Lina’s wealthy father opposes with decided strength. Cedric Hardwicke and May Whitty portrayed General McLaidlaw and Mrs. Martha McLaidlaw, parents to Lina, respectively.

(From left, **Joan Fontaine** as Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth and **May Whitty** as Mrs. Martha McLaidlaw in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Suspicion**).

This escalating romance eventually leads to the couple’s decision to elope, thus making the wealthy couple’s daughter Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth. The story escalates into an increasingly thrilling set of actions that become decidedly film noir when the state of Johnnie’s finances come to light with the notion for how to pay for a luxurious wedding and living arrangements come into focus. The selling of family heirlooms to cover gambling debts are simply the beginning.

(From left, **Cary Grant** as Johnnie Aysgarth, **Joan Fontaine** as Lina McLaidlaw Aysgarth and **Nigel Bruce** as Gordon Cochrane ‘Beaky’ Thwaite in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Suspicion**).

Things get deeper when a financial ambitions, including financial shenanigans that eventually escalate to confirm that a desperate times can call for desperate measures. Lina perceives a confidence play on a land deal between Johnnie and the good-natured Gordon Cochrane ‘Beaky’ Thwaite. Things really get elevate after Beaky travels to Paris, France. Nigel Bruce portrayed ‘Beaky’ Thwaite, and unwittingly points to some fascinating suspense for how the film ultimately resolves itself.

(From left, actor **Cary Grant** and director **Alfred Hitchcock** staging a shot for the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Suspicion**).

The intrigue throughout Suspicion resonates with me, 90-years after the book and 81-years after the movie. What will become of the romantic couple? Are the looks that are legitimate and suspect really what is about to happen? Is there even a chance that the truth isn’t what we suspect? That these are the questions leads to my granting Suspicion as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, June 4, 2022

Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason in the Alfred Hitchcock film ‘North by Northwest’

We’ve started the month of June at Matt Lynn Digital in dramatic style from the year 1959. Earlier this week, we shared our review of the Otto Preminger‘s Anatomy of a Murder, featuring James Stewart, Lee Remick and George C. Scott in starring roles. Today we turn our look at an Alfred Hitchock mystery of mistaken identity of an innocent man portrayed by Cary Grant pursued across the United States. Join us in this look into North by Northwest (1959).

(From left, Adam Williams as Valerian, Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill, Martin Landau as Leonard (standing) and Robert Ellenstein as Licht in the Alfred Hitchcock movie North by Northwest).

Intrigue takes us from the United Nations Headquarters in New York City to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Black Hills, South Dakota with North by Northwest. Before any of this intrigue, advertising executive Roger Thornhill, as portrayed by Carey Grant, is whisked away to the estate of Lester Townsend of Long Island, New York.

(Jessie Royce Landis as Clara Thornhill in the Alfred Hitchcock movie North by Northwest).

Spy Phillip Vandamm, as portrayed by James Mason, interrogates Thornhill, disbelieving everything Thornhill says. Using the coercion of Valerian, Licht and Leonard, Vandamm forces Roger Thornhill to consume a bottle of liquor and take a drive that Vandamm hopes will settle the matter. Adam Williams, Robert Ellenstein and Martin Landau portray Valerian, Licht and Leonard. Clara Thornhill, mother to Roger as portrayed by Jessie Royce Landis, aids her son in seeking to address the mystery she too disbelieves.

(From left, Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill and Philip Ober as Lester Townsend in the Alfred Hitchcock movie North by Northwest).

It is when Roger Thornhill gets to visit Lester Townsend, as portrayed by Philip Ober, that the mystery of the movie North by Northwest really captures multiple levels of depth. Intrigue including Eve Kendall, as portrayed by Eva Marie Saint, gains its feet with travel across country in pursuit of affection, truth, and the nature of what drives a conspiracy with foreign antagonists catches its feet.

(From left, Eva Marie Saint as Eve Kendall, James Mason as Phillip Vandamm and Martin Landau as Leonard in the Alfred Hitchcock movie North by Northwest).

There are echoes of the 1942 Alfred Hitchcock movie Saboteur in North by Northwest, with the interpersonal dynamics of the love interest taking a noticeably different and arguably more complex tone with North by Northwest. The relationship between Roger Thornhill and Eve Kendall are resonated better for me here than that of Barry Kane and Patricia (Pat) Martin in Saboteur. The service of this relationship in getting the story to outcome, too, was executed better here than in the film 17-years previous.

(From left, actor Cary Grant, actress Eva Marie Saint, director Alfred Hitchcock and actor James Mason of the Alfred Hitchcock movie North by Northwest).

My overall enjoyment of North by Northwest was not diminished by the use of a MacGuffin. Landing on a satisfying mystery with a romantic turn integral to the storyline really made the movie, especially given what felt like sudden yet legitimate feeling appropriate for the entertainment offered. I give North by Northwest as presented by Alfred Hitchcock 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, June 5, 2021

Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker and the Alfred Hitchcock movie ‘Strangers on a Train’

Renewing my appreciation and viewing of movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock, today we look into an examination of the notion of perfect murders with Strangers on a Train (1951). Patricia Highsmith‘s 1950 book Strangers on a Train serves as source material for the film, which while offering distinctly different storytelling reminds us of Rope (1948) in looking into the notion of escaping the grasp of justice.

(From left, **Farley Granger** as Guy Haines and **Robert Walker** as Bruno Antony are the **Strangers on a Train** in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie of that title).

Farley Granger as amateur tennis star Guy Haines and Robert Walker as smooth talking psychopath Bruno Antony ostensibly meet by chance on a train with the opportunity to speak privately and compare biographies. Casual conversation reveals Antony’s interpersonal problems at home with his parents offer comparable difficulty Haines has in wanting a divorce in order to marry a senator’s daughter. Is hypothetical banter around what comes next real or simply talk among strangers meeting on a train?

(From left, Odette Myrtil as Madame Darville, **Kasey Rogers** as Miriam Joyce Haines and **Farley Granger** as Guy Haines in the movie **Strangers on a Train**).

Guy Haines is married to Miriam Joyce Haines, who he is traveling to meet from a tennis tournament when Guy had met Bruno Antony. Miriam refuses Guy’s request to complete a divorce they’d discussed before, instead seeking to continue consorting with other men while threatening Guy’s public reputation. Given this setback, a hypothetical suggested by Bruno Antony begins.

(From left, **Ruth Roman** as Anne Morton, **Farley Granger** as Guy Haines, Patricia Hitchcock as Barbara Morton and Leo G. Carroll as Senator Morton in the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Strangers on a Train**).

The pressure to reciprocate the nature of the perfect crime discussed on a train brings Guy Haines into the crosshairs of Anne Morton, Haines’ love interest, and Bruno Antony. The reminder that reputations for the parents of Anne, Senator and Barbara Morton, are further introduced to raise the stakes. Ruth Roman portrays Anne Morton.

(From left, **Farley Granger** as Guy Haines and **Alfred Hitchcock** in cameo for the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Strangers on a Train**).

The pitting of the good and the bad is felt psychologically in multiple fashions through the Strangers on a Train. There is the notion of Guy Haines against Miriam Joyce Haines in the question of marital and separation propriety; there’s Anne Morton, her parents and Guy Haines in the matter of psychological extortion; there is Bruno Antony in receiving support and approval from his parents; and there is Guy Haines against Bruno Antony in matters of life and death. Motivation meets opportunity meets personal choice, which speaks to the depth of what Strangers on a Train offers.

(From left, actor **Robert Walker**, director **Alfred Hitchcock** and actor **Farley Granger** on site for the filming of the **Alfred Hitchcock** movie **Strangers on a Train**).

Placing Strangers on a Train among fields of leisure and amusement feel metaphorically powerful. In calling out the notion of train travel, tennis, amusements including a carousel, a tunnel of love and a game of chance all conjure cinematic imagery that meaningfully allude to factors underpinning the fate of the characters in the movie. I give Strangers on a Train as directed by Alfred Hitchcock 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, May 5, 2021