The Suspect

The Suspect is directed by Robert Siodmak and adapted to screenplay by Bertram Millhauser and Arthur T. Horman from the novel "This Way Out" written by James Ronald. It stars Charles Laughton, Ella Raines, Dean Harens, Stanley Ridges, Henry Daniell and Rosalind Ivan. Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Paul Ivano.

In 1902 Edwardian London, unhappily married shopkeeper Philip Marshall (Laughton) meets beautiful Mary Gray (Raines) and a tender friendship begins to form. But once Philip's wife discovers what is going on she threatens him with exposure and scandal, forcing Philip to take drastic action...

How delightfully off, that a film that features a wife murderer, an alcoholic wife beater, and blackmail, should be so restrained and actually beautiful. The Suspect in principal is about a decent man pushed to do bad things by his awful life, a man who then finds hope springs from a most unlikely source. The moral shadings here are most intricate, Laughton's Philip Marshal is a completely sympathetic and fascinating character, and so the makers deftly toy with our perceptions in the process.

There's no mystery element to drive the story forward, we are only really left wondering how the finale will play out. However, the lack of mystery is not a problem, for the astute and wily Siodmak has a keen eye for suspense and he knows how to use gaslight interiors and foggy streets to represent the psychological turmoil of Philip and his life that's now drastically changing. Murder as justifiable homicide? Ridding the world of bad people is OK? Rest assured that this is far darker than it appears on the surface.

Brilliantly performed by Laughton and Raines, and mounted with great atmospheric skill by Siodmak, The Suspect is a little seen gem waiting to be found by a wider audience. 8/10

This is one of my favourite Charles Laughton movies. Playing a mild mannered man, very much loved by his peers for his gentleness and kindness to all around him. The only problem is his home life. The mother of his only son is a sour, vicious, complaining woman who doesn't want anybody to be happy including herself. She drives her son away from the family home and finds out that her husband (even though he's not sharing the marital bed) is having romantic liaisons with a young woman who recently enquired about employment as a "typist" wasn't much heard of in 1902, the year in which this is set. I totally understand why he has to do what he has to do and not the deed itself. You'll see for yourself the dilemma he has to face and may understand why I feel what he has done isn't really that bad.

I'm converted to the YouTube cause. If it wasn't for YouTube I may never had seen this jewel, with a performance by the extraordinary Charles Laughton that is nothing short of magnificent. The tenderness of the man! Director Robert Siodmak creates a perfect noir without low blows or gimmicks. Ella Raines is lovely as the object of his affection and Rosalind Ivan is priceless as the awful wife. The last shot is pure Laughton and his personal struggle for integrity. Loved it.

Charles Laughton's son moves out of the house, and Laughton moves out of the room he has shared with his wife, Rosalind Ivan. She's a shrill shrew, and he's glad to have a couple of doors separating them, except when she has at him in the halls and downstairs. He begins an innocent relationship with Ella Raines, but calls it off when his wife refuses to give him a divorce. That, however, is not enough for Miss Ivan. She has found out about Miss Raines, and she is going to make a public spectacle. So Laughton kills her.

Matter improve immensely, and soon he has married Miss Raines.... and a good thing too, because Police Inspector Stanley Ridges concludes that Laughton is a murderer. The only problem -- from Ridges' perspective -- is he has no proof.

Robert Siodmak's turn-of-the-century thriller has the advantage of several fine actors: not only Laughton, of course, but the under-rated Ella Raines, with Rosalind Ivan as a nasty piece of work. Nastiest of all is that expert in cold-featured evil, Henry Daniell. He's a decayed aristocrat who beats his wife, doesn't work, sneers at everyone and blackmails Laughton. No wonder meek and kindly Mr. Laughton is driven to murder!

An excellent domestic drama about a middle-aged man (Charles Laughton) who is trapped in an insufferable marriage. Laughton captures all the mannerisms of the situation, with a happy face for the neighbors masking his true torment. The story gets pushed along when he meets a younger woman (Ella Raines) and starts a relationship, which his devious wife (Rosalind Ivan) finds out about, sending him to the point of panic when she threatens him with social and financial ruin. The next door neighbor (Molly Lamont) is also trapped in an absysmal marriage to an alcoholic and abusive husband (Henry Daniell). One wonders why the writers didn't have Laughton and Lamont as the focus, as she's everything his wife isn't, instead of Raines. It would have saved the movie from becoming another police crime story. In any event, the chemistry seems to work pretty well, with Daniell and Ivan each in their own outstanding way supplying enough venom to propel the movie along, and Laughton excellent as a good man pushed into a corner.