Dial M for Murder

Hitchcock considered this film one of his minor efforts. Why? Because it's confined essentially to one room (similar to Rope)? Or because its fast pacing didn't let him explore characters and settings, as he was then used to doing (as in Notorious and Spellbound)? In my mind, it's the perfect Hitchcock film -- a little bit cheesy (sign of the times), refined (oh-so-British), painstakingly structured, and with the suspense and mystery we come to equate with Hitchcock. What more could you want? It's clearly a play on screen, even without the obvious limitation to shooting in one room. Five main characters -- Grace Kelly as the wife, Ray Milland as the husband and three stellar character actors as the lover, the inspector and the villain -- act out a tale of cunning betrayal with not one but two twists to keep you on the edge of your seats. You have to pay attention because the minutiae of the betrayal are, well, minute and easily forgotten. The oh-so-British manners will have you grinning, but what's most fascinating is Hitchcock's choice of camera angles and prop placement. Watch for foreground objects in prominent places. The reason? A 3-D version of this film was also released -- yup, with those red-and-green plastic glasses. Headaches notwithstanding, it would be worth seeing an original filming of this in 3-D if only to fully experience the master's vision.

year: 1954
length: 105 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046912/combined