Dial M For Murder (Hitchcock, 1954): USA

Viewed at the Metro IV on January 29, 2013, during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival at 10:30 P.M. Reviewed by Larry Gleeson.   In “Dial M for Murder,” we see Tony Wendice, played well by Ray Milland, as an affable, intellectually superior, rather smug, amoral, former tennis player who plans to murder his wife Margot, a wistful socialite, played by Grace Kelly. Wendice carefully plans the murder with adept and mental fortitude as even the best laid plans can go awry and here Alfred Hitchcock shows with delight Wendice’s game plan and agile on-the-fly maneuvers. He and Margot don’t have a perfect marriage. She found Wendice a handsome and charming athlete. Wendice liked Margot for her striking good looks and her wealth. Wendice imbibes in alcohol heavily and Margot trots around with her American crime/mystery author friend Mark Halliday, played by Robert Cummings, as a doting unconditional loving friend and confidant to Margot.

Wendice doesn’t care much for Halliday and seems to have grown tired of his wife and is looking for a new adventure and a life of leisure and concocts a plan to have his wife murdered by an old college classmate. He figures he’ll inherit all Margot’s money and has gone to lengths to include Halliday in an alibi for his whereabouts during the time the murder is to take place. Wendice entices Charles Swann, the old college classmate, played by Anthony Dawson, with blackmail to do the deed. Everything is set to go and despite a few minor strays from the plan it is implemented accordingly except for one small caveat. Margot heroically defends herself stabbing Swann with a pair of scissors and killing him in the process.
Most of the film is shot in the apartment. The use of original 3-D adds a profound sense of space and location and allows for important objects, namely the phone and Margot’s purse, to be prominent in the foreground. It also adds a nice “at home” feel to the picture as Hitchcock rolls camera through the entire apartment as Wendice is telling Swann how to murder Margot point by point and later with Halliday’s first visit. The murder attempt begins as the phone rings with Wendice making the call. Margot comes from the bedroom and we feel the space between Swann and Margot as she moves towards the phone while he hides behind the curtain. This is where it gets interesting as Wendice goes into his make-it-up and keep-it-going twisting and conniving ways as he unfeelingly plots to achieve his end game. Somewhat amusing to watch and yet at times difficult to fathom the culpability of Grace Kelly’s character. Nevertheless, I was kept in rapture as I watched the film run its course.

The final scene is classic Hitchcock and classic filmmaking as the entire cast of main characters come on camera to bring down as the detective, played by John Williams, tells the audience what has actually transpired bringing the film to a close.

I highly recommend this film be seen and be watched on the big screen and if it’s showing in 3-D I strongly encourage the experience.