Product Details

• Region: All Regions
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000AZ6H6Q
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,960 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Overdue Recognition, October 21, 2005

By 

gobirds2 (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alfred Hitchcock - The Paradine Case (DVD)

Alfred Hitchcock's THE PARADINE CASE is an interesting film from this director. On the surface it appears to be about a courtroom murder case where the accused Misses Paradine (Alida Valli) is defended by barrister (Gregory Peck) who becomes infatuated by here statuesque beauty and in doing so undermines his marriage to Ann Todd. Valli is accused of murdering her husband who we never see in person but only in a portrait. We never actually see the murder on screen. We must rely on the testimony of the witnesses to come to some conclusion about Mister Paradine's demise. Louis Jourdan is the late Mister Paradine's manservant. His relationship to both Mister and Misses Paradine leaves many questions for the viewer. Jourdan who delivers one of his best performances expertly plays this pivotal character. The film is really about relationships ending and evolving and to a degree about relationships that are imagined. Relationships end or are put on hold. Relationships reveal sharp realities for the central characters and they must come to terms with their own conduct. Other relationships such as Charels Laughton and his wife Ethel Barrymore have remained static and listless. They each fulfill what is left of a relationship that should never have been. The submissive Barrymore dutifully endures the bullying nature of Laughton, the presiding judge. Being a David O. Selznick's picture the production is lavish yet somehow it is overshadowed by the bleak nature of the screenplay. The production values are almost a counterpoint to the story and to actress Valli's rather sullen performance, which remains a bit of an enigma. Gregory Peck's performance is very good. Because of his basic good nature the viewer feels for his flawed character and his realization of this that will no doubt come by the end of the film. Louis Jourdan flat out gives a memorable and impressive performance showing off his mastery of histrionics. This film deserves long overdue attention.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Misinterpreted and Forgotten, October 25, 2005

By 

hille2000 "hille2000" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alfred Hitchcock - The Paradine Case (DVD)

Misinterpreted and forgotten, THE PARADINE CASE is an opulent production concerning the elegant and strikingly sculptured and inscrutable Mrs. Paradine placed on trial for the murder of her husband. Mrs. Paradine is played with delicate radiance by Alida Valli who embodies the alluring vision of pulchritude that barrister Gregory Peck has created and fallen under the spell of. Gregory Peck's obsessive character is a forerunner to James Stewart's role in Hitchcock's VERTIGO. Obsessive behavior can be destructive as is seen in the relationship that Peck has with his loyal wife portrayed by Ann Todd. However, the greatest role and performance in this film is in the form of Louis Jourdan. Jourdan is an unwavering curiosity in his quixotic role as Mr. Paradine's manservant. His relationship with Mrs. Paradine and her late husband remains a conundrum. Jourdan's performance as a man of steadfast loyalty to both duty and passion is one of brilliance. Alfred Hitchcock's THE PARADINE CASE is a film that is by some means misinterpreted and thus forgotten.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hitchcock's Paradine Case, January 11, 2007

By 

Ms. Necia L. Wallace "loves really old movies" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alfred Hitchcock - The Paradine Case (DVD)

The slick touch of Hitchcock is obvios throughout this film. Not as well known as many of his, this movie is more subtle than "The Birds" or "Witness for the Prosecution", but all the more wonderful for that. A study in personality and relationships rather than blood, gore and destruction make it more satisfying (in my opinion). Gregory Peck at his best with a good supporting cast and the matchless Hitchcock camera angles. I think one of his best.