Day 3 of my Halloween film fest. This amazing and white knuckle thriller premiered on the 25th of September 1948, nearly twelve years before "Psycho" premiered in theater's. This crafty and well written thriller was based on a play by Patrick Hamilton and adapted for the screen by Hume Cronyn and the screenplay was written by Arthur Laurents (West Side Story) and Ben Hecht (The Front Page).
The basis of the story is two roommates in a New York loft apartment, strangle their friend David and then hide his body in an old chest and then host a party, one of the guests being David's father, and serve dinner on the chest that is hiding the body. I remember my mother telling me that this film was so disturbing to her that when we finally sat down to watch this together, she appreciated the genius of Hitchcock and the incredible performance by James Stewart, who plays Rupert Kadell, a former headmaster at the men's prep school, but she said the idea was so horrible, particularly back in 1948 when the film premiered.
The two men guilty of the crime are John Dall (Brandon) and Farley Granger (Phillip), who both give well-crafted performances. Along with them are an incredible ensemble: Edith Evanson as Mrs. Wilson, the housekeeper; Joan Chandler as Janet, the victim's girlfriend; Cedric Hardwicke as Mr. Kentley, the victim's father; Constance Collier as Mrs. Atwater, the victim's Aunt; and Douglas Dick as Kenneth, the former boyfriend of Janet's.
Hitchcock really shows his mastery of suspense in this incredible piece of film making. From beginning to end you are sitting there watching a train wreck and you just can't look away. This was one of many performances by James Stewart for Hitchcock and it really shows off his genius as an actor and artist. This really is an amazing study of the human psyche and the war between the classes. Someday I would love to see the play.
Do yourself a favor, sit down and watch this amazing piece of film making. You will not regret it!
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