Tetrady not as good as all the hype

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Karlee The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

charles-p-hall I didn't think Claude Rains had ever been in a stinker before, but here he is in this thing. I blame the director. A poor story is told in the most muddled way possible. Wives show up before husbands and you never can match them up, dead people come back to life, the three female leads are all of the same build, dressed in similar gowns, whose role in the film is not clear at all (girlfriend? secretary? producer? rich niece?). Claude's character goes by two names, neither of which you'll associate with him until later in the picture. So scenes where a woman is coming on to a man can be a cheating wife, a lonely single woman, niece cozying up to Uncle, who knows? Hurd Hatfield is wasted and you'll be lucky to figure out who he's married too before it doesn't matter. The second lead is Ted North, whom I've never seen before. For the plot to work some of the characters have to be really stupid (which they appear to be). If the movie weren't so dull you could watch it twice and see if it all made sense. I'll pass.

PresidentForLife Many reviewers here call this a "hidden gem," but to me it's hidden for a good reason. Yes, the lighting is interesting, sort of noir Victoriana - the backgrounds are busy but dramatic and distinctive. But the plot is slow and convoluted, and it lacks the crisp narrative style of "Laura," to which some compare it. Poor Claude Rains, who is good in anything, is paired with so many actors who tower over him that his small stature is rather jarringly accentuated in many scenes. Not a total washout, but not a masterpiece either.

handyguyny This is from the director and screenwriter of Mildred Pierce -- but don't let that get your hopes up. The plot and dialogue have to be experienced to be believed. And except for Rains, having fun hamming it up, the cast is dreadful. It barely makes sense, and is utterly unbelievable at any rate.The Rains character kills off one character after another, and no one around him seems to suspect a thing, despite the fact that he gives himself away in his ridiculous radio scripts, allegedly true crime tales that he reads plummily with a live orchestra in the background.Curtiz keeps it all watchable, although it could be shorter. He does provide a nice touch or two, as when the camera moves toward the dark front of a radio speaker and the shot dissolves to a train tunnel.Michael North, as the bland hero, and Audrey Totter, as a sharp-tongued floozy, provide stiff and amateurish line readings that are somewhat entertaining in themselves. Hurd Hatfield is more convincing in the less than inspired part of a weak, drunkard husband. Joan Caulfield mystifyingly gets top billing over Rains.Was this really an 'A' picture at Warner Bros.? It's campy fun, but nowhere near the classic Macdougal and Curtiz had recently produced with Joan Crawford.

seymourblack-1 Some forms of beauty are best seen from a distance and maybe that's one reason why the stunning cinematography featured in "The Unsuspected" is better appreciated by many people now than it was at the time of the movie's initial release. This dark thriller about murder, greed, blackmail, deception and guilt boasts a group of characters whose complications are only surpassed by those of the twisting plot. The film is well acted and entertaining but it's the exquisite expressionistic visual style that is its most striking attribute.Claude Rains stars as Victor Grandison, a successful radio personality who entertains his audiences by telling them true crime stories. Victor is sophisticated and affable and lives in a mansion where a series of premature deaths occur.Victor's secretary, Roslyn (Barbara Woodall) is found hanged in circumstances which suggest that she committed suicide and shortly after, at Victor's birthday party which had been organised by his niece Althea (Audrey Trotter), a stranger called Steven (Ted North) arrives and shocks everyone by telling them that he'd been married to Victor's ward Matilda (Joan Caulfield), who was lost in a shipwreck and was presumed to have drowned.Steven's arrival alarms Victor who assumes that he wishes to make a claim on Matilda's substantial estate which is close to being settled in Victor's favour. Victor's concern soon proves to be unfounded however, as Steven confirms that he's actually very wealthy and has no interest in Matilda's estate.Victor is again surprised when it emerges that Matilda has actually survived the shipwreck but when she returns to the mansion and can't remember Steven, Victor becomes increasingly suspicious of him.Althea is later murdered seemingly by her husband Oliver (Hurd Hatfield) who himself later perishes in a car crash which is caused by brake failure and Matilda is poisoned but again survives another close brush with death. An attempt is also made on Steven's life by a killer called Press (Jack Lambert) before the identity of the serial murderer becomes generally known and a very dramatic confession duly follows.Althea and Victor are both very calculating and strongly motivated by greed, Steven's motivation is concealed for much of the story and Matilda's gullible nature contributes to her life being put in jeopardy for a second time. Oliver had previously been a painter and Matilda's fiancé but having been seduced by Althea later became a tragic alcoholic who never got over the loss of Matilda.Claude Rains provides a marvellously subtle portrayal of a man who is charming, conceited and very wicked and who talks on his radio show about the sense of guilt that torments the unsuspected, the person who has not yet been recognised as being culpable for their crimes and who fears that one simple error could easily lead to them having to face the full force of justice.The opulence of the mansion in which Victor resides provides the setting for most of the action but these interiors are also inhabited by numerous lengthy shadows which frequently create ominous shapes and project a constant sense of unease and menace. This uncomfortable atmosphere is made even more disturbing by the expert use of deep focus, interesting camera angles and viewpoints which distort the audience's view of certain images."The Unsuspected" provides a great deal of enjoyment for crime drama fans but also, thanks to the brilliance of director Michael Curtiz and cinematographer Woody Bredell, provides an exceptional visual experience which is truly marvellous and memorable.