The Trouble With Harry

A Typical Hitchcockian Comedy

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Release Date: 1955
Rating: PG
Running Time: 95 mins
Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Drama
Starring: John Forsythe, Shirley MacLaine, Edmund Gwenn, Mildred Natwick

"He looked exactly the same when he was alive only he was vertical"

The story of a dead body found, without evidence of how it got there, it's safe to say Harry causes a lot of trouble in this Hitchcock farce.

Hitchcock always has a way of playing with life and death. You'd imagine a film about a dead body found of the ground, everyone with a different idea of how it got there would make up quite the drama, you certainly wouldn't imagine it to be a light hearted comedy. Yet somehow Hitchcock was able to find a way of making this dark story in to a sweet, if not slightly quirky, tale filled with romance, friendships and the beauty of the little things in life.

When retired Captain Wiles (Gwenn) spends an early autumn morning hunting rabbit (despite all signs against shooting), he just about manages to fire at everything but, and in the process, consequently assumes he has shot a civilian, having found a body lying dead on the floor with a nasty head wound. It's not long before the Captain plans to bury the body so he's never found, but as if all at once, various villagers arrive at the scene, none seeming to especially mind or even notice the corpse lying stationary in front of them. With the help of an optimistic artist Sam (Forsythe), quirky young widow Jennifer (Maclaine) and  nervous Miss gravely (Natwick), the four set about burying then digging up the reburying the body named Harry throughout the day, still undecided as to how he really died or what to do with him.

Bernard Herman once again (like with many of Hitchcock's projects) provides a highly well crafted and enjoyable soundtrack to capture the humour, romance and tragedy in this film. Hitchcock, once again plays with his audience and creates such a farce throughout that by the end you wonder why the go to such lengths during. It's a very well thought out and crafted film, with multiple relationships created and mood changers, the film will keep you interested for the easily digestible hour and a half that it takes place. This, like all his other films are riddled with Hitchcockian stamps, fear of the police ("You're guilty until proven innocent" and "I'll get the jitters everytime I see a police car and there's no good saying I won't"), fear of falling in love, putting a spin on death, it's clear the man really did know what he was doing when he got behind a camera.

But for me, the real reason why I so loved this film is, I just enjoyed the characters. Edmund Gwenn portrayed a slightly cheesey, but very likeable and honest man. John Forsythe portrayed a loving, passionate artist who always thought different to everyone else and could appreciate the little things in life. And Shirley MacLaine made her début in this film, but straight away showed us all what she was capable of in front of a camera, acting so natural, right at home. it's a personal Hitchcock favourite of mine, so dialogue heavy that you could pick up little details after several viewings that help it remain so enjoyable.

A very sweet and slightly eccentric film, not one of his best known (though part of the five lost Hitchcock's, claimed to be his top films) but Hitchcock himself claimed that The Trouble With Harry was one of his favourites to work on and watch back. Certainly, if you're a fan of the director, it's worth giving a watch.

7/10