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Mr & Mrs Smith [1941]
from Universal Pictures UK
starring Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery, Gene Raymond, Jack Carson, Philip Merivale
directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Features:

• Black & White
• PAL

Editorial Review:

Before Hollywood had entirely typecast Alfred Hitchcock as the master of suspense, with Mr & Mrs Smith he was allowed to fashion an elegant romantic trifle starring Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard. It probably won't replace Rear Window or Psycho in your affections, but the film is more than a curious footnote to the director's career. The two leads play David and Ann Smith, a devoted but endlessly squabbling couple who discover their three-year marriage isn't legal. When he unexpectedly hesitates to arrange a second wedding, she storms out in a huff and soon begins dating his solid, dependable business partner Jeff (Gene Raymond). The rest follows the formula laid down by such previous screwball comedies as The Awful Truth (1937) and Bringing Up Baby (1938): David employs fair means or foul to win back Ann's heart, causes all sorts of complicated mischief, then... well, three guesses what happens in the end.

The intriguing thing about the movie is how Hitchcock takes Norman Krasna's paper-thin script and adds sly undercurrents of menace. You may note, for instance, that the ostensibly happy Smiths treat each other with subtle sadism right from the start, and that David's tactical pursuit of his ex-wife (spying on her and deliberately offending Jeff's parents) involves them both in humiliations that are really quite sinister and ugly. Violence seems about to erupt in the recurring scenes where Ann shaves her husband (suggestively holding a razor up to his throat)--and make what you will of our hero's symbolic nosebleeds. There's a touch of Vertigo in one scary moment when a jammed amusement park ride leaves two characters dangling helplessly high above the ground--and a touch of shall we say relief for Hitchcock's well-known love of toilet humour in another oddball sequence. Montgomery and Lombard keep the mood acceptably frivolous, while indicating the flawed nature of the marital relationship. From the evidence of this one-off, Hitchcock might have been among the best comedy directors in the business, had he so wished. --Peter Matthews

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

• Don't be expecting Hitchcock!!
  I really enjoyed this film. I am just a new fan of Carole Lombard and this was the first film i've seen her in and i'll definitely be buying more. Robert Montgomery and Jack Carson are also excellent. It is a fun comedy but if you're looking for typical hitchcock this isn't for you.

• The queen of screwball comedy meets Hitchcock
  Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard) have a marriage with many ups and downs. One day at the office Mr. Smith finds out that he is not legally married. Surprise Mrs. Smith finds out also and waits for Mr. Smith to propose the make it legal. Some how he forgets to do this and drives her into the arms of his friend and partner.
  Why won't the cat eat the soup?
  How will all this turn out?
  This formula was popular in the time the movie was made. This version is a tad more... more info

• Be careful what you say to your wife at breakfast.
  "Mr and Mrs Smith" is a tiresome 1940's cockamamie,screwball,etc. Hitchcock rom-com which doesn't quite work. It is not particularly funny or heart warming ,in fact it is just simply dull and boring , one thing that a Hitchcock film can rarely be accused of being. None of the characters are very likeable and the plot is somewhat far fetched and silly. If Jennifer Aniston was alive in the early 1940's , this is the sort of film she would be in. Don't know which latter day actor would star alongside her... more info

• The original
  Lots of people don't seem to like this film. Perhaps they were expecting something different from Hitchcock. However, I find it a brilliant comedy, and Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery are superb in this. This film isn't perfect, and it especially lags in the last half. Agreed that it is a departure from Hitchcock's normal style of film, but that makes it all the more better. Hitch made this film so he could work with Carole Lombard his favourite actress, and I think that it wasn't a half bad attempt.... more info

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