The Paradine Case
(1947)
★ 6.3 IMDb · 270 votes
Genres: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Year: 1947
Runtime: 114 мин
Country: United States of America
Director: Альфред Хичкок
Cast: Грегори Пек, Ann Todd, Alida Valli, Charles Laughton, Charles Coburn, Этель Бэрримор, Луи Журдан, Leo G. Carroll, Joan Tetzel, Isobel Elsom
Plot
In London, barrister Anthony Keane takes the case of Maddalena Paradine, a beautiful woman accused of poisoning her blind husband. Though happily married, Keane becomes infatuated with his enigmatic client and convinced of her innocence. His obsession clouds his judgment as he builds a defense implicating her servant, André Latour—an act that leads to devastating consequences both in court and at home.
Following a short investigation, the London Police charge Maddalena Paradine with the poisoning murder of her older, blind husband, retired Colonel Richard Paradine, who was dependent on her and others to manage in his life due to his physical disability. She is up front about being a woman with a past, she only becoming wealthy and thus glamorous because of the marriage. Her personal solicitor Sir Simon Flaquer refers the case to his colleague Tony Keane. In spending time with Mrs. Paradise in prison, Tony is immediately attracted to her, that attraction which morphs into obsession. As such, Tony does whatever he can to clear her of the charges, either in mounting a defense of suicide, assisted or not, or that someone else killed him, the most likely candidate being the Colonel's trusted valet, Andre Latour, with who Tony initially believes Mrs. Paradise was having an affair. In the process, Tony may be blinded to the evidence as it presents itself. Who can see what is going on is Tony's wife Gay Keane, who not only believes their marriage has been a perfect one up to this point, but that he truly does believe his obsession with Mrs. Paradine being love, which Gay herself does not believe it to be. Gay can only stand by and hope for a specific verdict in the case so that Tony can return to her wholeheartedly without the specter of Mrs. Paradine hanging over their marriage.