Review of Above Suspicion (1943)

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This is a lively, moderately entertaining film with a somewhat implausible plot. Newlyweds, Richard Myles (Fred MacMurray) and Frances (Joan Crawford), are asked by British intelligence to do a little espionage work, while they are on their honeymoon in 1939 Germany. Richard, who is a professor at Oxford University, and his wife agree to do so without a qualm.

While in Germany, they follow a series of puzzling clues having to do with music and a red rose. There are many sinister Nazis, however, hot on the trail of the newlyweds, as they bumble about Germany. Through a series of twists and turns they come across an old school chum of Richard, a haughty aristocrat (Basil Rathbone), who turns out to be a lot more than they bargained for. With the aid of a mysterious Austrian agent (Conrad Veidt), Richard and Frances manage to complete their mission, but not before Frances has a hair raising run-in with the Gestapo. The Nazis, however, are no match for Frances.

This 1943 film is definitely a war propaganda movie. There is no doubt that the Nazis are the bad guys. Expect a lot of adventure and witty, highly stylized repartee between the newlyweds. Good performances are given by the entire cast. Although the plot is implausible, the film is still entertaining.

Fans of Joan Crawford will definitely enjoy this film.

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"Above Suspicion", was a timely film in some respects coming out as it did in 1943 with America now fully involved in the war overseas. And despite her unhappiness with the direction her career was taking in the early 1940's it was another example of Joan Crawford adjusting herself to the changing tastes of movie goers as this film and her previous effort "Reunion in France", have war focused themes. Critics have complained about the improbable plot and the fact that the story makes it obvious that the Nazi's are the real bad guys, well in real life the Nazi's were the bad guys and while it does have a story that is highly improbable it is still very enjoyable and indeed gripping at times.

Joan Crawford was teamed with Fred MacMurray for the only time in "Above Suspicion", and they make a surprisingly compatiable team as Frances and Richard Myles, two newlywed Americans who are about to depart on their honeymoon when they are approached by a mysterious representative of the British Secret Service to undertake a secret mission within Nazi Germany for the precise reason that as two innocent tourists they are "above suspicion". Their task is to secure through a series of contacts the valuable plans to a new secret weapon of the Nazi's, a magnetic mine. Their travels take them from Paris all the way to Salzburg where they find themselves in more danger than they anticipated when they excepted the assignment. In Austria they run across sinister aristocrat Count Sig von Aschenhausen (Basil Rathbone in another fine performance) who although an old Oxford collegue of Richard's, now has a new strange quality to him and arouses their suspicions by trailing them and watching their every move. With the help of Austrian agent Count Hassert Seidel (Conrad Veidt) the couple make contact with a Doctor Mespelbrunn (Reginald Owen) where they obtain the information they require and then attempt to flee over the border seperately in disguise. Frances is unfortunately captured by the Nazi's and tortured in a remote Castle where Richard and a group of British Agents manage with great difficulty to rescue her and safely cross the border into Switzerland.

Dismissed as a wartime propaganda movie I feel it gave home audiences a feel of what was happening in Europe at the time. Certainly the idea of conscripting civilians for such dangerous missions as this is an absurd one but in the light of the terrors of war the film does convey a message of what was actually going on in Europe with the Nazi's taking control. Joan Crawford delivers a very believable performance under the circumstances, of a young bride who is caught up in the adventure of "being spies" to use her characters words. The rapport between her and MacMurray is very amiable and believable and they handle the numerous twists and turns in the convoluted story very well. Ably assisted by acting veterans Basil Rathbone, Conrad Veidt and Reginald Owen the actors all make something very gripping and enjoyable out of at first glance quite unpromising material.The film adapts a brisk pace and the story never flags for a minute. Backed up by an expensive MGM production the general Germanic feel of the story is well captured and the films other production qualities are well done. One can feel they are actually in parts of Austria on the eve of World War Two.

"Above Suspicion", marked Joan Crawford's farewell to MGM where she had been a star since the late 1920's. She moved on the next year to a long stay at Warner Brothers where among many fine films she scored an Oscar for her work in "Mildred Pierce". While this film is certainly not in the same league it is nevertheless a story filled with exciting story developments, action and suspense,and also a timely message about what was happening in Europe in the period before the start of the war. Take a look at Joan's farewell performance on the MGM lot, while not her best it still stands the test of time and makes "Above Suspicion", an enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half.

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Richard Thorpe made so many wonderful movies and this is by no means the best, but it's still a five star escape. Thorpe isn't a flashy director, but he gets the job done; admiring MGM executives called him the "Thorpedo" for his quiet but deadly accurate aim and efficiency. This spy adventure perfectly melds two unlikely co-stars. Joan Crawford, her last film for MGM, you might think it was something awful, the way Bette Davis complained about her final pictures for Warners. I guess I always thought that ABOVE SUSPICION was a B-movie comedown for Crawford and I'm shocked how good it looks. I don't know how they pried Fred McMurray away from Paramount, but whoever had the idea to borrow him for this role should have gotten a bonus. I suppose part of the inspiration was that MGM had very few of its male stars left, for in a burst of patriotism all of them had joined the war effort, so that stars like Crawford had to play against fellows from other studios (her previous film had paired her with John Wayne of all people). In any case, Fred McMurray, so good at comedy, so good at hard-edged noir parts, gets to play a bit of both here, though why on earth they decided to cast him as a professor at Oxford I'll never figure out. Wouldn't Harvard have been distinguished enough? How many American professors were at Oxford in the summer of 1939 anyhow?

Joan Crawford may be a bit too old to play a young bride (in what would today be the Reese Witherspoon role), but she is excellent in every way, kittenish, amused, sophisticated and yet all-American, she shows a kind of light-hearted sweetness you don't see her using often. If all of her films had had her in this light comic role, she wouldn't have been "Joan Crawford," but no one would have believed Christina's charges about the coat hanger, etc. She's totally enchanting in this part and I love the way she sings "Only A Bird In A Gilded Cage," as an example of an American folk song! When she gets nervous, she twists her ankle, and she does it often in this movie, a charming tic that nearly proves the death of her and yet saves her life of course in the film's final reels.

The way the two lovebirds look through the Liszt book and find three minute little holes on one page, and the deductions they draw from these holes, will leave you gasping with audacity, it's so ridiculous. Those three holes should stand in for the holes in the plot, but somehow Thorpe's speed and visual acumen carry the day.

For me, the big question is, what happened to Bruce Lester? In this film, Lester plays Thornley, the talented pianist who practices Liszt at the Kleist guest house the afternoon of the big concert at which he does something shocking (I won't give away the plot). He isn't a big guy, but he had a perfect gleam and shine to him as only the greatest stars do. I remember him playing Bingley in the classic PRIDE AND PREJUDICE with Greer Garson and Olivier; and he also has a fairly large part in THE LETTER. Here he plays a heroic, romantic part, the sort of thing Ronald Colman used to say was a far, far better thing than ever he had done before; and he does it better than Colman would have! He's amazingly good-looking, sort of puts McMurray and Rathbone in the shade. But what's the back story, why did he never become a bigger star?

Honest reviews on Above Suspicion (1943)

Based on the novel of the same name by Helen MacInnes, the movie was released at the start of the Second World War. It is well directed, well paced, and has some of the best actors of the time!! An excellent suspense/spy drama. It has some patriotic overtones, but that doesn't detract from the story. Instead it lends a certain realism to the whole production. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and if you love reading Helen MacInnes, this is a must! And unlike some adaptations, this movie is fairly true to the original novel. WONDERFUL MOVIE!!

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) presents "ASPHALT JUNGLE" (1943) (90 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -Starring Joan Crawford, Fred MacMurray, Condrad Veidt, Basil Rathbone & Reginald Owen

Directed by Richard Thorpe

About to set off on his 1939 honeymoon, an Oxford don is approached by the Foreign Office. Knowing war is near, they need to get information back from an unknown source in Germany attempting to smuggle back information about a new super weapon being developed by the Nazis and ask for his help, which he readily offers. At first, the American couple find following the secret trail great fun but as they get deeper into southern Germany they realize real danger threatens them both

Good entertainment with some amusing dialogue and light-hearted performances by Joan and Fred that indicate they should have been teamed more than once. Good cast and fine production values make it an absorbing treat.

BIOS:

1. Richard Thorpe (Director)

Date of Birth: 24 February 1896 Hutchinson, Kansas

Date of Death: 1 May 1991Palm Springs, California

2. Joan Crawford [aka: Lucille Fay LeSueur]

Date of Birth: 23 March 1905 San Antonio, Texas

Date of Death: 10 May 1977 New York City, New York

3. Fred MacMurray

Date of Birth: 30 August 1908 Kankakee, Illinois

Date of Death: 5 November 1991 Santa Monica, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:

Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars

Performance: 4 Stars

Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars

Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 90 min on DVD ~ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) ~ (07/07/2010)