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Information

Year
1949
Runtime
117 min.
Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Genres
Crime, Drama, Romance
Rating *
6.2
Votes *
3,224
Checks
1,103
Favs
24
Dislikes
29
Favs/checks
2.2% (1:46)
Favs/dislikes
1:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. Miss Jitterbug's avatar

    Miss Jitterbug

    A highly underrated Hitchcock masterpiece. I loved the lighting in most of the scenes, it definetely is a different Hitchcock movie in many aspects but you cannot help but enjoy it. It also has fantastic costumes and the acting is excellent. 10 years 10 months ago
  2. inhonoredglory's avatar

    inhonoredglory

    So I found I've come to love period pieces, and this one is no exception. There is such a sense of class and propriety -- and dialogue! Don't I just love that exalted, witty English. So, this 1949 drama by Alfred Hitchcock ... To tell you the truth, I was surprised it was a Hitchcock. It evoked something so much deeper, it seemed. There was such intense, dramatic love and tenderness. It was not the murder! murder! intrigue! so typical of Hitchcock (especially after seeing one too many Alfred Hitchcock Presents). It is the story of an Irish "rogue gentleman" Sir Charles (Michael Wilding) getting inadvertently involved in the lives of an Australian couple (Joseph Cotten and Ingrid Bergman), to whom he offers his service of help to ease the wife from her state of imbalanced depression. Sir Charles is so witty and dashing, Sam (Joseph Cotten) the mysterious husband and ex-con, and Lady Henrietta (Ingrid Bergman) so beautiful and believable (translate: great acting). A character-driven story filled with the depth that emerges from its novel origins, it ends with a finale well-worth the journey. The lighting and scenery was beautiful throughout, the plot quite engaging, the characters enchanting. Quality, wittiness, depth, and a theme of selflessness will always get me, and for this, Under Capricorn gets high stars in my book. 12 years 1 month ago
  3. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    While no Hitchcock movie is going to be bad, there are definitely modes or genres that he's best suited to. Based on the novel, Under Capricorn has some strong cinematography and a mobile camera exploring the space, which is atypical of the era, but it's high melodrama, with revelations coming in long speeches rather than visuals. I didn't care much for Marnie either, to tell you the truth. It's also a period piece (set in Australia when it was still a penal colony) and like the earlier Jamaica Inn, its attempts at suspense are hampered by a script that reveals too much, too soon. At least it has a theme, that of sacrificing oneself for a loved on, which everybody does, often at cross-currents. Ingrid Bergman is good as a woman suffering from mental illness. Joseph Cotten simmers. Michael Wilding I've already forgotten. The MVP though is likely Margaret Leighton as the Iago of this love quadrangle, the vicious gossip who really wants the gentleman of the house for herself. You want to walk through the screen and give her a good slap, and that has to count for something! 2 years 11 months ago
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In 3 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #400 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
    David Thomson's Have You Seen?'s icon

    David Thomson's Have You…

    400
  2. This movie ranks #969 in Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life
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    Time Out's 1000 Films to…

    969
  3. This movie ranks #1146 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films: 1001-2500
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    1146
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