Dial M For Murder (1954) – A man hatches a plan to murder his wife, only to have it go wrong. His Plan B attempt is nearly perfect.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Starring – Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings
If you read the history on this movie, you’ll see that Alfred Hitchcock tends to pooh-pooh it. It was one he made to fulfill his contract with Warner Brothers. But once again, the master’s attention to detail brings forth a classic murder mystery. Ray Milland is brilliantly sleazy as the ex-tennis pro husband who wants to murder his wife (Grace Kelly) for her money and in revenge for a fling she had with an American writer (Robert Cummings). Kelly is the archetype of the Hitchcock blonde, ineffably beautiful and just a little remote. Cummings offers up the weakest work here. His writer is a bit of dolt who thinks he knows all about murder because he writes murder mysteries.
Each step is balanced on the edge of a blade. The original plan is carefully timed out, only to fail at the critical moment. You watch the husband’s panic as he has to make it work on the fly. It feels like he’s going to pull it off till the very last minute. And Milland’s coolly unrepentant air at the very last seals the deal on just how evil his character is.
Some American viewers have complained that there’s not enough “action” here, but this is not only Hitchcock but also very English mystery. The director makes the attempted murder scene plenty exciting. The rest, from the attempted gas-lighting of the wife, to the police inspector finally figuring it out, cerebral in all the best senses.
Originally shot as a 3-D movie just as the original fad faded, it would be interesting to see how it plays today. Most of us only see the traditional version.
Why I Loved It – Hitchcock may have felt like he just “phoned it in” but this is a tightly wound beauty.
Why You Will Love It – An icy cold Hitchcock classic.
Rating – **** Recommended
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