Dial M for Murder (1954)
Genre: Crime / Thriller
Duration: 105 minuten
Alternative title: U Spreekt met Uw Moordenaar
Country:
United States
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings
IMDb score:
8,1 (203.751)
Releasedate: 29 May 1954
Dial M for Murder plot
"If a woman answers... hang on for dear life!"
A crime film mainly set in one place, the apartment of a married couple. The couple is no longer in love with each other as they were in the early days of their marriage due to suspicions of infidelity. The woman (Grace Kelly) is unaware that her husband (Ray Milland) has invited a man to their home with murderous intentions.
Actors and actresses
Tony Wendice
Margot Wendice
Mark Halliday
Chief Inspector Hubbard
Charles Swann
Storyteller
Detective Pearson
Detective Williams
First Detective
Police Sergeant O'Brien
Reviews & comments
IH88
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- 9761 messages
- 3190 votes
“People don't commit murder on credit.”
Hitchcock craftsmanship. Dial M for Murder has a perfect structure again and the theater setting (the story takes place in one room) is nicely done. To give away the punch line of the story after 45 minutes is dangerous, but it worked for me. After an hour you already know everything you need to know and you really only look at characters who have to come to the same realization. That this works is class work from the old master.
The "scissors scene" is sublimely done and just the run-up to it is very exciting. Grace Kelly is becoming one of my favorite actresses and here again she excels. When she walks into a room, it seems as if nothing else exists. What a charisma and "screen presence" that lady has. Of the men I really liked Milland and in the second part Williams excels. The way Tony ends up betraying himself shows how meticulously Hitchcock went about his work. Beautiful film.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Alathir
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- 2133 messages
- 1638 votes
After Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho and The Birds it was time to watch my fifth Hitchcock film. This has become Dial M for Murder. I'm quite impressed with the plot. You don't often see this perfect and the complexity is also high. I think there are few filmmakers who can do it better. Oriol Paulo and Brian De Palma are certainly very good at it too.
The fact that there is only one setting in this film can quickly work against you, but it does provide that "trapped" feeling. How far can you go before you get caught up in your own lies? It's really cool what Mr Wendice (Ray Milland) can come up with here . Strong example of improvisation I must say. But as they say, the perfect murder is only possible in theory. The irony is that in the end it is the killer who is killed by his victim. A rather unexpected twist as her killer is stronger and has the surprise effect in his favor. In itself I could certainly taste that turn and I was now even more curious how Mr Wendice would handle it all. It's amazing how calm he stays. It seems that not only blondes but also fear of the police are a typical element that Hitchcock likes to integrate in his films.
I am curious to see what else Hitchcock can bring and will therefore continue to explore his oeuvre. For Dial M for Murder I give a good 4*. I thought the beginning was a bit too long. I wonder what the difference would have been if we didn't get the whole plan explained right away.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Film Pegasus (moderator films)
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- 31191 messages
- 5473 votes
You can immediately see that Dial M for Murder is based on a play. But you have to tell Hitchcock that he had a nose for good stories. And he also knows how to make the translation from theater play to film with actors who fit in. Somewhat different from his previous film I Confess with Montgomery Clift who, in the same year, indulged in method acting in From Here to Eternity. Clift would not fit in Dial M for Murder. You have to like the style of course, but I can certainly enjoy this.
The film can count on strong actors so that the story comes out nicely and a great tension is built up thanks to the actors and the story. You cannot make such a film again, the current acting style does not lend itself to that. Hitchcock puts the viewer right in the middle of the crime scene. Even if you witness from the front row, it is still exciting. The art of creating something like this while as a viewer you even already know who the perpetrator is and how he did it. It is therefore more about the tension between perpetrator, victim and investigator.
Dial M for Murder is a film cast for Hitchcock. It may not be daring, but he is like a fish in water with an exciting story, strong actors and a small location. Put the master on there and it will be a masterpiece.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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