The Paradine Case

Dinner will be ready in 15 minutes, madam.

Thank you, Lakin.

Inspector Ambrose is here, madam.

- Show him in, will you? - Yes, madam.

Good evening, Inspector.

Good evening, Mrs. Paradine. I don't think you've met Sergeant Leggett.

- How do you do? - How do you do?

I must say, I'm rather surprised to see you again, Inspector.

I can't imagine there can be anything else that you want from me.

I know, Mrs. Paradine. I'm aware of what you've been through

but I've been sent here to arrest you.

It's incredible.

I'm sorry.

Then you want me to go with you?

Yes.

I'll tell them I won't need dinner.

Will you ring?

The bell is over there, beside the picture.

Do you like the picture?

It was finished a week or two before he died.

I think the artist has caught the blind man's look quite wonderfully.

Mrs. Paradine, I have to use some formal words at this point.

Lakin, ask Ellen to give you my black lamb coat and my black handbag.

I suppose that if I need other clothes, they can be brought to me?

Yes, ma'am.

Well?

I have a warrant for your arrest

and it is my duty to warn you that you need not say anything,

but what you say will be taken down and may be used in evidence upon your trial.

The warrant charges you for that on May 6,1946,

you did willfully administer or cause to be administered

and did murder him.

Lakin, I shall probably not be back this evening.

Very well, madam.

Tell cook I'm sorry about the dinner.

Yes, madam.

- Good night. - Good night, madam.

Yes, I know the country very well.

The trouble is it's so difficult to get there.

We can't go by car, of course.

In here, sir.

I hope you'll forgive my being late.

The fact is, I was just dressing for dinner when your call came.

I took it in a bath towel.

This is Chief Inspector Ambrose. Sir Simon, my family solicitor.

Yes, we're old friends. How are you, Inspector?

Well, thank you, Sir Simon. We don't often see you here, sir.

No, you must excuse an old man's foibles. The fact is, I'm not very keen on this place.

We'll get out of it as soon as possible, Mrs. Paradine, won't we?

As soon as possible.

When you're ready, Sir Simon, we'll make the formal charge.

- Do you want to go into another room? - It's not necessary.

Just give me a couple of minutes here.

Now, my dear, let's not waste words.

You don't have to tell me the police are making a terrible mistake.

We mustn't despair. Above all things, we mustn't despair.

- You're not despairing, are you? - No, Sir Simon.

Now, let me see. They'll read the charge over to you

and then ask you whether you've anything to say.

I think you'd better say, "No."

Just like that. Quite simply, "No." Is that understood?

- Yes. - All right, then.

Maddalena Paradine, the charge is

that you, on May 6,1946,

did willfully murder Richard Patrick Irving Paradine.

Do you wish to say anything in answer to the charge?

I have nothing to say.

That's all we can do at present.

I'll look in and tell your maid to put together some of your things.

You're allowed a few things at this stage.

Who is to defend me? You?

At the trial? Dear me, no. Of course not.

I'll get you one of the distinguished leaders of the Bar.

- Do you know Mr. Anthony Keane? - I've heard of him, of course.

He's very good in this sort of thing. Full of charm and cunning.

But the juries like him. So do I.

- Won't it be difficult to get him? - We'll see. We'll see.

At the moment, he's on a case in Lincoln.

I'll get my daughter to run me down and have a talk with him.

You'll like him.

That's not as important as his liking me, is it?

I think he will. Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Will you come this way, please?

- Think it over, Keane. - I will, Simmy, I will.

- Good evening, Baker. - Good evening, sir.

- Tony. - Yes, my love.

I knew it.

I knew you didn't have an umbrella or raincoat. Oh, darling.

You're wet through, Tony.

Baker, will you please bring up the cocktails from the study?

- You might ask me if I won my case? - You always win your case,

even though you don't have enough sense to come home dry.

Simmy's car. It leaks.

Come take your things off, darling, and have a hot shower.

I'll make your drink strong. With luck we may pull you through.

Simmy wants me to take a case for him.

Mrs. Paradine.

I don't believe she did it.

Do you mind telling me why?

As her defending counsel, I might be able to use any bit of evidence.

Well, nice people don't go about murdering other nice people.

So you think she's nice?

Her photograph looks nice.

And anyone who wasn't nice wouldn't have married that poor blind man.

Here you are.

Hmm.

- Just right. - Good.

So it's your opinion that nice people never murder their husbands?

Well, I suppose there are circumstances.

It's amazing how 11 years of wedlock with the greatest realist in the country

haven't altered a single one of your lovely delusions about nice people.

I'm glad you're defending her.

Why?

Darling, your hair's still wet. Let me rub it.

Not so hard.

It's nice to be married to someone who can help others.

- Even save their lives. - Watch it.

But you have changed, you know, darling.

Eleven years ago you wouldn't have taken on this Paradine case.

Nonsense. I never turned down a thumping big fee then

any more than now.

You'd have taken it on.

But only after sneering for weeks at the decadence of the rich.

I hardly recognize my lost ideals.

I remember the first time you called on me

with two tickets for the first night of that Shaw play. Do you remember?

You'd forgotten to dress.

The look of horror on Mother's face as we left the house.

It took you five years to forgive that parting look.

It took her 50 years to perfect that look.

You seem reasonably dry now. Better get dressed.

Darling, I'm not really mental.

I know you're not. But if I didn't pretend you were, now and then,

I couldn't possibly live with so wonderful and brilliant a man.

I use that sort of talk only on juries.

- Does it actually work? - Come here.

No, darling, the Drydens are coming to dinner.

Come here.

No, Tony, darling, please.

You'll find her a strange woman, with an almost mystic calm.

How do you do, Sir Simon.

Well, here's the great man himself, Mrs. Paradine.

May I present my colleague, Mr. Keane?

- How do you do? - How do you do, Mrs. Paradine?

You may take heart now. We've got the Royal Marines on our side.

You're going to defend me?

The Royal Marines look forward to very little trouble.

A brief skirmish, and you'll be lunching at the Savoy again.

Really? I haven't been thinking about lunching at the Savoy again.

I know what you've been thinking.

- Do you? - Yes.

Wild, dark thoughts such as, "Death, where is thy sting?"

"Grave, where is thy victory?"

I keep hearing them all the time

saying I married a helpless blind man for his money

and then killed him for his money.

And what will they say of Dickie? It makes him out such a fool for loving me.

We'll have answers for whatever they say. You loved him and he needed you.

You know that?

- Weren't you his eyes? - I was, of course. I had to be.

"Had to be," Mrs. Paradine? Had to be?

Dear, dear. You must mind your verbs.

Sir Simon means it was a piece of voluntary service.

You devoted your whole life to this splendid fellow freely, gladly.

Yes, I see what you mean.

It was a sacrifice. A sublime sacrifice.

Yes, I think it would be better to regard it in that light.

It was the more tremendous that Paradine could not understand...

Could not possibly understand the sacrifice you were making.

He'd never seen you.

He'd never, as I say, seen you.

Yes, yes, quite so. Quite so.

I'm not sure whether Mr. Keane will put you

in the witness box or not, but if he does...

I don't think we need trouble Mrs. Paradine with all that at this stage.

When shall I be seeing you again, Mr. Keane?

Just as soon as I've gone over the details with Sir Simon.

Thank you, deeply.

- Well, good afternoon. - Thank you for bringing him.

Until the next time, then.

Come along, Keane.

So you think Tony was taken with her, Father?

Let's not go on one of your fishing expeditions.

All right, don't tell me.

Tony may be as good a lawyer as you think he is,

but how he loves anything dramatic.

Do hold still if you ever want me to get this thing tied.

The impertinence of young people today is simply appalling.

- If it's one thing I can't abide... - I know, I know, it's impertinence.

Can't you just see Tony giving another of his great performances?

Riding to the rescue of beauty in distress. How he must relish this.

If the case comes up before Horfield, he better not try one of those performances

or he'll be sat upon, and properly. Good gracious, we're late.

Let's hurry, or Horfield will take it out on poor Sophie.

And let's not miss a single word of His Lordship's reminiscences.

If I hear once more of his gay times in Deauville with Lady so-and-so...

Remarkable old girl, Lady Millicent.

We used to have great times together at Deauville, back in the '20s.