Thursday, November 29, 2007 - Cary Grant Movie Reviews--Suspicion and Notorious
Suspicion
What happens in a movie when two strangers meet--one a charming, flirtatious young man, and the other a beautiful yet doomed to be single (so her family tells her) young lady? Usually, the woman is swept off her feet, the man falls in love despite trying his best not to, and they live happily ever after. Not so in this suspenseful film, I'm afraid.
Cary Grant plays the likeable and fun Johnnie Aysgarth, who meets a pretty, single woman named Lina. Lina is tired of her life with her parents--who love to conveniently remind her that she, at twenty-eight, is destined to old-maidenhood. She is determined to prove them wrong, however, and throws herself headlong into a courtship with Johnnie--who her parents warn her about. He's of "rotten stock", says her father. Lina refuses to believe the warnings, and soon elopes with Johnnie.
The two enjoy a happy honeymoon, and settle in a beautiful house back home. Lina is very delighted with the home, the servants, and the expensive things Johnnie has given her, although she did not realize that he was quite as rich as he appeared. As time goes by, she becomes more suspicious. Where was Johnnie getting the money?
Eventually, she discovers that Johnnie has been gambling--which he promised to give up. Lina tries to convince him to get a real job, and she thinks she has been successful in doing so. Yet, she soon finds that her husband has been telling her one lie after another.
Lina still loves Johnnie--he may be doing wrong, but he's just trying to make a living for their family, she thinks. Things progress, however, and Lina suspects Johnnie of an even more diabolical scheme--murder! She even wonders if he will murder her--and evidence is pointing strongly at it.
This movie is "the study of a murder as seen through the eyes of the eventual victim." Will Johnnie really murder his wife? If so, will she be able to escape?
Quotes from the movie:
"You're the first woman I've ever met who said yes when she meant yes."--Johnnie
"My villain? My hero, you mean. I always think of my murderers as my heroes."--Isobel
Notorious
Doesn't the title of this movie just make you shiver? It's one of those movies that you know from the name that it will be wonderful. Suspenseful, mysterious, romantic, and thrilling, this is a classic tale (and one of my favorites--my favorite actor, favorite actress, and one of my favorite directors, and one of my favorite movies!) of a spy, a woman, and a little bit of uranium--that could do a lot of damage.
Ingrid Bergman (in my opinion the most beautiful woman Hollywood has seen) plays Alicia Huberman, and Cary Grant plays T.R. Devlin. Alicia is the daughter of a Nazi spy who has been convicted just after the war. Devlin, a government agent, recruits her--the US government has a job for the patriotic American girl, and she has the perfect background for it. She's a...well, to put it nicely, very experienced with men, she's familiar with her father's acquaintances, and she would be the best person to get information from them for the government.
Thus, Alicia follows Devlin to Brazil, where many Nazis had relocated. Neither is quite sure what the exact job is that she will perform--but they get settled comfortable in Brazil and wait for their boss to contact them. In the process, Alicia falls in love with Devlin. He seems torn, though--he is cool to her, yet sometimes a glimmer of love shows through--but not for long.
Alicia's orders come--an old flame, Sebastian, has come to Brazil, and it is up to her to fake a relationship with him in order to gather information about his supposed Nazi connections. Things are going well--until Sebastian asks her to marry him. At first, Alicia is hesitant, but agreed when the heart-hardened Devlin and the other agents push her to it.
Soon, Sebastian and Alicia are married. Things are going well, and she keeps Devlin informed of various incidents. Alicia is close to bringing her husband's Nazi activities to light, until the unthinkable happens. The truth is revealed to Sebastian, and he is furious to find himself married to an American agent.
Alicia's life is in danger--can Devlin save the woman he now freely admit he loves from her criminal husband? I can guarantee the end will shock you!
I love Grant's character in this movie. He's not really all that likeable as a person, yet he is. He's unusually cruel--in fact, he's a jerk to Alicia's face for much of the movie. He pushes her into the arms of Sebastian, yet when she does it for him, he clearly wants to forget anything he ever felt for her. You can't help but feel sorry for him, though, when he does show his vulnerable sides!
Quotes from the movie:
"Waving the flag with one hand and picking pockets with the other, that's your
'patriotism'." --Alicia
"What does the speedometer say?"--Alicia "65."--Devlin "I want to make it 80 and wipe that grin off your face. "--Alicia
"I knew her before you, loved her before you, only I'm not as lucky as you."--Devlin
Comments
Thursday, November 29, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by giftedgirl
Ah! Both of those sound so good! I love the titles. LOL
A Walk to Remember is incredibly sad, but it's one of those movies that's worth watching, despite the fact that hardly anyone could watch it and not get at least a little teary-eyed.
I want to see Casablana, but I never have. Is it good?
Hugs,
Becca
Thursday, November 29, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by lotrsavvy
An American laugh? What type of laugh is that? lol :P
Jennifer
Thursday, November 29, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by sharla88
Yea we do go to our movie store in town but its really small so Ill try to find it but im not promising anything! LOL
GB~
sharla~
Friday, November 30, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Chris
yeah i heard about that poll! i was happy for you when i heard it lol i really don't care who gets the nomination sicne McCain can't...just so it isn't R Paul!
Friday, November 30, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Chris
Hey girl! I just saw u passed me up on homeschool gold! Just wanted to say congrads
Saturday, December 1, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by sweetpotato
Hmm, I've never seen a Cary Grant movie before. But your reviews have definitely peaked my interest. All the plots sound extremely interesting.
Saturday, December 1, 2007 - RYC:
Posted by SuperAngel
Yes, we named them so they rhymed. Haha… Luc and Sus.
As Always,
Amanda
Awarded By Crossview
Awarded by ChesapeakeSailor and Sassy92
Awarded by Sharla88
Awarded by Jocelyn Dixon
