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Dial M for Murder (1954)

Directed by:
Alfred Hitchcock
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Thriller
NORWEGIAN TITLE
-
RUNNING TIME
105 minutter
Produced by:
Alfred Hitchcock
Written by:
Frederick Knott


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Tony Wendice Ray Milland
Margot Wendice Grace Kelly
Mark Halliday Robert Cummings ½
Inscpector Hubbard John Williams
Swan Anthony Dawson ½

 

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 gem. Nowadays, you'd rarely find a filmmaker doing two so 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 film's weaknesses and makes way for a highly joyous and stylish thriller of typical hitchcockesque brand.

Copyright © 20.9.2004 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang [HAVE YOUR SAY]