Under Capricorn
Short description
Set in colonial Australia in the 1830s, the film centres on Sam Flusky, a former convict transported from Britain after a killing, who has built wealth and land but remains shut out of respectable society. His wife, Henrietta, once an aristocratic Irishwoman, has become withdrawn and drinks heavily, and the marriage is under strain. Into their household comes Charles Adare, a well-connected newcomer who knew Henrietta in Ireland and hopes to make his fortune through Sam. His attempts to help her revive old attachments and expose secrets the couple has kept buried, while the housekeeper Milly watches with hostility.
Alfred Hitchcock directed this British production, the twenty-fourth of the forty-three films he directed, following Rope and preceding Stage Fright. Ingrid Bergman plays Henrietta and Joseph Cotten plays Sam, with Michael Wilding as Charles, Margaret Leighton as Milly and Cecil Parker as the Governor; Hume Cronyn is among the credited writers.
Made for about three million dollars, it returned roughly two million at the worldwide box office, a poor result for its cost. On IMDb it holds 6.2/10 from around 8,900 votes and on TMDB 6/10 from about 200 votes, while its critics' rating stands at 5.9/10 from seventeen reviews, placing critical and audience assessments close together.
What's left behind the scenes
- A more accurate translation of the original title is "Capricorn One".
- Alfred Hitchcock initially attempted to film long, continuous ten-minute takes, as he did during the shooting of 'Rope' (1948), but this proved more difficult than it had been on the drama, which was limited to the walls of an apartment, so only a couple of scenes were shot in this way.
- Alfred Hitchcock was not at all surprised by the film's box office failure and negative critical reviews. He openly admitted that he made this film only to satisfy his own vanity, and because Ingrid Bergman was at that time the most popular actress in America and, importantly, was available for filming.
- According to the autobiography of Michael Wilding (1912-1979), who starred in this film, once, while filming a love scene with Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982), director Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) suddenly yelled in pain, then calmly and politely asked for the camera to be moved slightly to the right, because, in shifting it, they had placed it on his foot. An X-ray later revealed a broken toe.
- Alfred Hitchcock appears in the film twice – first in the town square during a parade in a blue coat and brown hat (3rd minute of the film), then on the steps of the governor’s residence (14th minute).
- Alfred Hitchcock planned to film a drama, however, the marketing department indicated on the posters that it was a film in the genres of detective and horror. When the film was released, the director was often criticized for the lack of nerve-wracking scenes compared to his previous films.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
