{"id":4412,"date":"2007-10-01T11:11:46","date_gmt":"2007-10-01T18:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4412"},"modified":"2023-04-07T22:24:31","modified_gmt":"2023-04-08T05:24:31","slug":"unsuspected-the-1947","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4412","title":{"rendered":"Unsuspected, The (1947)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;His day of reckoning must come. He is tormented by fear that someday he will make one false move, one slip that will betray him, and when he does, the lightning of justice will strike&#8230; the unsuspected.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Unsuspected-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Unsuspected-Poster-189x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"189\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-23421\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Unsuspected-Poster-189x300.jpg 189w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Unsuspected-Poster-80x128.jpg 80w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/10\/Unsuspected-Poster.jpg 335w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 189px) 100vw, 189px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen the assistant (Barbara Woodell) of suave radio host Victor Grandison (Claude Rains) is murdered, a mysterious man (Michael North) appears on his doorstep, claiming to be the short-lived husband of Grandison&#8217;s wealthy young ward (Joan Caulfield); a web of lies, greed, and deceit is soon revealed.\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>Amateur Sleuths<\/li>\n<li>Amnesia<\/li>\n<li>Audrey Totter Films<\/li>\n<li>Claude Rains Films<\/li>\n<li>Constance Bennett Films<\/li>\n<li>Hurd Hatfield Films<\/li>\n<li>Michael Curtiz Films<\/li>\n<li>Murder Mystery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nWhile acknowledging its shortcomings, Peary seems to be an enormous fan of this atmospheric murder mystery, referring to it as a &#8220;really exceptional <em>noir<\/em> melodrama&#8221;. Unfortunately, <em>The Unsuspected<\/em> &#8212; based on a novella by Charlotte Armstrong &#8212; is prevented from being a true classic due to its highly convoluted plot, which only begins to make sense more than halfway through (as Peary notes, the &#8220;plot has clever twists, but there are so many of them that it becomes confusing&#8221;). At the same time, it possesses &#8220;sharp&#8221; dialogue, a &#8220;spooky, tense atmosphere&#8221; (Michael Curtiz&#8217;s direction is memorable), and &#8220;interesting characterizations&#8221; by everyone except &#8220;the miscast North&#8221; (and, I think, the beautiful but bland Caulfield). Rains&#8217;s performance is particularly noteworthy &#8212; despite learning his &#8220;secret&#8221; early on, we continue to watch his character with fascination, especially as he expertly uses technology to further his goals. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Claude Rains as Victor Grandison<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-rains.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-rains.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4415\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Constance Bennett as Grandison&#8217;s wisecracking assistant: &#8220;You&#8217;re as limp as an old girdle.&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-bennett.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-bennett.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4413\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Audrey Totter as Grandison&#8217;s scheming niece<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-totter.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-totter.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4416\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The highly atmospheric opening murder<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-opening.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-opening.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4417\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Director Michael Curtiz&#8217;s innovative camerawork and direction<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-reflection.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-reflection.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4419\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Woody Bredell&#8217;s noirish cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-kill.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/unsuspected-kill.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4418\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, simply for Rains&#8217; performance. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0039941\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1947\/10\/04\/archives\/the-unsuspected-new-warner-mystery-with-joan-coalfield-and-michael.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/2518\/the-unsuspected#articles-reviews?articleId=74654\">Turner Classic Movies Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-unsuspected\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;His day of reckoning must come. He is tormented by fear that someday he will make one false move, one slip that will betray him, and when he does, the lightning of justice will strike&#8230; the unsuspected.&#8221; Synopsis: When the assistant (Barbara Woodell) of suave radio host Victor Grandison (Claude Rains) is murdered, a mysterious man (Michael North) appears on his doorstep, claiming to be the short-lived husband of Grandison&#8217;s wealthy young ward (Joan Caulfield); a web of lies, greed,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4412\"> 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":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4412","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=4412"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90881,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4412\/revisions\/90881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}