You can guess who was guilty in the first 15 minutes of the film. A lot happens after that but it is pretty cut and dried once you have a little information.
I don't want to go into detail for spoiler purposes but it is not hard to figure this one out.
Actually it is the 23 minute mark where it really becomes more obvious. Where the relationship with Laura becomes more clear.
I remember thinking that unless this man is gay he did it. A 1944 film is not going to have an openly gay character.
Things build from there but come on. A 50 year old rich man regularly dating, platonically a drop dead gorgeous 20 year old? Spending money on her, wine, good food. Listening to music together. Of course he would be in love and resent painfully the fact she has romantic sexual relations with men closer to her age.
It works as long as Laura is only a simple office girl and he is the famous columnist, but once Laura also becomes successful and financially independent, the whole thing falls apart for Waldo.
But one can discuss: Was it really love? There is a certain queerness about Waldo, and it's never made clear if he was physically in love with her or if he just regarded her as "his" perfect creation and a thing from "his" collection which is shown in the opening scene.
Yes, I think it is not the most suprising murderer in the film, especially since the film has only a few characters who can be suspects and his story is by far the one which is most explored. It is perhaps the more surprising thing to see how Laura turns up alive.
So I think the movie is not a classic after 75 years because of the Whodunit, but rather because of the way it is directed and complex and multi-layered characters and themes which are explored in the film. And that's allright, too.
I try to not work out whodunit because it's a bit of a spoiler and film makers often throw in a twist just to confound us anyway.
But having said that I think the story of Laura and the relationships of the characters is the strength of this film, plus the Oscar winning cinematography.
I don't know if it was meant to work as a whodunit. Laura herself is the main mystery about this movie.
shareIt doesn't matter if you can guess who's guilty. It's how they get to the conclusion that matters.
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