Under Capricorn (Alfred Hitchcock, 1949)

The problem with Under Capricorn isn't that it's not a suspense film; it's that it doesn't work by Hitchcock's dictum about suspense. The audience needs more information, not less, to feel suspense. Here, we don't know why Lady Henrietta (Ingrid Bergman) has become an alcoholic until the climax of the film. In fact, the Wikipedia plot synopsis is incorrect because it tries to work by Hitchcock's dictum in having Lady Henrietta reveal the plot twist well before she actually does (and to the wrong person). So it fails the classical Hollywood requirement of clear motivations and consistent character traits. BUT. That just means this is a de facto art film. You can *feel* the suffocation with Hitchcock's astonishing long takes, each the equivalent of holding your breath for several minutes. It's a film that demands at least a second viewing to reveal its tense pleasures. And many of the Hitch hallmarks are present - the doubled couples, the female Oedipal trajectory, the repression, etc.