The Trouble With Harry (1955)

Subject: The Trouble With Harry (1955) Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:29 pm

The Trouble With Harry is a black comedy directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Like Hitchcock's screwball comedy Mr. and Mrs. Smith, this isn't all that great. The trouble with Harry is that he's dead. The film begins with a little boy (Jerry Mathers - the kid from Leave it to Beaver) discovering a dead body with a wound on his head. A man was hunting and feels he has accidentally killed him and must bury him. It turns out the man's wife (Shirley MacLaine in her first film) and another woman also believe they have killed him. This leads to the comedy in that they constantly have to dig up and bury the body with the help of a man played by John Forsythe. The film starts out really interesting. I didn't know this was a comedy and it didn't seem like it at first. As the film progresses the comedy picks up but the film gets less interesting. When everyone figures out how Harry died it's kind of interesting but the events leading up to it takes a while.

As previously stated, John Forythe, Shirley MacLain, and Jerry Mathers are the three most familiar actors in this film. They're decent and somewhat comedic, but none of them are overly-memorable.

Also worth noting is the setting. The film takes place in Vermont in the fall. The film is shot in color and the setting is quite colorful. The setting and comedy takes a film that at first glance seems macabre and makes it rather light-hearted.

Overall, this isn't bad but it's not what one would expect from a Hitchcock film. It's worth a watch when there's nothing better to do, but would-be viewers shouldn't expect something great.

71/100
C-

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