Barry Malkin – Google

Interesting psychological drama relevant for today's Trump America. The dying professor felt himself morally emboldened to take the law in his own hands the way Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo, as devout fundamentalist Christians, feel no compunctions against lying and abusing the public trust because, as God's Chosen, they feel themselves to be beyond the laws of regular people. At least the professor learned the fallacy of his beliefs at the end, and, contrite, bravely faced his punishment. This movie is a timeless parable of the harm caused by those who are self-appointed moral judges.

This is a beautifully crafted movie with Hitchcock brilliantly displaying the dramatic film effects (split-second scene changes, expressionistic camera angles & chiaroscuro lighting) of 1920s & 1930s movies. This was especially effective in the garden party scene with the camera breathlessly moving between Johann Strauss conducting, the different parts of the orchestra, the reactions of the two rivals for Johann's love, & the crowd swaying & dancing to The Blue Danube. The screenplay was intelligent, the characters believable even when somewhat stereotypical (the jealous nobleman), & the acting superb. The great character actor Edmund Gwenn nearly stole the movie as the jealous but ultimately forgiving Johann Strauss Senior.

It was nice to see the many shades of E.G. Robinson, from Chris Christie-cocky to crestfallen after sending the Gary Sinise lookalike to the chair, and then rising up like a phoenix to the top of the legal profession: all the while being hounded by the Stephen Miller lookalike reporter. And how underrated an actress Nina Foch was: so many different movies with different personalities and accents. Good psychological drama like the finest film noirs had.