Dial M for Murder Review
Summary: A former tennis star arranges the murder of his adulterous wife.
- Starring: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- Writer: Frederick Knott
- Rating: PG
- Runtime: 1h 45m
- 3D Type: Native
Story:
Dial M for Murder is based on Frederick Knott’s 1952 stage play of the same name.
Famous writer Mark Halliday arrives on the Queen Mary and has been having an affair with a woman named Margot, who has been cheating on her husband Tony – a former famous tennis player. Little does Margot know that Tony knows of the affair and has planned an elaborate way to murder her.
Dial M for Murder really makes you think and contains a great plot twist. Although the film only features five main characters, all of them speak with high intellect and perfect diction.
Picture:
Like films of the era, the colours are vibrant and striking with a warm and cozy colour palette. Though it must be said, with the majority of the film shot in a single room, the picture is very much the same throughout the film with no variety of backdrops, colours, and lighting.
The picture is also quite grainy which is to be expected of a film of its time.
Sound:
The film contains a great score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Melodic music often plays throughout which creates a sense of mystery and suspense. Dramatic instrumentals create a sense of dread and shock after the murder occurs. A lossless DTS-HD Master Audio mono mix is featured and for the most part, sounds clear, crisp, and clean.
3D
The 1950’s 3D craze was at full peak by the time Dial M for Murder went into production by 1953. It was however over by the time the film was released and subsequently, it flopped in theatres. In 2011 the film was restored to create a faithful and accurate representation of what Hitchcock had planned many years ago.
Pop:
All of the titles and credits pop right out, which I found nice.
*SPOILER*
I found a couple of 3D pop-out moments in the highly dramatic scenes. In the strangling scene, Margot reaches out behind her with her hand for scissors, which protrudes out of the screen as if she is reaching for help from us the viewer.
The other pop-out effect was when the chief inspector is holding out the key toward the camera, protruding out of the screen.
Depth:
Objects and furniture are placed meticulously in the foreground in most of the scenes creating subtle stereoscopic depth. Various different camera angles are used to emphasize the 3D, such as an over-the-top view inside the apartment, as well as many low-angle shots.
However, with a limited number of static objects inside the apartment, there is only so much depth that can be created, and much of the focus is on one particular table lamp, which appears as the main stereoscopic foreground object in many shots. It kind of feels like Hitchcock just threw a couple of objects in the foreground of each scene to add depth, which I suppose is all he could work within the space provided.
The actors do move through the environment fluidly with decent depth. There’s a scene of men sitting and smoking cigars at a club with puffs of smoke drifting through the air, which is always enjoyable to me in the format.
Verdict:
Dial M for Murder is a timeless classic. They just don’t make movies like this anymore. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, the storyline, the plot, and all of the suspense along the way.
The 3D doesn’t take anything away from the movie and makes it more enjoyable, adding depth to further emphasize the characters’ emotions.
I recommend Dial M for Murder to any thriller or crime fans.
Category | Scores |
---|---|
Story: | ★★★★ |
Picture: | ★★★★ |
Sound: | ★★★★ |
Pop: | ★★ |
Depth: | ★★★★ |
TOTAL SCORE: | 18/25 |