{"id":20515,"date":"2011-11-14T10:44:18","date_gmt":"2011-11-14T17:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20515"},"modified":"2021-03-02T20:07:56","modified_gmt":"2021-03-03T03:07:56","slug":"paradine-case-the-1947","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20515","title":{"rendered":"Paradine Case, The (1947)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I may not be the cleverest woman in the world, and there are lots of things I don&#8217;t know, but there&#8217;s one thing I know better than anyone else: I know you.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Poster-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-20516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Poster-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Poster.jpg 505w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA married attorney (Gregory Peck) becomes obsessed with the beautiful widow (Alida Valli) he&#8217;s defending, much to the consternation of his loyal wife (Ann Todd).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alida Valli Films<\/li>\n<li>Charles Coburn Films<\/li>\n<li>Charles Laughton Films<\/li>\n<li>Courtroom Drama<\/li>\n<li>Ethel Barrymore Films<\/li>\n<li>Gregory Peck Films<\/li>\n<li>Hitchcock Films<\/li>\n<li>Louis Jourdan Films<\/li>\n<li>Marital Problems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAlfred Hitchcock&#8217;s final film for producer David Selznick is widely regarded as one of his lesser efforts &#8212; and upon revisiting it, I&#8217;m inclined to agree. All the required ingredients for a fine Hitchcockian melodrama are present, but they never quite gel. Perhaps the greatest fault lies in the central conceit of Peck&#8217;s happily married barrister falling almost instantly in love with the enigmatic Valli: while she&#8217;s certainly gorgeous and sexually alluring, her personality (she&#8217;s consistently cold and aloof) isn&#8217;t nearly compelling enough to help us understand his infatuation. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Peck-Valli.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Peck-Valli-1024x731.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"457\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Peck-Valli-1024x731.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Peck-Valli-300x214.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Peck-Valli-128x91.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Peck-Valli-768x548.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Peck-Valli-378x270.png 378w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Peck-Valli.png 1417w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, we&#8217;re simply exasperated by Todd&#8217;s overly compassionate approach to the &#8220;situation&#8221; she finds herself in; would any wife REALLY be quite <em>that<\/em> understanding and forgiving upon hearing her husband confess that he&#8217;s in love with another woman? <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Todd2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Todd2-1024x741.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"463\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Todd2-1024x741.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Todd2-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Todd2-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Todd2-768x556.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Todd2-373x270.png 373w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Todd2.png 1417w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Another facet of the problem may lie in the fact that the film was drastically cut (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0039694\/trivia?tab=tr&#038;item=tr0764673\">it originally ran three hours<\/a>), so certain elements are necessarily given short shrift; Charles Laughton as the lecherous judge overseeing the case, for instance, presents as simply a cameo:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Laughton.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Laughton-1024x744.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Laughton-1024x744.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Laughton-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Laughton-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Laughton-768x558.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Laughton-371x270.png 371w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Laughton.png 1421w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>while his interactions with his highly sensitive wife (Ethel Barrymore) seem to belong to another movie entirely. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Barrymore.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Barrymore-1024x738.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"461\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Barrymore-1024x738.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Barrymore-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Barrymore-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Barrymore-768x553.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Barrymore-375x270.png 375w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Barrymore.png 1425w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Louis Jordan does a fine job playing the valet accused by Peck of murdering Valli&#8217;s blind husband &#8212; but his critical role, too, seems to merit further expansion. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Jordan3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Jordan3-1024x734.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"459\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Jordan3-1024x734.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Jordan3-300x215.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Jordan3-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Jordan3-768x551.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Jordan3-376x270.png 376w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Jordan3.png 1429w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, one watches <em>The Paradine Case<\/em> from a state of odd detachment, mildly curious to learn the truth behind the murder mystery, but sadly uninvolved on an emotional level. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lee Garmes&#8217; cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Valli3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Valli3-1024x737.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"461\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Valli3-1024x737.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Valli3-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Valli3-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Valli3-768x553.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Valli3-375x270.png 375w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Paradine-Case-Valli3.png 1419w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo; this one is only must-see for Hitchcock completists. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0039694\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1948\/01\/09\/archives\/on-the-screen-selznick-and-hitchcock-join-forces-on-paradine-case.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/86212\/the-paradine-case#articles-reviews?articleId=60023\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s199paradine.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-paradine-case\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I may not be the cleverest woman in the world, and there are lots of things I don&#8217;t know, but there&#8217;s one thing I know better than anyone else: I know you.&#8221; Synopsis: A married attorney (Gregory Peck) becomes obsessed with the beautiful widow (Alida Valli) he&#8217;s defending, much to the consternation of his loyal wife (Ann Todd). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Alida Valli Films Charles Coburn Films Charles Laughton Films Courtroom Drama Ethel Barrymore Films Gregory Peck Films&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20515\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20515"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70040,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20515\/revisions\/70040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}