Movie Time: Dr. Crippen

It's Movie Time! 

Today's movie post is about a little movie I caught on TCM several months ago. 

It's a dark film about mystery, deception, an illicit affair and murder.

From 1963, this is a British film called Dr. Crippen.  

It's based on a real murder trial from 1910 about a real life Edwardian doctor Hawley Harvey Crippen who was charged, tried and convicted for the murder of his wife.   

Whoops! Spoilers!

Dr. Crippen jumps around time as we witness his life with his harsh overbearing wife, Cora.

And the doctor's secret affair with his secretary, Ethel Le Neve.

And the litany of tangled tales he provides to account for the disappearance of his wife.

Dr, Crippen says she went to visit her sister in America. No telling what happened to her over there. 

The detectives at Scotland Yard just know Cora Crippen is dead, her husband killed her and that alleged secret affair he's got going on the side is not so secret.

There is the small matter of proving all this so the detectives stay tight on Dr. Crippen's tail looking for clues.

Even though Dr. Crippen tries to give them the slip by going on a boat trip with Ethel.  The doctor disguises himself (it's been awhile so I cant' remember if he puts on a beard or shaves his signature mustache).  Ethel disguises herself as a young boy.

Yep, just a normal gentleman and his son enjoying a holiday cruise to Europe. 

Except Ethel can't help herself from showing affection for Crippen which draws the attention of the ship captain. 

So either there's gay stuff happening on his ship and he's not putting up with that sort of thing or....

It's that missing murder suspect and his mistress in disguise that Scotland Yard sent out an alert about.  

So it's back to merry olde England to stand trial for the heinous crime of... MURDER!!!!

So did Hawley Harvey Crippen really kill his wife?

Well, if he did, who can blame the poor bastard!

Via flashbacks, we see that Cora never misses even the slightest opportunity to abuse her husband, to belittle, insult, badger, pester, harangue and bully him relentlessly and without mercy.  

It is within the realm of possibility that Cora had enough of her mild manner milquetoast spouse and fled to America.

It is also quite possible that her irrascible illtempered nature pissed off someone else who killed her.

Speaking of someone else, could Ethel had done the deed to save her dear beloved doctor from his unceasing torment in Cora's company?

Scotland Yard believes they have more than sufficient evidence that it was Dr. Crippen who killed his wife and cut her up into little bitty pieces as well. 

A jury concurs and Dr. Crippen is found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. 

Awaiting his turn at gallows, Dr. Crippen confesses to a priest that he did indeed kill his wife (accidentally) and cut her up into little bitty pieces.  But he makes clear he is only making this confession to make clear that Ethel is innoccent and had nothing to do with Cora's disappearance and death.  

Dr. Crippen goes to take his turn in the hangman's noose.

From what I've read about this, the historical record seems very sure that Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen did indeed kill his wife and dismember her corpse.  It was quite the scandal in 1910 and made for some salacious headlines.  

The movie Dr. Crippen paints the doctor as a much of a victim of his wife's excessive hostility and the shadow of a doubt provided by the screenplay gives the viewer of this taunt little British mystery film a sense of uncertainty.  

Donald Pleasence plays Dr. Crippen with quiet restraint, a placid facade hiding his rage and frustration with Cora's continual abuse. The only time the doctor allows that veneer to drop is when he is alone in Ethel's company, fleeting moments where he dares to experience what you humans call "joy".  

Dr. Crippen is not a particularly exceptional movie but it gets the job done to engage the viewer in the wretched Arc of Dr. Crippen's life and unfortunate date with the gallows.

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Next Saturday, it's more Movie Time as we look at the sad end of Bela Lugosi.

Next Sunday, the Doctor is IN! No, not poor Dr. Crippen but a new installment of Doctor Who Is Classic!