100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 62: Dial M For Murder

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Genre: Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 1954
Starring: Ray Millard, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams, Anthony Dawson, Leo Britt, Patrick Ellen, George Leigh, George Alderson, Robin Hughes, Sanders Clark, Jack Cunningham, Robert Dobson, Guy Doleman, Bess Flowers, Sam Harris, Harols Miller, Martin Milner, Forbes Murray, Thayer Roberts

Description: An ex-tennis pro (Ray Millard) carries out a plot to murder his wife (Grace Kelly). When things go wrong, he improvises a brilliant plan B.

Review: In “Dial M For Murder” we meet Tony Wendice, a former professional tennis player, and his rich wife Margot. He’s had it with her. Tony gave up tennis for her so he could be home more often, but in the meantime Margot has started an affair with author Mark Halliday. Tony knows of the affair and has tried everything to keep them apart. He is so desperate that he planned the ‘perfect murder’. Tony black mails a former college friend to help him kill his wife. The plan goes wrong and now Tony has to outsmart the clever inspector Hubbard.
1954 was a successful year for Hitchock. Besides “Dial M For Murder” he brought us “rear Window”, what is probably my favorite Hitchcock film. Both films are based on plays and star Grace Kelly. The story of “Dial M For Murder” isn’t that complicated and almost every scene is set in the same location. But the plot twists make it a joy to watch. It’s an ideal thriller. But because it’s based on a play, there is a lot of talking. This is something you have to get through as a viewer. And the suspense isn’t in who has done it, but if Tony can get away with it.
“Dial M For Murder” is not one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films, but still a great suspense crime thriller.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Me & 3 Alfred Hitchcock Movies

Alfred Hitchcock was such an amazing director, probably the best of his generation. I hadn’t seen many of his films, only “Psycho” and “The Birds”, but I wanted more. So decided to pick three films and watch them for this item. Here are the three Hitchcock movies I watched.

Rear Window

Genre: Thriller

Year: 1954

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr

Description: Alfred Hitchcock is pushing the boundaries of his own thriller genre with “Rear Window”. He sets you on the wrong foot and in this unique setting he does this in an excellent way.

Opinion: The movie is set in one location, on a set. That’s exciting? Hell yeah! I loved it.

Favorite character: L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart)

Most memorable quote: “Intelligence. Nothing has caused the human race so much trouble as intelligence.“ –Stella-

Best scene: The moment where the neighbour across the courtyard sees L.B. Jefferies.

North by Northwest

Genre: Thriller/ Action

Year: 1959

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis, Leo g. Carroll, Josephine Hutchinson, Philip Ober, Martin Landau, Adam Williams, Edward Platt, Robert Ellenstein, Les Tremayne, Philip Collidge, Patrick McVey, Ed Binns

Description: Hapless New York advertising Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive.

Opinion: It’s a spy thriller, which obviously inspired the James Bond movies, but it also has lots of humour in it.

Favorite character: Roger O. Thornhill

Most memorable quote: “I may go back to hating you. It was more fun.” –Roger o. Thornhill-

Best scene: Off course that chase scene with the airplane.

Vertigo

Genre: Mystery/ Thriller

Year: 1958

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bell Geddes, Tom Hellmore, Henry Jones

Description: Retired San Francisco detective John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson (James Stewart) is suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

Opinion: A great thriller with a twist, James Stewart is fantastic in “Vertigo”.

Favorite character: Midge

Most memorable quote: “Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere” –Madeleine-

Best scene: That psychedelic dream sequence.

Favorite of the 3: “Rear Window

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 97: Rear Window

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 112 minutes

Year: 1954

Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr

Description: The wheelchair bound photographer L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

Review: Alfred Hitchcock is pushing the boundaries of his own thriller genre with “Rear Window”. He sets you on the wrong foot and in this unique setting he does this in an excellent way.

In the opening scene the blinds are opened in L.B. Jefferies’ apartment, while looking out on a New York courtyard. Because he is bound to a wheelchair, all Jefferies does is watching his neighbors and we see everything through his perspective. Jefferies is a gloomy man and even his beautiful girlfriend Lisa can’t get him out of that shell. The subtle sarcasm that Hitchcock uses to tackle the man-woman relationship in the fifties, hits every mark. And the character of nurse Stella, a cynical, bossy woman, works perfect as a counterweight. The black humor and the thriller elements are seamlessly interwoven.

You wouldn’t expect a movie set in only one location to be exciting, but the tension is added by the powerlessness of the handicapped Jefferies. This limits the field of view. Even to the day, when people are more focused on detail and hardly have any patience, this is a joy to watch. The actual confrontation may look a bit outdated, but doesn’t bother me personally.

“Rear Window” is a must-see for every mystery and thriller fan and is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s pearls.

Rating: 5/ 5