Le procès Paradine

Titre original : The Paradine Case

NOTE IMDb

6,5/10

13 k

MA NOTE

Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, and Louis Jourdan in Le procès Paradine (1947)

A happily married London barrister falls in love with the accused poisoner he is defending.

Lire trailer1:41

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63 photos

Crime Drama Romance Thriller

Un avocat de Londres heureux dans son couple tombe amoureux de l'empoisonneuse accusée qu'il défend.Un avocat de Londres heureux dans son couple tombe amoureux de l'empoisonneuse accusée qu'il défend.Un avocat de Londres heureux dans son couple tombe amoureux de l'empoisonneuse accusée qu'il défend.

Voir les informations de production sur IMDbPro

NOTE IMDb

6,5/10

13 k

MA NOTE

Voir les informations de production sur IMDbPro

Nommé pour 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination au total

Minor Role
(non crédité)

Russell Custer

Barrister in Courtroom
(non crédité)

Jack Deery

Juror
(non crédité)

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Anecdotes
When Sir Alfred Hitchcock delivered the completed movie to the studio, after a Hitchcock record of ninety-two days of filming, it ran almost three hours. This rough cut was initially trimmed to two hours and twelve minutes, which was the version screened for the Academy of Arts & Sciences. In this version, Ethel Barrymore can be seen as the half-crazed wife of Lord Horfield, which explains the Oscar nomination for her performance (there was apparently a brilliant museum scene where Lady Horfield requests Anthony Keane to save Mrs. Paradine, and another scene where Lady Horfield tries to hide her coughing from her husband). Producer David O. Selznick subsequently cut the film to two hours and five minutes, and then to its present length of one hour and fifty-four minutes, in which Barrymore's screen time totals about three minutes. In 1980, a flood reputedly destroyed the original, uncut version, making the restoration of the cut scenes unlikely, although it has been reported that some of these cut scenes reside at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York.

Gaffes
When Latour appears outside Keane's inn room, the wind is blowing wildly, whipping Latour's hair across his forehead; yet just a split-second later, after Latour has entered the room, his hair is perfectly combed without a hair out of place.

Citations
Judge Lord Thomas Horfield: I do not like to be interrupted in the middle of an insult.

Crédits fous
In opening credits scroll below Ethel Barrymore: "and two new / Selznick Stars / Louis Jourdan / and / Valli". Alida Valli's name is in script form, and Jourdan had been playing leading roles in French films for several years before making "The Paradine Case".

Versions alternatives
Originally released at 132 minutes.

Connexions
Featured in American Masters: Hitchcock, Selznick and the End of Hollywood (1998)

Avis des utilisateurs127

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8/10

More than a courtroom soap opera--a major Hitchcock work

I loved the film not because of its courtroom drama but because of Hitchcock's ability to deal with the drama outside the courtroom.

First, take in the shots that lead up to Alida Valli's character being arrested and locked up in the cell. Hitchcock is at his best building up the positive and elegant side of the character by enhancing the details--the expensive jewelry, the lady ensuring her hair is in place before receiving visitors, the humanist care taken to inform the valet that she would not be having her dinner, etc., etc. The build-up of the character within a few minutes of reel time for the viewer is considerably intelligent right up to the loud slamming of the cell door and the effect it has on the inmate (Hitchcock's own phobia?).

The second sequence that is unforgettable for me is the camera zooming in on Ann Todd's naked shoulder followed by the lecherous Charles Laughton caressing Todd's hand hidden away from her husband's vision, leading up ultimately to Todd's rejection of Laughton's advances. What is of consequence is not the performance of Todd or Laughton, but Hitchcock's sequence of visuals deftly edited to enhance the effect.

A third unusual image of the film is the introductory shot of Louis Jordan. This is the only film in my memory where a character is introduced without the least shred of light falling upon his/her face--his legs and hands are quite visible, but not his face.

Finally, the meetings in the jail between Valli and Peck smolders without a kiss or a physical touch. In my view, the performance of Valli is outstanding. Her remarkable turns in films by Visconti ("Senso") and Bertolucci ("1900") proved her capability.

The film belongs to Hitchcock, Valli and the camera-work of Lee Garmes (shots within the courtroom--probably the angles were suggested by the director). It is an unusual Hitchcock film with an elegant turn by Alida Valli. It is a film that cries out loud for a reassessment among Hitch's body of work. It is a major film of the director--though it is not an obvious one. Hitchcock seems to ask the viewer at the end of the film a difficult question--who is the true heroine of the film? And he has a MacGuffin...