Suspicion

In the film “Suspicion,” Alfred Hitchcock creates narrative meaning through shot combinations and expressive narrative space. “Suspicion” (1941) tells the story of a proper British woman, Lina, (Joan Fontaine) and a charming, smooth man named Johnnie (Cary Grant) who fall in love and get married. It isn’t until they return from the honeymoon, however, that Lina begins to uncover the deceitful, gambling character of her new husband, and slowly becomes more and more suspicious of him until she is convinced that he plans to kill her in order to collect insurance. Throughout the film, Hitchcock uses different techniques in order to force the viewer to feel the doubt that plagues Lina’s psyche. The setting of the movie, especially the indoor scenes, is filled with heavy shadows and darkness. In addition, the frequent switching of shots between Lina and Johnnie throughout the movie allows the audience to draw connections between the significance and moods of the characters. Hitchcock creates a symbolic narrative space that helps represent the tone of the film.

In “Narrative Space,” Stephen Heath speaks about the evolution of narrative space in cinema. Originally, the purpose of film, and therefore the narrative space, was to mirror reality: “the space of film is the space of reality; film’s ambition and triumph is to ‘reproduce life.’” However, as the industry progressed, movies tended to have more symbolism and opinions, and therefore the space in the film became an opportunity for movement and significance, rather than just a backdrop. Throughout “Suspicion” light and darkness play a key role in conveying the doubt and mistrust that increasingly obstructs Lina throughout the film. The very first scene of the movie, (on the train), begins in complete darkness that foreshadows the rest of the film. Later, after Lina learns about Johnnie’s lies and gambling, her world becomes more and more cluttered by doubt. Hitchcock shows her home, which should be a place of light and comfort, as a cold, open building filled with darkness and shadows. Finally, the most telling in regards to the narrative space, at the height of Lina’s suspicion, Hitchcock composes a shot of pitch black and aims the camera on the floor, allowing a narrow pool of light to spill in and showing only the threatening, ominous shadow of Johnnie, and proceeds to follow him in dark, demonic lighting walking up the stairs to give his wife a glass of milk. The narrative space becomes like a character in the film: evolving as the plot progresses and reflective of the tones Hitchcock wishes to portray. It is the well-calculated composition of this setting that draws the audience in, forcing them to feel the doubt that envelops Linda’s character.

Another way that Hitchcock brings to life the narrative meaning of “Suspicion” is through the constant shot-reverse-shot he uses to portray Lina and Johnnie’s relationship. In these short, clipped shots, it is not necessarily the dialogue (if there is any) that is important, but rather the out of frame gazes that tell the story. It is the audience’s interpretation, namely how they connect the shots, that also creates a feeling suspicion in the film.  When Lina and Johnnie are on better terms, especially at the beginning of the film, the shots often contain both characters, and the gazes are loving, usually at each other. However, once the doubt begins to settle, the shots become choppier and tighter on Lina and Johnnie’s faces. In the scene in which Johnnie returns from his trip and Lina is sure that he has murdered his childhood friend, the two characters sit next to each other, but the camera does not really show them as such. Instead, as the conversation progresses, the camera switches back and forth between their faces, Johnnie’s reflecting his supposed nervousness and Lina’s showing her horror, both of them looking into space rather than each other. As an audience, we know they are not looking at each other, and the the shallow composition and rapid movement between the two characters that expresses the tension in the scene. It is often the connection of the shots that gives the emotions of the film power and narrative meaning.

Without significant narrative space and careful cinematography, “Suspicion” would struggle to express the narrative meaning it is able to successfully reveal. The audience, while probably engrossed in the plot, would not feel the tension and anxiousness that Hitchcock brings to the scene through tight, reversing camera movements and carefully constructed narrative space. It is the audience’s interpretation of the vigilantly assembled visuals that creates the doubt and wariness that make “Suspicion” successful.