His was a strange SECRET! Hers was a strange LOVE!
At least one of the above statements is true, as star Ella Raines’ love interest surely fits in the strange category. She herself describes Charles Laughton as Phillip as “14 stone and completely unromantic.” Surely what everyone is looking for in a soulmate.
But what of Laughton and his strange secret? This perhaps has a bit more credibility. As Phillip, Laughton is stuck in a loveless marriage with his wife Cora (Rosaland Ivan). On their son’s moving from the house, Phillip chooses to stop any pretense of marriage and moves into his son’s now vacant room. He also meets and befriends Mary Gray, a young jobseeker (Ella Raines). Though he keeps things platonic, over time Mary begins pining away for more as Cora’s suspicions increase.
Finally Cora threatens to expose Phillip’s relationship with Mary, but falls down the stairs the same night, killing herself in the process. Or, perhaps, just perhaps, she was pushed? It’s never completely exposed but the impression we get is that Phillip killed her to save Mary’s reputation.
As a pesky investigator from Scotland Yard (Stanley Ridges as Inspector Huxley) begins nosing around, Phillip’s druken wife-beater neighbor Gilbert (Henry Daniell) attempts to blackmail Phillip, claiming to have heard his numerous disagreements with Cora through the thin walls separating them. Phillip poisons him by putting a massive dose of medicine he obtained from Gilbert’s wife in his whiskey. Inadvertently, as we learned later, by doing so he’s put suspicion on the wife herself!
After the death of the first Mrs. Marshall life gets better for Phillip and Mary and they soon marry. Only when Huxley gets too close for comfort they decide to emigrate to Canada, but not before Huxley floats his theory that Gilbert’s wife is the killer- with the hope that guilt will force Phillip to eventually confess, as there is no hard evidence in the case. As the film closes, Phillip is walking down a deserted cobblestone street, to where we do not know.
The film of course, is 1944’s The Suspect, an effective if relatively mundane entry in the list of noir films. It is directed in a workmanlike fashion by Robert Siodmak and is full of deep shadows and murky depths. The casting is curious with Charles Laughton in one of many noir films where a good man is forced to murder, while retaining (perhaps) his goodness. Though not as hammy as Laughton is in many of his roles, he’s relatively effective as the cherubic shopkeeper.
If there is an award for over acting, it surely should go to Rosalind Ivan as Cora, Phillip’s first wife. With most every line a screeching yell, no doubt more than one viewer has sympathized at least with Phillip’s desire to put and end to her existence.
The true star is Ella as Mrs. Marshall number two. She pulls of an attaction for Laughton with some degree of believability. If only the viewers can suspend disbelief as well!
The Suspect is rather low key and the only mystery is whether Phillip will be discovered or if he will come forward and confess before the curtain falls. There are many effective scenes and it is a pleasure to see Laughton go about nonplussed while he is under suspicion of murder. Between his portrayal and Siodmack’s direction we find ourselves almost rooting for the unduly put upon shopkeeper.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD1xsLRl5hU[/embedyt]