In London, barrister Anthony Keane takes the case of Maddalena Paradine, a beautiful woman accused of poisoning her blind husband. Though happily married, Keane becomes infatuated with his enigmatic client and convinced of her innocence. His obsession clouds his judgment as he builds a defense implicating her servant, André Latour—an act that leads to devastating consequences both in court and at home.
| Tagline | The dramatic case of a beautiful woman whose trial for murder held the nation spellbound. |
| Release Date: | Dec 29, 1947 |
| Genres: | Drama, Mystery, Romance |
| Production Company: | Vanguard Films, Selznick International Pictures |
| Production Countries: | United States of America |
| Casts: | Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, Alida Valli, Charles Laughton, Charles Coburn, Ethel Barrymore, Louis Jourdan, Leo G. Carroll, Joan Tetzel, Isobel Elsom, Harry 'Snub' Pollard |
| Status: | Released |
| Budget: | $4258000 |
| Revenue: | 2100000 |
Gregory Peck is "Keane", a happily married London barrister who is called to defend a woman accused of murdering her wealthy, blind husband. Alida Valli (simply Valli in the titles) is the accused, a glamorous woman who simply reeks of gold-digger right from the start and with Leo G. Carroll leading the prosecution and a wonderfully curmudgeonly Charles Laughton as the High Court judge, you sense the writing is already on the wall for the women. Peck struggles in the role, to be honest, he lacks incisiveness - he is just a bit too "nice". When he discovers that it's possible that she had been having an affair with then old man's valet - a dashing Louis Jourdan - he seems torn between a sense of envy (he is clearly smitten) and a desire to secure a fair hearing and at times that drags this into melodrama territory. The courtroom scenes are all to frequently broken up by domestic issues - even Laughton and put-upon wife Ethel Barrymore as well as Peck with loving, and herself slightly envious, "Gay" (Ann Todd). For me, it is trying to accomplish too many things and ends up not really doing anything spectacular with Richard Hichens far more spicy and potent novel.
