Under Capricorn

 Dear Mr. Hitchcock,

I love your films.... and with that in mind I have to ask, what the hell happened with Under Capricorn?

The story is interesting enough:  set in Australia in 1831, a time when prisoners were sent to the country to work off their debt to society and get a chance at a fresh start.  When the new Governor (Parker) arrives, he brings his cousin Charles Adare (Wilding), who is seeking his fortune.  His visit is off to a good start when he meets wealthy landowner Sam Flusky (Cotten) who offers a deal Charles can't refuse.  Their deal and awkward friendship leads to an invitation to the Flusky home and their intriguing secrets.  Henrietta Flusky (Bergman) is plagued by inner demons and too much alcohol, who gave up a life of privilege to follow Sam, the stable hand who murdered her brother and captured her heart.  Charles decides to help her gain confidence and take back her house from Milly (Leighton), the strict maid who rules the house with an iron fist.

It seems like the formula for success, and yet I was barely interested.  The cast and costumes and settings were good, but the story dragged on F-O-R-E-V-E-R.  Ingrid Bergman, as always, was amazing.  Especially her 10 minute monologue.

I could handle shorter scenes, with that exception.  Joseph Cotten was just creepy / menacing the entire time and I didn't particularly empathize.  And Michael Wilding and Margaret Leighton were good in the their roles.  He served as the focus for the first half of the film and was one of the more interesting characters.  She portrayed a strong women, who you wanted to hate...but couldn't.  And even though I figured out the twist somewhat early-ish in the film, it was interesting and worked.

I respect you were trying to be artistic and all that, but I think the plot and pacing could have been shortened and still captured all the important aspects of the story and great performances.

Sincerely,
A disgruntled fan

Under Capricorn (1949) 117 minutes
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Ingrid Bergman as Lady Henrietta Flusky
Joseph Cotten as Sam Flusky
Michael Wilding as Charles Adare
Margaret Leighton as Milly
Cecil Parker as The Governor