Dial M For Murder (1954) Review

Dial M For Murder was made at the peak of Hitchcock's career. It was his first film to star Grace Kelly and oddly enough it was shot in 3D. It represents a moment in Hollywood history when the threat of television was being felt everywhere and even a self-contained adaption of a stage play could be a 3D movie. This notion is clearly absurd. If you didn't know beforehand there is practically no way to notice that this film was made in 3D. I saw it in 2D and it did nothing to lessen the impact.

This film stars Ray Milland as a husband who wants to murder his promiscuous wife (Grace Kelly). He has this perfect murder plot and the rest of the film follows with great surprises that shall not be spoiled here. The perfect murder idea has been explored countless times and even many times in Hitchcock movies. You would expect that this film would have nothing else to offer but the shock is that it does. The film keeps the audience on the edge of its seat as it hurls itself towards its end. I was even surprised a few times and it was as if Hitchcock was reading my mind and then doing the opposite of what I thought was going to happen. This is the best aspect of this film, the unexpected.

Perhaps the second best aspect of this film is the quality of acting on display. Milland is devilishly sophisticated as the husband and Grace Kelly shows a lot of layers as the wife. She could have played the role straight and gotten away with being Grace Kelly but instead she plays the role  with surprising depth. The dialogue is actually quite good and often infused with great wit.

The direction as usual with Hitchcock is a strong pint. Shows great fluidity and camera movement as well as the proper lighting and shadow. Cutting too is incredibly effective. From the start of the film you are assured that you are in the hands of a master.

Unfortunately while this film has many ingredients that could easily make it top tier Hitchcock, it falters slightly in a few places. this is a nit pick to be sure but I just didn't get the sequence when (Spoiler Alert) a major character is brought to trial. It is overly stylized and to me just feels almost cheap even cheesy. This isn't typical of Hitchcock. Also the film has its own limitations because of its source material being a perfect murder story. The conclusion can feel convoluted at times but to the films credit everything feels well wrapped up in the end. Overall to call this anything but a great film would preposterous but you have to remember whose work we're looking at here and it is a testament Mr. Hitchcock that second tier for him is first rate for everyone else. 4/5

Top Ten Alfred Hitchcock Movies

In honor of TCM's September series "Sundays with Hitch" this week's list counts down my ten favorite films from the Master of Suspense!

Honorable Mention: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
This film holds a special place for me because it was my introduction to Hitchcock. It is a remake of one of his own films and it may very well be his most Hollywood-ized film. With a plot that involves a Jimmy Stewart reluctantly trying to stop an assassination plot to save his kidnapped son, a hit song by Doris Day, and the films location in the exotic locale of Morocco this film has all of the ingredients that make up Hitchcock's best films.

10: Rope (1949)
 Rope is an experimental film that was shot with as few cuts as possible. This meant that takes lasted up to 15 minutes and that the set had to have wall that could move so the camera could do what Hitchcock wanted it to. the film tells the story of two guys who commit a murder and then hide the body in a trunk in their apartment. They then proceed to have a dinner party where people end up actually eating over the trunk, unaware of what's inside it. This is Hitchcock using both gripping suspense and dark humor to tell a great story. The film also stars Jimmy Stewart as a former teacher of the two murderers. This is one of the hidden gems in the director's library.

9: Strangers On a Train (1951).
This film marked the beginning of Hitch's greatest decade, the fifties. It is the story of two men who meet on a train that both have someone they would like to get rid of. One of them, a psychopath, suggests that they swap murders, the other just thinks he's joking but soon realizes this is not  the case when "his murder" is committed.  This film is dark and suspenseful, speeding along at breathtaking speed. This film allows Hitchcock to study one of his first ever movie psychos and also experiment with some nifty camerawork.

8: The Lady Vanishes (1937)
The Lady Vanishes was made during Hitchcock's time in Britain and it represents the best of his work their. This story is distinctly British and it is done with much style. While not maybe the Master's most complex film it is definitely one of his most entertaining.

7: Rebecca (1940)
Many modern critics dismiss this film as being both non essential Hitchcock and not of high quality. Both of these statements are fundamentally false. While Hitchcock didn't count it among his best that feeling probably came form the film's heated production where he battled with the producer Selznick. In the end this is a Hitchcock film through and through. From the movement off the camera to the sexual undertones. It is the only one of his films to win a best picture award and it remains a remarkable film to this day. It also has a fantastic cast that all give great performances. It is certainly a must watch. Check out my Two Films Review of Rebecca and Suspicion.

6: Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
This was Hitch's favorite film he made and it's not hard to see why. The story of murder coming to a small town was co-written by Thorton Wilder the man who created Our Town. This film has gripping suspense and great performances from Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotton. It is the director's first true masterpiece and it still casts an eerie spell to this day.

5: Vertigo (1957)
Some might be shocked by the placement this far back for this film. Vertigo was recently named the greatest film of all time by the Sight and Sound Critic's poll. Any of the films in the top 5 could pretty much be number 1 but this is my list of favorite Hitchcock films and therefore isn't necessarily based on their merit as art. Vertigo is an incredibly well crafted and personal film. It is also beautifully shot etching images in our brain of San Francisco that will last forever. The film is all about obsession and Jimmy Stewart gives one of his finest performances. This is a film that you really have to see twice to appreciate because it is far more intricate than it seems and it is truly cinema as high art. Also the soundtrack is perfection and is the basis for most modern dramatic film scores.

4: Notorious (1946)
Notorious used to be the film that people pointed to as Hitchcock's best and it has now lost a little of its critical reputation which is a shame because this is definitely one of his best. This film stars Cary grant and Ingrid Bergman a perfect Hollywood combination and it has the great Claude Raines as the villain. Any film with that cast cannot be bad and it just so happens that Notorious is great. This is Hitch's greatest love story and it really has some of his greatest sequences. Especially the party scene when Grant and Bergman sneak down into the wine cellar to look for the stolen uranium. With a great cast and even better direction this film is truly a masterpiece.

3: Psycho (1960)
Many times people today mistakenly associate Hitchcock only with horror films. That misconception probably stems from this film which still holds up as one of the greatest horror films of all time. The less said about this one the better. If you've seen it you know why and if you haven't you're in for a treat.

2: Rear Window (1954)
This film as a great combination of thriller and complex culture study. It is glamorous, thrilling and thought provoking what more can you ask for. It has the great everyman Jimmy Stewart and the gorgeous Grace Kelly. It also has a mysterious murder and an interesting character study of all types of people. This is that rare film that can be enjoyed on the surface as well as studied and it holds up under both lenses. A truly great masterpiece this film really stands on its own.

1: North By Northwest (1959)
Is this film pure escapism? yes, are there more complex and artful Hitchcock films around? yes Are there any that are as fun and entertaining? no. North By Northwest is the ultimate exercise in escapism. With Cary Grant, spies, national monuments and sexual tension, it has it all. This film basically invented the popcorn films that we see so often today and none of them even hold a candle to it. This film may not be a work of art in the way that Vertigo is but it makes up for that in entertainment value. This is the film I turn to if I want a great Hitchcock film it has all of the ingredients you want and it is so good you will keep coming back again and again. This film is often imitated but never touched, It's my favorite Hitchcock film.

Two Films: Alfred Hitchcock and Joan Fontaine

Rebecca (1940)
Some might argue that Hitchcock's First American film Rebecca belongs more to its producer David Selznick than to Hitchcock. I would disagree, Rebecca has Hitchcock's master touch in every scene. Whether it be the framing of the shots, the timing of the cuts, or the close ups this is a Hitchcock film through and through. The reason for the misconception is that Hitchcock and Selznick did not get along while making this film because they were both very strong artistic personalities. Selznick did not allow Hitchcock to have any control over the final editing process thus people find this film to be more of a Selznick picture than a Hitchcock picture. However, prior to the film ever going into editing Hitchcock shot the film so that it could only be edited his way, thus the credit for this fantastic tale of mystery and suspense belongs with him. Rebecca is the story of a young woman who marries a mysterious and haunted aristocrat. She is not used to the aristocratic life and also feels very overshadowed by her husband's dead first wife Rebecca. This film has elements of the gothic tale and of the murder mystery. Hitchcock manages to create just the right amount of suspense and misdirection and although the actors give great performances there is no question this is a director's film. The close ups and the evocative camerawork really help the audience enter the world of the film. Fontaine gives a fantastic performance as the woman really represents the audience and is therefore unnamed. The supporting cast is absolutely fantastic, full of great character actors like George sanders and Nigel Bruce This film plays like a modern gothic mystery thriller done with the elegant touch of the master of suspense. What more could you want! 5/5!

Suspicion (1941)
Suspicion was Hitchcock's next film and in many ways it is similar to his first American film Rebecca. Both star Joan Fontaine, both feature husband's to the main character who are mysterious, and both had Hitchcock not getting what he wanted because of the studio system. Suspicion is the tale of a bookish young woman who falls in love with a mysterious, handsome man played by Cary Grant. Unfortunately grant is not all he seems and soon she becomes suspicious that he may be capable of murder. This movie is all about building slow and calculated suspense and as always Hitchcock excels. This film has Hitchcock experimenting even more with the better technology he found when he moved from Britain to America. It would take until Shadow for a Doubt in 1942 for Hitchcock to really figure it out but you can see many glimpses here of what was to come. Fontaine won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role and she really does deserve it. Cary Grant really displays some dramatic talent here and a dark side. Grant would become one of Hitchcock's favorite leading men. The supporting cast includes Nigel bruce who is most famous for playing Watson along side basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes in those films. Here he gives a great performance as a bumbling Englishmen. Unfortunately, while to first half of the film is truly fantastic, the ending of the film leaves much to be desired. Part of this was due to the production code and talking about why the ending isn't good would give away the film but It really just wraps up to quickly. So while I liked suspicion a lot and felt it had many great performances it is not among the Hitchcock's greatest achievements. 3.5/5