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Did you know that... Alfred Hitchcock came under the surveillance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for his use of uranium as a plot element in Notorious (1946)? Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980), the «Master of Suspense».   Notorious tells the story of Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), the alcoholic daughter of a Nazi, who is recruited by government secret agent T. R. Devlin (Cary Grant) to romance and spy on her father's friend, Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains), in Rio de Janeiro. Although Alicia and Devlin are in love, he asks her to marry Sebastian out of duty to her country. After their wedding, Alicia explores Sebastian's mansion and finds the wine cellar locked. During a party, Alicia secretly gets the key to the cellar and gives it to Devlin. They discover uranium dust hidden inside a bottle, but now Sebastian has learned that Alicia is a spy and starts poisoning her slowly.   Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains in Notorious .   While developing ...

This week on «Film Friday» I bring you a film that had its premiere exactly 74 years ago yesterday. This also happens to be one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock pictures. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Shadow of a Doubt (1943) begins when Charlie Oakley (Joseph Cotten) arrives at the town of Santa Rosa, California, supposedly to visit his older sister, Emma Newton (Patricia Collinge). At the train station, he is met by his brother-in-law Joseph (Henry Travers), his young nephew Roger (Charles Bates) and his two nieces, Charlie (Teresa Wright) and Ann (Edna May Wonacott). Charlie is thrilled by the arrival of her uncle, as she was named after him and two seem to share a telepathic connection. The next day, two men, Jack Graham (Macdonald Carey) and Fred Saunders (Wallace Ford), appear at the house to survey the family. Uncle Charlie suddenly becomes agitated and refuses to be interviewed or photographed.   Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten and Patricia Collinge in Shadow of a Doubt . Af...

This week on «Film Friday,» I am honouring Grace Kelly's 87th birthday, which is tomorrow, by telling you a little about what is arguably one of her most iconic films. This was also the picture that gave her a first glimpse at her future realm. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, To Catch a Thief (1955) concerns John Robie (Cary Grant), a former world-famous jewel thief known as «The Cat,» who now lives in the French Riviera. Although he insists he is retired, having repented for his crimes during World War II, he becomes the chief suspect when a series of robberies take place. Realizing that the only way to prove his innocence is by catching the thief himself, Robie seeks the help of his old friend, restauranteur Bertani (Charles Vanel), asking him for information about his wealthy customers. Spotted by police detectives as he is leaving the restaurant, Robie manages to escape with the help of Foussard (Jean Martinelli), one of Bertani's workers, and his flirtatious teenage daught...

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Spellbound (1945) begins when Dr. Anthony Edwardes (Gregory Peck) arrives at a therapeutic community mental hospital in Vermont to replace its elderly director, Dr. Murchison (Leo G. Carroll). Headstrong psychoanalyst Dr. Constance Petersen (Ingrid Bergman), who also works there, soon notices that Edwardes has a peculiar phobia about sets of parallel lines against a white background. As Constance and Edwardes begin to fall in love with each other, he confides to her that he killed the real Dr. Edwardes and then assumed his identity. He suffers from massive amnesia and does not know who he is. Believing that the man is innocent and suffering from a guilt complex, Constance resolves to use her psychoanalytic training to break down his amnesia and discover what truly happened.    Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman and Michael Chekhov in Spellbound . To protect him, Constance takes the impostor — calling himself «John Brown» — to the New York home of he...

Original release poster Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Suspicion (1941) begins when dowdy Lina McLaidlaw (Joan Fontaine) meets and falls in love with a suave enigmatic stranger named Johnnie Aysgarth (Cary Grant). Despite the strong disapproval of her wealthy father, General McLaidlaw (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), Lina elopes with Johnnie following a whirlwind courtship. Upon returning from their European honeymoon, the newlyweds take up residence in a luxurious country house, where Lina soon discovers that Johnnie is a penniless gambler and had intended to live on her income. She persudes him into getting a job, after which Johnnie accept an offer of work from his cousin, estate agent Captain Melbeck (Leo G. Carroll).   When she learns that Johnnie has been fired for embezzling from Melbeck, Lina contemplates leaving him, but changes her mind after receiving the news of her father's sudden death. Meanwhile, Johnnie convinces his old friend Beaky Twaithe (Nigel Bruce) to finance...