WB releases the classic suspense film to home video.

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Product Description

The producer of a radio crime series commits the perfect crime, then has to put the case on the air.

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55454 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-05-08
• Running time: 103 minutes

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Customer Reviews

DVD-R Format and NOT a DVD
This is typical of the attitude of some studios and distributors. Instead of producing a QUALITY DVD or Blu-Ray disc they put the movie out on DVD-R disc and then have the gall to overcharge for it. I called Warner and a spokesperson said that "for many consumers they are more concerned with getting the movie on a disc that they are with the quality"...what a load of hogwash..!!!.....I for one want a QUALITY DVD or Blu-Ray disc that can be played on all types of players. I also want "extras" on the disc. I bought 2 movies on DVD-R discs from Warner. There were no "extras" and the movie was not restored or remastered. For these prices I EXPECT more. Please call Amazon and Warner and DEMAND better..!!!

A seldom seen film noir finally restored!
If you love black and white film noir movies from the old Hollywood days and you love Claude Rains, this is a must see! Joan Caulfield plays the heroine (once quite the busy actress on film and TV)and gives a sympathetic performance as a Gloria Vanderbilt type rich girl (little family, lots o money). Get out the popcorn and enjoy!

Fascinating, but a bit confusing film noir
You have to be patient... this movie is almost perfect, but the first 30 minutes definitely need better editing. I have read in a TV magazine that Michael North, intended to figure as the male lead, wasn't convincing, so that the studio reduced his part considerably. You may see this in the first 30 minutes which are extremely confusing and over-constructed. Persons appear, disappear, do mysterious things, reappear, seem to commit suicide, seem to be murdered, seem to be killed by accident, seem to suffer amnesia and to have forgotten that they are married... it is a thoroughly directed, very atmospheric, but somehow crude picture which is much too mysterious, even for a mystery thriller. It is almost impossible to identify with one of the persons or to follow one of the subplots before the switch of the switch of the switch makes the film shift to a completely new subplot...

But be patient, it's worth it, and the last two thirds are excellent. It gets quite clear that much is a fake in a witty, very clever and sometimes perverse attempt of radio announcer Claude Rains to murder those who are in his way - therefore, Michael North has to play a false role himself in order to discover the truth. This, of course, will be very dangerous for him and for a girl he falls in love with. What you will see is a clever film noir of dense atmosphere with an outstanding Claude Rains as the villain (which he does with the same sardonic aplomb as in "Deception") who is the unofficial lead. Mike Curtiz' direction is on the top of his art. Much suspense, long shadows, superimpositions, mirrors, elegant camera movements, long, dark bars, strange camera angles focusing menacing objects (such as a glass with poisoned Champaign), significant close-ups, vivid action, many thrilling moments, and the murders / attempted murders of Rains are as clever as those in the "Columbo" series. The picture is even more than perfect entertainment - it may be remarkable that it mixes plot and message, for many things explain how deception really works. Rains is the author and host of a murder mystery radio show - by talking about things people are interested in, he tells the truth (murderers may look like anyone else), but makes the audition keep a certain distance. We want to suspect someone of a murder by our general curiosity, and Rains gives us what we want, thus detracting from the fact that he himself is the greatest murderer of them all. His plans are executed by means of acoustics, such as edited and thereby misleading tapings of conversations. This does not only illustrate how the media work and how we all may be deceived by allegedly "objective" evidence, but this makes Rains' attacks even more dangerous: Means of acoustics are those of the radio, Rains' natural domain in which he is an expert of manipulation (of the masses, i.e. us, and the other characters in this movie).

The end is not to be spoiled, but Rains even uses his radio show to fulfil a last act of vanity. One has the impression that he is only living in the eye and in the ear of the other. Therefore, this picture is not only a thrilling film noir, but tells also a story about people with an empty life, suffering from complete other-directedness. Not to be watched and heard by the other is not to be. Revealing all the perverse consequences of this modern disease makes "The Unsuspected" as subversive as later films such as "Peeping Tom" (1960), which has become a classic on voyeurism. But "The Unsuspected" is nevertheless great entertainment - at least in the last two thirds.