Suspense, a little intrigue, adventure and espionage make for an enjoyable World War II movie. "Above Suspicion" has all of that and a little more. It has romance in a newly wed couple. And its stellar cast give good performances all around.
This movie is based on a novel of the same name by Scottish writer Helen MacInnes. The story takes place in 1939, before the start of World War II. Although filmed entirely in California, the outdoor scenes around Mt. Wilson and Bishop could resemble scenes in Austria and southern Germany. The MGM studio set was so authentically recreated that I saw a couple scenes with small religious wayside shrines in them. These are common in many places in Europe.
I wonder what audiences thought when they heard reference in this movie to Dachau. The concentration camp had been opened there in 1933 for political prisoners. While the Allies knew about the POW camps and concentration camps by the middle of the war, the public had heard very little about them yet in the press. So, this film has two references to Dachau – but they don't use the word "concentration" in the same breath. At one point toward the end, Fred MacMurray's character, Richard Myles, says, "At least it's not a concentration camp," referring to the detention place where the Nazis have taken his wife.
Joan Crawford plays Frances Myles, the new bride of Oxford professor Myles. Conrad Veidt, Basil Rathbone, Reginald Owen and Bruce Lester round out the list of the major supporting cast. All do very well.
The film has a couple of humorous lines as well. When Richard and Frances are in Salzburg, Austria, they are almost trampled by German troops marching in the street. A Gestapo officer goes into a bookstore where they are browsing and trying to make a contact. He has words with Richard who then answers him with a closing term, "dope." The Gestapo officer turns to a woman in the shop and asks her in German what "dope" means.
This was the last film that Conrad Veidt made. He died of a heart attack on April 3, 1943, the month before the film was released. Veidt is most famous for having played the Gestapo Major Strasser in the 1942 film, Casablanca. But he had been an accomplished actor and film star in Germany. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Veidt and his Jewish wife, Lily, fled the country. He became a British citizen in 1939, moved to the U.S. and made many films here. In war films, he was most often cast as a German officer or Nazi chief. He was equally adept at comedy, mystery, romance and drama. Veidt was only 50 years old when he died. It's too bad he didn't live to see the end of the Nazi regime which he so despised.
This film is a light espionage thriller that most should enjoy. It's a nice showcase of several stars of the time, with a last, kind look at Conrad Veidt.
This movie is based on a novel of the same name by Scottish writer Helen MacInnes. The story takes place in 1939, before the start of World War II. Although filmed entirely in California, the outdoor scenes around Mt. Wilson and Bishop could resemble scenes in Austria and southern Germany. The MGM studio set was so authentically recreated that I saw a couple scenes with small religious wayside shrines in them. These are common in many places in Europe.
I wonder what audiences thought when they heard reference in this movie to Dachau. The concentration camp had been opened there in 1933 for political prisoners. While the Allies knew about the POW camps and concentration camps by the middle of the war, the public had heard very little about them yet in the press. So, this film has two references to Dachau – but they don't use the word "concentration" in the same breath. At one point toward the end, Fred MacMurray's character, Richard Myles, says, "At least it's not a concentration camp," referring to the detention place where the Nazis have taken his wife.
Joan Crawford plays Frances Myles, the new bride of Oxford professor Myles. Conrad Veidt, Basil Rathbone, Reginald Owen and Bruce Lester round out the list of the major supporting cast. All do very well.
The film has a couple of humorous lines as well. When Richard and Frances are in Salzburg, Austria, they are almost trampled by German troops marching in the street. A Gestapo officer goes into a bookstore where they are browsing and trying to make a contact. He has words with Richard who then answers him with a closing term, "dope." The Gestapo officer turns to a woman in the shop and asks her in German what "dope" means.
This was the last film that Conrad Veidt made. He died of a heart attack on April 3, 1943, the month before the film was released. Veidt is most famous for having played the Gestapo Major Strasser in the 1942 film, Casablanca. But he had been an accomplished actor and film star in Germany. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Veidt and his Jewish wife, Lily, fled the country. He became a British citizen in 1939, moved to the U.S. and made many films here. In war films, he was most often cast as a German officer or Nazi chief. He was equally adept at comedy, mystery, romance and drama. Veidt was only 50 years old when he died. It's too bad he didn't live to see the end of the Nazi regime which he so despised.
This film is a light espionage thriller that most should enjoy. It's a nice showcase of several stars of the time, with a last, kind look at Conrad Veidt.