The Suspect is a 1944 drama thriller that stars screen icon Charles Laughton, along with veteran actors Henry Daniel, Rosalind Ivan and Mary Gray. The story is about an unhappily married man that wants leave his wife for something happier, but she refuses to divorce him, so he kills her!
The film takes place in London in the year 1902, where we are introduced to Philip Marshall (Charles Laughton, Witness for the Prosecution) is a regular, nice guy, an everyday man, with a job as an accountant who becomes friends with Mary Gray (Ella Raines, Phantom Lady), a young stenographer who is looking for work. Unable to help her, Marshall happens to see her on a park bench crying and then the friendship blossoms. He starts to have strong feelings for Mary, but he wants to keep the relationship platonic. After all, he is married, but so miserable in it. He has a nagging, verbally abusive, downright nasty wife Cora (Rosalind Ivan, Scarlet Street), who soon suspects him of having an affair. She discovers that Marshall and Mary have been seeing each other. Philip then asks her for a divorce, but she refuses, with threats to blackmails him with exposure and scandal, ruining the lives of both her husband and family. Cora is later found dead of an apparent accident, Inspector Huxley (Stanley Ridges, An Act of Murder) of Scotland Yard suspects Marshall of murder, but he has no proof or evidence. His neighbor Gilbert Simmons (Henry Daniel, The Body Snatcher) also blackmails Marshall as he has reason to believe he did murder his wife based on what he heard in his nearby apartment. Marshall, doing everything he can to hide the evidence and do away with those who are aware of what could have happened plans to make a break for it, even though he is being followed everywhere he goes.
The Suspect is a tremendous film with all the actors handing in superb performances. The characters will hold your interest especially Charles Laughton who hands in another stellar performance as the tormented Philip Marshall. Henry Daniel, despite a small role, turns another great performance as a familiar heel role. The story is literate and moves at a good pace without much in the way of padding the film or elongated scenes. This to be clear is not a who-done-it murder mystery as it is more than evident that Cora was killed by her husband. The Suspect is a “Yes, I did it, but can I get away with it?” type of film.
The Suspect arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. Sporting a new 2K Master on a dual-layered BD-50 disc, the picture quality is just splendid with rich black levels and an overall clear picture. The shots by cinematographer Paul Ivano show excellent depth and details. There are some scenes are a bit on the soft side but nothing to deter from the viewing experience. Film grain is present, giving the picture a film-like appearance without the use of DNR or other digital manipulation being applied.
Kino uses their standard English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack, for this release with the dialog and the scores of legendary composer Frank Skinner (Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror, Saboteur, The Wolf Man) coming in perfectly clear, without any hissing or other audio issues. Optional English SDH subtitles are available for this offering.
This release features a new audio commentary by Film Historian Troy Howarth which I would not have expected with his deep ties to and knowledge of Euro-horror/cult and giallo films. He is a refreshing voice not only for doing a commentary for a pre-60s classic black and white film but also for having another voice to use at Kino Lorber’s ‘disposal’. Hopefully, he will have the opportunity to do more commentaries for Kino Lorber as he commentary for The Suspect is a great listen for those interested in the film, the actors and the cast.
Trailers for other Kino Lorber catalog releases for this release The Paradine Case, Witness for the Prosecution, The Spiral Staircase, Cry of the City and So Evil my Love
Robert Siodmak has directed another masterpiece in The Suspect. Often requested for a release on Blu-ray, this great film can now be enjoyed with superior audio and video quality and accompanied with a commentary track makes this a recommended release!
The Suspect (1944 film)
Director- Robert Siodmak
Cast- Charles Laughton, Ella Haynes
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date-3/31/21