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Above Suspicion (1943 film)
Encyclopedia
Above Suspicion is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
spy drama film starring Joan Crawford
and Fred MacMurray
as newlyweds
who spy on the Nazis for the British Secret Service during their honeymoon, along with Basil Rathbone
as a Nazi who pursues them. The screenplay by Keith Winter, Melville Baker
, and Patricia Coleman was based upon the novel Above Suspicion
by Helen MacInnes
. The film was directed by Richard Thorpe
and produced by Victor Saville
, and was Crawford's last feature for MGM
before signing with Warner Bros.
.
and Fred MacMurray
) are newlyweds honeymoon
ing in Europe on the eve of World War II
. Unexpectedly, they find themselves commissioned by the British secret service to secure the plans for a new secret weapon masterminded by the Nazis (involving magnetic mines). The trail leads them to Innsbruck where they arouse the suspicions of Gestapo
chief Von Aschenhausen (Basil Rathbone
). Having secured the plans, the couple find great difficulty leaving the country. Frances is captured and held in a remote castle. She is rescued by her husband and a group of British agents, and, using underground routes, the couple finally cross the border to safety.
wrote, "Both MacMurray and Miss Crawford completely handled their roles, despite drawbacks of script material", and T.S. in the New York Times commented, "Joan Crawford...is a very convincing heroine."
on April 6, 2010 from the online Warner Bros. Archive Collection.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
spy drama film starring Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
and Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
as newlyweds
Newlyweds
Newlyweds is often a term for a recently married couple. It also could refer to:* Newlyweds , an Australian sitcom from 1993-1994* Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, an American reality television series about Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson...
who spy on the Nazis for the British Secret Service during their honeymoon, along with Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
as a Nazi who pursues them. The screenplay by Keith Winter, Melville Baker
Melville Baker
Melville Baker was an American screenwriter. He was born in Massachusetts and died of a heart attack in Nice, France at the age of 56.-Selected filmography:* The Swan * The Circus Kid...
, and Patricia Coleman was based upon the novel Above Suspicion
Above Suspicion
Above Suspicion is a 1995 suspense thriller written by William H. Macy, who also has a small role in the film. The film stars Christopher Reeve as a paralyzed police officer who plots to murder his unfaithful wife and her lover...
by Helen MacInnes
Helen Clark MacInnes
Helen Clark MacInnes was a Scottish-American author of espionage novels.She graduated from the University of Glasgow in Scotland in 1928 with a degree in French and German...
. The film was directed by Richard Thorpe
Richard Thorpe
Richard Thorpe was an American film director.Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, he began his entertainment career performing in vaudeville and onstage. In 1921 he began in motion pictures as an actor and directed his first silent film in 1923. He went on to direct more than one hundred...
and produced by Victor Saville
Victor Saville
Victor Saville was an English film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954...
, and was Crawford's last feature for MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
before signing with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
.
Plot
Frances and Richard Myles (Joan CrawfordJoan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
and Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
) are newlyweds honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
ing in Europe on the eve of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Unexpectedly, they find themselves commissioned by the British secret service to secure the plans for a new secret weapon masterminded by the Nazis (involving magnetic mines). The trail leads them to Innsbruck where they arouse the suspicions of Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
chief Von Aschenhausen (Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
). Having secured the plans, the couple find great difficulty leaving the country. Frances is captured and held in a remote castle. She is rescued by her husband and a group of British agents, and, using underground routes, the couple finally cross the border to safety.
Cast
- Joan CrawfordJoan CrawfordJoan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
— Frances Myles - Fred MacMurrayFred MacMurrayFrederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
— Richard Myles - Conrad VeidtConrad VeidtConrad Veidt was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari , The Man Who Laughs , The Thief of Bagdad and Casablanca...
— Hassert Seidel - Basil RathboneBasil RathboneSir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
— Sig von Aschenhausen - Reginald OwenReginald OwenJohn Reginald Owen was a British character actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American movies and later in television programs.-Personal:...
— Dr. Mespelbrunn - Richard AinleyRichard AinleyRichard Ainley was a stage and film actor, son of Henry Ainley and half-brother of Anthony Ainley.Although according to Allmovie his date of birth was 22 October 1910, The Internet Movie Database places it on 22 December...
— Peter Galt - Cecil CunninghamCecil CunninghamCecil Cunningham was an American film and stage actress. She appeared in more than 80 movies between 1929 and 1946...
— Countess - Ann Shoemaker — Aunt Ellen
- Sara HadenSara HadenSara Haden was a character actress in Hollywood films of the 1930s through the 1950s.She was born Sarah Haden on November 17, 1899 in Galveston, Texas. Haden was the daughter of another character actress, Charlotte Walker, who was active in silent films and early talkies...
— Aunt Hattie - Felix BressartFelix BressartFelix Bressart was a German-American actor of stage and screen.Felix Bressart was born in East Prussia, Germany and was already a very experienced stage actor when he had his film debut in 1928. He started off as a supporting actor, e.g...
— Mr. A. Werner - Bruce LesterBruce LesterBruce Lester was a South African-born English film actor with over 60 screen appearances to his credit between 1934 and his retirement from acting in 1958. Lester's career divided into two distinct periods...
— Thornley - Johanna HoferJohanna HoferJohanna Hofer was a German film actress. She appeared in 34 films between 1926 and 1982.-Selected filmography:* The Last Illusion * Before Sundown * The Pedestrian...
— Frau Kleist - Lotte Palfi Andor — Ottilie (as Lotta Palfi)
Reception
VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
wrote, "Both MacMurray and Miss Crawford completely handled their roles, despite drawbacks of script material", and T.S. in the New York Times commented, "Joan Crawford...is a very convincing heroine."
DVD release
Above Suspicion was released on Region 1 DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on April 6, 2010 from the online Warner Bros. Archive Collection.