Under Capricorn - Alfred Hitchcock

Under Capricorn, from 1949, is unique in Hithcock's catalog I think. He has been doing stories that are set in somewhat current times, and in the midst of this he does a period drama set in the 1800's in Australia. The script was written by James Bridie from an adaptation by Hume Cronyn of the Helen Simpson novel Under Capricorn. It is his second color film. with returning actors Joseph Cotton and Ingrid Bergman.

The story can be a bit confusing to explain, though it makes perfect sense in the viewing. It is 1831 and Charles Adare (Michael Wilding) has come to Australia with the new Governor. There he meets Sam Flusky (Joseph Cotten), who happens to be the cousin to the new governor.  Flusky right away tries to get Adare to purchase some land which Flusky will buy from him in order to circumnavigates a law about how much land a single person can own. Flusky invites Adare to his house for dinner, and even though Adare has been warned a few times to not go, he does. At the dinner party, Adare notices that it is all men at the dinner table, all the wibes have declined in some way. It is also implied that the lady of the house is ill. Lady Flusky (Ingrid Bergman) appears at the top of the steps, barefoot, pale, and Adare realizes that they knew each other from their childhood in Ireland. She causes a bit of a scene during dinner, then asks Adare to walk her to the staircase. He does so, but then she calls him up to her room in fear because there is something at the foot of her bed. when he gets there, there is nothing there. We, the audience, start to realize that Milly, the housekeeper (Margaret Leighton), is running the house, abusing and threatening the servants under her, telling lies about Lady Flusky, AND has the hots for Sam Flusky. In this way, there is a sense of Rebecca about this film, where the servant runs everything and does what she wants in order to ruin the marriage.

That is all I will tell you about the story. The film has a muted color palette which makes it look a bit like colorized black and white at times. There is romance at the center of the film because Lady Flusky truly loves her husband, but she is also getting much more emotional support and friendship from Adare so this turns into a bit of a love triangle. And we already know that Milly is running the show so we can assume she is talking to Sam about all the trouble Lady Flusky is in, and how ill she is. Then there are the class differences that come up. Adare and Lady Flusky may not come from the same class as Sam Flusky, and it is clear that Milly wants to move up in the world. From the commentary, this film is called a gothic melodrama, and Hitchcocks return to costume drama...which I can only think refers to Rebecca, or Jamaica Inn, or maybe even Waltzes from Vienna. The performances through out are really solid, though there are some melodramatic moments to be sure. Still the story is interesting. 

My copy of the DVD comes from a box set named the Signature Collection, and it includes the original trailer, a couple features, and commentary by Kat Elinger. If you are looking for alternate perspectives, you can find them here and here. And if you are wondering where and how Hitchcock got a cameo in a costume drama...well, there might be two of them. The first is with his back to the camera during the Governer's speech, and the second is on the steps of the Government House. Take a look and see if you can spot him.