hitchcock's semi-parable tells the story of a group of individuals faced dealing with the body of a dead man (the eponymous harry). in a manner not disimiliar to that of the average slapstick comedy, the film unfolds to open up a mystery out of something initially seemed rather blase. as a situation based comedy/melodrama the film is very successful, if not slightly underwhelming compared to similiar period hitchcock.
performance wise, as the film is centred so closely around its key roles its no surprise to learn that each are fairly strong, if not standout. edmund gwenn as the fraudulant retired captain shines with charm, after initially coming across as a tad over the top. john forsythe as the thoughtful young artist is a worthy hitchcock leading man, with shirley maclaine being somewhat adorable as his love interest.
the film is full to the brim with hitchcock's usual wit to the end (the final frame of the film declaring harry's fate with the usual panache), and while its far from the greatest film of his ouvre, it definately makes for a strong black comedy.
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