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Dial M for Murder

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Film Review: Dial M for Murder (1954)@drax799d

(source: tmdb.org)

Every few decades, Hollywood studios attempt to revolutionise the film business by introducing 3D technology, hoping to captivate audiences with something they haven’t experienced before. However, these experiments always end up being passing fads, with audiences quickly growing weary of the novelty and technical demands on theatres making them unsustainable. This pattern was established in the early 1950s, when 3D was first brought to screen, and among the filmmakers who dabbled in this new technology was Alfred Hitchcock. His 1954 film, Dial M for Murder, was originally shot in 3D, but it is now considered one of his second-tier works, reflecting the limitations of the technology and the stage-bound nature of the source material.

The film is based on Frederick Knott's 1952 play, which was originally broadcast on BBC and became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. The plot revolves around a retired tennis player, Tony Wendice (played by Ray Milland), who discovers that his wife, Margot (played by Grace Kelly), is having an affair with an American crime writer, Mark Halliday (played by Robert Cummings). Determined to kill Margot and inherit her wealth, Tony blackmails an old acquaintance, Charles Swann (played by Anthony Dawson), into carrying out the murder. The carefully planned scheme, however, goes disastrously wrong and, while police led by Chief Inspector Hubbard (played by John Williams) investigate the aftermath, Wendice has to improvise alternative ways to achieve his aim.

While Dial M for Murder may be considered a lesser work in Hitchcock's oeuvre, it is still a significant improvement over the best films of most of his contemporaries. The script's limitations, due to its stage-bound origins, make it difficult for Hitchcock to showcase his signature visual style and suspenseful sequences. The most suspenseful sequence in the film occurs in the first third, with the tension only artificially and melodramatically heightened near the end.

Despite these limitations, Dial M for Murder is worth watching for its impressive cast, particularly Grace Kelly's debut as Hitchcock's heroine. Kelly easily wins the audience's sympathy, despite her character's adulterous actions, and her chemistry with Cummings is palpable. Robert Cummings, who had previously worked with Hitchcock on Saboteur and later became a television star, is somewhat less impressive, but this is mostly due to his character's limited screen time. Ray Milland, on the other hand, delivers a standout performance as the intelligent and resourceful villain, arguably one of the most impressive among all villains in Hitchcock's filmography. Anthony Dawson and John Williams add to the film's strength as supporting players, reprising their roles from the stage version.

Apart from Hitchcock's skilful direction, the film also benefits from an effective music score by Dimitri Tiomkin, which adds to the tension and atmosphere. Dial M for Murder was a success at the box office, although Hitchcock himself was not particularly impressed with it, considering its production as something of a vacation. In his next film, Rear Window, Hitchcock demonstrated how a similarly limited setting could not prevent him from creating a truly remarkable film.

Knott's play has been adapted many times since *Dial M for Murder'*s release, making it one of the most remade films in Hitchcock's filmography. These adaptations include a 1981 US television film, a 1998 thriller titled A Perfect Murder, two films in India, and a television film made in the Soviet Union. These adaptations attest to the enduring appeal and adaptability of Knott's story and Hitchcock's cinematic vision.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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4 more reviews

›Dial M for Murder of Hitchcock@petercurator982d
[Source](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=899445)

This is a police thriller that requires skill and ingenuity to unravel a serious plot that, paradoxically, will prove once again that there is no such thing as a perfect crime.

It carries the curse of a so-called dramatic film, in this case because much of the action takes place in the "living room" of Wendy's flat.

Of course, no one can deny the above, and the weight of dialogue does loom large in this disturbing film, although visual planning is crucial to some memorable scenes.
[Source](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=899445)

However, dialogue is not an exclusive element of the drama, nor does the concentration of space reduce the scene.

The film also manages to maintain a strong unity of place without being dramatic. Well, the filmmakers have already done that with "Quick Alert", "Castaway" and "Rope".

Tony Windis (Ray Milland) is a cold, calculating retired tennis player who plans to murder his beautiful, wealthy wife (Grace Kelly) because he suspects her of being unfaithful, but mostly because he wanted to inherit her enormous fortune as she was going through a financial crisis.
[Source](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=899445)

To carry out his gruesome plan, he blackmailed an old college friend and convinced him to break into the house and kill his wife while he was away, which he used as an alibi.

The dramatic aspect was quickly sidelined in the development of "Dial M for Murder", an adaptation of Frederic Nott's play with a plot adapted by the author himself that enhanced the more sordid elements of the plot.

His idea is to depict an evil plot on the surface in Tom Windsor (the excellent Ray Milland), as he smiles and celebrates his wife Margot (the lovely and elegant Grace Kelly, an unconfessed adulteress) for every escapade with her lover Mark. Halliday (played by a sober Robert Cummings).

One character worth mentioning is the inspector, played by John Williams, an actor who played the role in the theatre and a regular in Hitchcock's later TV series.
[Source](https://www.filmaffinity.com/ve/filmimages.php?movie_id=899445)

After watching and listening to the various versions of the plot presented to us, the police and detective mechanics, combined with random whimsy, finally fit all the pieces in the right place, despite the reasonable and moral doubts the audience has to decipher along the way.
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›Dial M for Murder (1954): Back to the classics@evaredskin1403d
Is is easy to plan the perfect crime?

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In the movies everything seems so easy, but in the end the villain is caught, in order for justice to prevail and the catharsis of the viewer to be achieved. No crime should be unpunished and the cleverer of the criminals will be apprehended. There are few movies, I believe, that the main villain is set free, unpunished.

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Dial M for murder could be one of these movies. The retired athlete, Tony (Ray Milland) married to a beautiful socialite heir, discovers that his wife (Grace Kelly) is having an affair with a crime novelinvolves an old fellow student, a petty crook. Tony blackmails him and forces him to attempt to murder his wife, while Tony will be at a party so he has an alibi.

The plan is genius: Tony will call his wife from the party to accomplish his alibi and while they are talking on the phone Arthur, who will have entered with the key that Tony has hidden in the yard, will suffocate her with a scarf.

But all plans almost always have a weakness: In this case, the woman who manages to kill her would-be killer with a pair of scissors while her husband listens in on the whole thing over the phone (and realizes his plan is going wrong).

But he still manages to reverse the conditions in his favor, since he creates the evidence that his wife deliberately killed the man who entered the house, as a result of which the latter was imprisoned and sentenced to death. Will it be the perfect crime?

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It would be if the "demonic", methodical Inspector Hubbard didn't get in the way. Hitchcock manages to create a encephalic film. The heroes hide behind the politeness of society and the types, the British phlegm to hide their desires and their plans. Although the main part of its action is inside a room, Hitchcock avoids making a claustrophobic film (after all, there are so many heroes going in and out of this room that it does not make us bored at all). Instead we wait to find that much-desired for our carthasis for the fall of the culprit, that which will lead him to his revelation.

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The performances of the protagonists contribute to the intensity of the suspense. Especially the protagonist of the film, the husband, with that cold style, full of hybris smile makes us wish for his punishment but deep inside we hope that maybe he will slip away. (my partner wasn't particularly impressed with its playing, but I think it's a matter of taste). As is Inspector Hubbard with his British humor (have I told you I'm crazy about British humor?) which slowly and gradually lets the web unfold. In the pluses of the film, the presence in the role of the wife of one of the most beautiful women who passed through the cinema. Grace Kelly delightful as the victim wife of her husband, a feast for the eyes.

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I once read in an article that Hitchcock did not include this in his five best films. I can't be in the mind of the great director, but for me it is among his five best films. Clever script, excellent rhythm, that famous British humor, Hitchcock manages to set up a merry-go-round of people dancing around the truth.

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Dial M for Murder Director: Alfred Hitchcock Writer: Frederick Knott Cast: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings Country: U.S.A. Language; English Year; 1954

PS. Knowing Hitchcock's habit of making cameo appearrances in each of his films, we kept a close eye on each scene in case we saw him. The truth is that we had to go back to the scene to notice him, gbecause the first time we missed him. For those of you who have seen the movie, have you noticed his cameo appearance?

Thank you for reading!

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›Dial M for Murder - Movie Review@smendel2060d
I first saw part of Dial M for Murder a few years ago when it was on television. I just watched the entire movie for the first time.

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›Dial M for Murder (Film): Review.@martinmcfly2542d
Year: 1954 Category: Crime. Director: Alfred Hitchcock.
Cast: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams, Anthony Dawson, Leo Britt, Patrick Allen, George Leigh.

Margot Mary Wendice is a rich woman who is married to Tony Wendice, an English professional tennis player, while she has an affair with Mark Halliday, an American crime-fiction writer, from whom she received letters from America, now one of those letters is in the possession of her husband, who has sent her anonymous notes asking for money in return, but for Margot the problems do not end there, because of this Tony is now worried about his current personal situation, since he abandoned his career as tennis player and the infidelity of his wife is a sign that affirms what he suspected, she does not love him and can replace him at any time, leaving him in a complicated economic situation, so Tony decides to start the perfect crime he planned for a year, the murder of his wife, a task for which he needs the help of a former university colleague, Charles Alexander "CA" Swann, whom he extorts to help him.

Alfred Hitchcock is not known as the master of suspense in vain, his work in this film is incredible, he manages to generate a lot with few resources, almost all the scenes of the film take place in a single location, and almost the entire film advances to through the dialogue, but still manages to create a climate of suspense successfully, showing a story that becomes better with each scene, and in which after a few minutes it is impossible to lose interest. 105 minutes of entertainment that the spectator's eyes witness to finally close the story in a satisfactory way.

The plans, the shots, the sequence, the rhythm, the dialogues, the set and the choice of the actors, all perfectly chosen with the talent that only the greatest directors have.

Not too long ago I had the opportunity to see two of the many films that exist and that are directly inspired by this one; one of them is a remake, A Perfect Murder, directed by Andrew Davis and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen; the other is Fracture, directed by Gregory Hoblit and starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling, in terms of the story both are similar to the Hitchcock film, one more than another of course, the remake has many more similarities, however, each one with its individual elements that make them independent films and not an exact copy, but for me it is clear that despite the years that have passed since its premiere, Dial M for Murder is the best of its kind. No doubt it is still one of those classics that should be seen. A simple contraption created with the only purpose of entertaining the audience for 100 minutes.

The performances are great, especially Ray Milland, who does a really great job; the always beautiful Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams and Anthony Dawson do enough each in their place for the film and the story to work correctly.

Unfortunately, as happened with Psycho, my experience watching the film was affected, because I also knew what would happen since I saw the remake of Andrew Davis first, and although the two films are not identical, in important things like the resolution of the conflict are similar. However, it is a pleasant film to watch and I did not get bored at any time, in fact, I would gladly see it again right now. If you have not seen it yet, or already saw it and want more, you can rent or buy the DVD or Blu-Ray and read Frederick Knott's book.

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