We head to court this week for Hitchcock’s 1947 courtroom drama, The Paradine Case. Gregory Peck leads the cast as a famed London lawyer who defends a notorious widow accused of poisoning her husband. Charles Laughton costars as a lascivious judge, and a very young Louis Jourdan appears as a French heartthrob who was valet for the victim.
Details: A David O. Selznick/Vanguard Film. Released in 1947. Produced by Selznick. Screenplay by Selznick, based on Robert Hitchens’ novel. Starring Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, Valli, Charles Coburn, Charles Laughton, Louis Jourdan, Ethel Barrymore, and Joan Tetzel. Cinematography by Lee Garmes.
Ranking: 38 out of 52. Ranking movies is a reductive parlor game. It’s also fun. And it’s a good way to frame a discussion. We aggregated over 70 ranked lists from critics, fans, and magazines The Paradine Case got 854 ranking points.