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Dial M for Murder (1954)
 
Review
In the year of 1954,
Alfred Hitchcock was at his perhaps most prolific, making two of the
finest thrillers you'll find anywhere, in the unparalleled Rear
Window and this smart, little thriller. Nowadays, you'd
rarely find a filmmaker doing two ambitious films in one year, but than
again nowadays, there isn't anyone around who can make two hours of
nailbiting material filmed in practically one single location, although Dial
M for Murder actually has a few scenes outside the protagonists
apartment (amazingly, Rear
Window hasn't). This
movie lacks the spontaneus naturalness that makes Rear
Window so vibrant,
but it has the stylish build-up, the well-crafted progression and the
brilliant sense of mystery that separate Hitchcock
from most filmmakers.
At times, Dial M for Murder seems staged and bumpy, but Frederick
Knott's brilliant script together with Hitchcock's schemic direction
cover all the films weaknesses and makes way for a highly joyous and
stylish thriller of typical hitchcockesque brand.
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