MovieChat Forums > Dial M for Murder (1954) Discussion > My thoughts (spoilers herein)

My thoughts (spoilers herein)

posted 3 years ago by Phids (777)
3 replies | jump to latest

This crime story takes an unusual approach by bringing us into the story of two lovers who carry out what they think is a secret affair. Unbeknownst to them, the woman's husband, Tony, has known all along, and he's just crazy enough that we can't imagine what he'll do. Once we find out that he's known about it all along, we understand that he's more brilliant than the schemers could anticipate. But what he does next in planning out the murder of his wife showcases his brilliance even more. Beginning around that time, he becomes the protagonist, and his planned-out murder is what we follow as it's carried out. However, once this spirals out of control, and the murderer ends up getting killed, Tony must act quickly to change his plans and evade capture. What follows throughout the rest of the film is the cunning inspector trying to piece together what actually happened since not everything made sense. Hitchcock crafted this story so that we sympathize with Tony and fear that he will get caught, which makes it a story unlike the typical whodunit mystery. The story itself is tightly wound around the dialogue and the mystery surrounding the murder, and it takes place almost entirely in the same apartment building. Overall this was an intriguing storyline, though perhaps lacking in climactic intensity that could have given it make an even bigger splash.

7.88/10

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Hitchcock did not craft this story. It was a well run Broadway play by Frederick Knott.
As a matter of fact Hitchcock dismissed this movie as his "running for cover" piece when he needed a premade hit.
He did add some great embellishments but nothing near what you would expect from him.

[–] Phids (777) 3 years ago

Surely a director still "crafts a story" when adapting it from another form. To claim otherwise is effectively to dismiss directors as some kind of automotons.

[–] ElizabethJoestar (946) 3 years ago

Yeah, it's a very close adaptation to the play's script-- I think Knott even did the screenplay. Hitchcock did little to open up the story and just let things play out the way they mostly would on a stage, though he still uses careful composition and mise en scene to keep the film from devolving into canned theater. I love the blackmail scene for instance, that evocation of a tennis court.

It's a movie I like the more I rewatch it, even if it is ultimately second-tier Hitchcock.