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''Under Capricorn'' is a 1949 British historical thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock about a man who is in love with a woman who turns out to be an alcoholic. The film was based on the novel ''Under Capricorn'' (1937) by Helen Simpson, with a screenplay by James Bridie. It was adapted to the screen by Hume Cronyn. This was Hitchcock's second film in Technicolor, and like the preceding color film ''Rope'' (1948), it also featured 10-minute takes. The film is set in colonial Sydney, New South Wales, Australia during the early 19th century. ''Under Capricorn'' is one of several Hitchcock films that are not typical thrillers; instead it is a mystery involving a love triangle. Hitchcock considered it to be one of his worst films and a disaster. Although the film is not exactly a murder mystery, it does feature a previous killing, a "wrong man" scenario, a sinister housekeeper, class conflict, and very high levels of emotional tension, both on the surface and underneath. The title "Under Capricorn" references the Tropic of Capricorn, which bisects Australia. Capricornus is a constellation; Capricorn is an astrological sign dominated by the goat, which is a symbol of sexual desire. ==Plot== In 1831, Sydney is a frontier town, full of ex-convicts. The new Governor, Sir Richard (Cecil Parker), arrives with his cheery but indolent nephew, the Honorable Charles Adare (Michael Wilding). Charles, who is hoping to make his fortune, is befriended by gruff Samson Flusky (Joseph Cotten), a prosperous businessman who was previously a transported convict, possibly a murderer. Sam says that because he has bought the legal limit of land, he wants Charles to buy up land and then sell it to him for a tidy profit so that Sam can accumulate even more frontier territory. Though the Governor instructs him not to go, Charles is invited to dinner at Sam's house and discovers that he already knows Sam's wife, Lady Henrietta (Ingrid Bergman). She is now a hopeless alcoholic who is socially shunned, but she used to be a good friend of Charles' sister when they were children in Ireland. Sam invites Charles to stay at his house, hoping it will cheer up his wife, who is on the verge of madness. The housekeeper, Milly (Margaret Leighton), has taken over running the household and secretly feeds Henrietta alcohol, hoping to destroy her and win Sam's affections. Gradually, Charles restores Henrietta's self-confidence. They become so close that they even share a passionate kiss. Henrietta explains that she and Sam are bound together profoundly: when she was young, Sam was the handsome stable boy. Overcome with desire, they ran away and married at Gretna Green. Henrietta's brother, furious that aristocratic Henrietta had paired up with a lowly servant, confronted them. Her brother shot at Sam and missed; she shot her brother fatally. Sam made a false confession to save her, and was sent to the penal colony in Australia. She followed him and waited six years in abject poverty for his release. Sam becomes furious at Charles after listening to Milly's exaggerated stories and tells him to leave. Taking Sam's mare in the dark, Charles has a fall and the horse breaks a leg. Sam has to shoot her dead and, in a struggle over the gun, wounds Charles. At the hospital, Henrietta confesses to the Governor that Sam was wrongly convicted of the original crime; she was the one who killed her brother. By law she should be deported back to Ireland to stand trial. Milly, still plying Henrietta with drink, is inducing hallucinations by using a real shrunken head. Milly then tries to kill Henrietta with an overdose of medicine; she is caught in the act and leaves in disgrace. The Governor, Sir Richard, has Sam arrested and charged with the attempted murder of Charles. Sir Richard ignores Henrietta's claim that Sam is innocent of both crimes. However, Charles decides to bend the truth; he says, on his word as a gentleman, that there was no confrontation, and no struggle over the gun. It was all an accident. Finally we see Sam and Henrietta together smiling. They bid Charles a fond and grateful farewell; he is going back to Ireland. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Under Capricorn」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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