Monday, May 14, 2012

Random Hitchcock: Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)




Made in the exact year as Suspicion, the two movies couldn't have plots that were more different; however, strangely enough, the core stories about marriage are quite similar, if not turned up side down and inside out.  Were as Suspicion is really about being "too married" with a cloud of scarier and scarier worry gathering; Mr. & Mrs. Smith is about a couple thinking they are more than secure in marriage, without a shadow of doubt, and yet...they find out they are not legally married at all.  It's all topsy turvy.  This is one of those moments in Hitchcock's career where he took on a project that was viewed as generally outside his line of interest.  Even The Trouble With Harry was a seriously black comedy about a dead man.  This is more of an experiment with a re-marriage comedy.  I have to admit, that I like the change that was made in the "remake" of this film.  Despite the baggage it carries with the whole Brangelina thing, the assassin part, I thought, was clever.  The one thing that really strikes me as Hitchcockian about this film are some the bizarre angular shots, in places it has a bit of a funhouse feel to it.  So it may not be scary or even suspenseful, but it is bizarre at least.



















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