Suspicion 1941

 Suspicion 1941
* Glasses only in introduction
*Glasses to suggest intelligence
* Glasses to create an outcast

     This Film is Directed by Alfred Hitchcock starring Joan Fontaine. Joan received an Oscar for this role and many agree she should of received one for her previous film with Hitchcock Rebecca. There have been many comparisons with her role in Suspicion and in Rebecca. In Rebecca Joan is a young naïve young lady who fall for a older man with a dark past (Jane Eyre anyone?)
  However in Suspicion I find the role to be the opposite. Yes both characters are shy and lonely, yet in Suspicion I don't find her character as naïve as her role in Rebecca. Joan's character Lina in Suspicion  is older, a spinster bookworm who is very practical and knowledgeable. Her love for Cary Grant and his shenanigans get the best of her.  Rebecca is more about a naïve girl and a older more knowledgeable experienced man , and Suspicion is a practical down to earth woman who falls for a silly naïve  man.  see? do you see? huh?
 The movie begins with her on a train, Lina is by herself wearing glasses reading a book about child psychology. Why this subject?  what is implied here?  The book is not a novel, so she must be super brainy to volunteer to read about psychology. Child Psychology? Does she want to have children one day?  The viewer is not fully aware of her spinster hood at this point of the movie, maybe this book is a visual clue.  In comes Cary Grant, being Cary Grant his characters name is Johnny. Lina is a little surprised that she not alone in the train car anymore and starts to develop a crush on him.  We are unsure what his feeling for her are, he does get her to pay for his train ticket. He didn't have enough money when the train worker came in to collect tickets. Bad first impression if you ask me.

 He see her again when all the blue bloods are together for a hunt. Lina is all dolled up, (without glasses btw) which is understandable it's a social gathering. Johnny realizes how beautiful she is, now that he can see her without those frames.
 For their first date her invites her to "Church". He finds her reading  at home. she has a news clipping about him. He's known for being a bit of a playboy and liking glamour girl types.  When he invites her to go to church and also asks about putting on "that saucy" hat she wore on the train. Hmm so he was attracted to her when they first met.  Of course she goes, without wearing her glasses.
 They ditch church to go for a walk and then this happens:
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/274159/Suspicion-Movie-Clip-Your-Ucipital-Mapilary.html

He invades her personal space, she's not used to such closeness with a man. She gets defensive. She still likes him after this. I find "Monkey face" quite insulting even though I think it is meant to be cute. "Monkey face" does show what kind of guy Johnny is, a teasing pulling on your pigtails immature type and a little silly.
When she arrives home she overhears her parents talking. They are discussing how hopeless she is on attracting a husband. Her father in a way defends her saying spinsters still do a lot for their community, still not what one want to hear. 
 In my opinion at this point she becomes quite attached to Johnny. She knows better,  yet she is desperate. Maybe not necessarily desperate to get married, but to be loved to prove to her family and the other blue bloods that she can be loved.
 Before the ball she is first upset that Johnny may not be there, then excited when she hear that he will be there. She changes her dress around to show off her ucipital mapilary that Johnny likes so much, also attends the ball sans glasses.  Johnny and Lina ditch the ball, they confess their love for each other. They get married, she never wears glasses again. After the wedding she is so dolled up in every scene. Is she doing this to emulate a glamour girl type that he was known for dating before her? She different from that, he like her because she is different, right?

 She finds out he is a gambler, and a liar and owes a big debt. However Lina loves him to the very end.   Now a days we say "just leave him"  which she very well could do. However, she may be pressured to be married and stay married due to class, and her own ideas. She may feel she cant do better, and does not have the confidence to be alone. Maybe when she was alone before she hated it. How many people have you known that stay in a bad relationship? it happens.
  The ending of this film was changed, in the original version Johnny because he owes so much money kills Lina for the insurance.  This was changed because Cary Grant not a villain. I wont tell you the end in case you have not seen it, but it does seem made up on the spot after knowing it was a reshoot.

 Maybe Lina never wears glasses after the introduction of her character because she is no longer herself after that. She's trying to impress Johnny, trying to be someone "better" for him. I almost feel sorry for her. In my opinion, no one is worth changing for, especially Johnny