Family Plot (1976)

Director Alfred Hitchcock’s final film was not as good as Frenzy (1972) nor as bad as Marnie (1964). It stars William Devane and Karen Black as a couple of kidnappers whose paths cross another couple (Bruce Dern and Barbara Harris) that defrauds people with a fortune teller/clairvoyant setup. The ransoms for those Devane/Black kidnap must be paid in diamonds! The most memorable scenes are those featuring Ms. Harris’s faux "channeling" though the discovery of where the kidnappers’ extorted jewels are kept (and the rest of their home) is something to see as well. Ed Lauter Cahleen Nesbitt and Katherine Helmond are among those who also appear. The screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman (North By Northwest (1959)) from the novel The Rainbird Pattern by Victor Canning; it was initially titled One Plus One Equals One before it was changed to Deceit and finally Family Plot. It was the director’s 53rd production in 50 years.

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