The Paradine Case
| The Paradine Case | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Produced by | David O. Selznick |
| Screenplay by |
Alma Reville James Bridie David O. Selznick Ben Hecht |
| Story by | Robert S. Hichens |
| Starring |
Gregory Peck Ann Todd Alida Valli Charles Laughton |
| Music by |
Franz Waxman Uncredited: Edward Rebner Paul Dessau |
| Cinematography | Lee Garmes |
| Edited by | Hal C. Kern |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Selznick Releasing Organization |
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Release date
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Running time
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114 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4,258,000 |
| Box office | $2.1 million (worldwide) |
The Paradine Case is a 1947 American film noir courtroom drama film, set in England, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by David O. Selznick. The screenplay was written by Selznick and an uncredited Ben Hecht, from an adaptation by Alma Reville and James Bridie of the novel by Robert Smythe Hichens. The film stars Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, Alida Valli, Charles Laughton, Charles Coburn, Ethel Barrymore and Louis Jourdan. It tells of an English barrister who falls in love with a woman who is accused of murder, and how it affects his relationship with his wife.
Maddalena Anna Paradine (Alida Valli) is a very beautiful and enigmatic young foreign woman, currently living in London, who is accused of poisoning her older, blind husband, a retired military man, at their grand home in the Lake District. It is not clear whether she is a grateful and devoted wife who has been falsely accused, or whether she is instead a calculating and ruthless femme fatale.
Mrs. Paradine's solicitor Sir Simon Flaquer (Charles Coburn) hires Anthony Keane (Gregory Peck), a brilliant and successful barrister, to defend her in court. Although Keane has been happily married for 11 years, he instantly becomes deeply infatuated with this exotic, mysterious, and fascinating client. Keane's kind-hearted wife Gay (Ann Todd) sees his infatuation, and although her husband offers to get off the case, she presses him to continue. She knows that a guilty verdict, followed by Paradine's hanging, will mean that she will lose her husband emotionally forever. The only way that she can regain her husband's love and devotion is if he is able to obtain a "not guilty" verdict for Mrs. Paradine.
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Wikipedia