Dial M for Murder (1954)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Frederick Knott (screenplay)
Frederick Knott (play)

Release Date:

29 May 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Kiss By Kiss...Supreme Suspense Unfurls!

Plot:

An ex-tennis pro carries out a plot to murder his wife. When things go wrong, he improvises a brilliant plan B.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Money | Police | Blackmail | Lure Of Riches

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Ray Milland	...	Tony Wendice
Grace Kelly	...	Margot Mary Wendice
Robert Cummings	...	Mark Halliday
John Williams	...	Chief Insp. Hubbard
Anthony Dawson	...	Charles Alexander Swann / Captain Lesgate
Leo Britt	...	The Storyteller
Patrick Allen	...	Det. Pearson
George Leigh	...	Det. Williams
George Alderson	...	Detective #1
Robin Hughes	...	Police sergeant

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder (USA) (complete title)
Dial 'M' for Murder (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Spain:T | West Germany:12 (video) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (nf) (original rating) | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) (2004) | Brazil:16 | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Norway:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #16708) | USA:PG (1982 re-release) | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Visa d'exploitation en France #15714.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Margot kills Lesgate, her handbag remains open on the table, making it easy to Tony puts in it the key which he took off the Lesgate's pocket. Then the handbag appears closed between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Margot Mary Wendice: let me get you another drink. Mark, before Tony comes I ought to explain something.
Mark Halliday: Yes, I've been waiting for that.
Margot Mary Wendice: I haven't told him anything about us.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (#4.21)" (1991)

An Absorbing Cat-and-Mouse Game

One of Alfred Hitchcock's best-known films, "Dial M For Murder" is a carefully crafted and absorbing cat-and-mouse game that keeps the viewer's attention all the way until the end. The very simple settings and small cast focus all of our attention on the battle of wits a between a scheming husband, played with style by Ray Milland, and the rest of the characters.

The story begins when retired tennis pro Tony Wendice (Milland) decides to eliminate his rich, unfaithful wife Margot. He has laid out an elaborate scheme that starts with blackmailing an old college classmate to do the job for him. But things do not work out as planned, and Wendice must spend the rest of the film constantly trying to improvise his way out of difficulty.

The blackmailing scene at the beginning makes a great prelude to all that follows. The way that Wendice approaches such a sordid business in such a debonair fashion both initiates all of the plot action and also establishes some nice character contrasts. (Also watch this scene carefully for one of Hitchcock's most subtle cameo appearances.)

The rest of the plot is complicated and contains some fine surprises. As always, it is handled expertly by Hitchcock, who makes sure that we focus both on the characters and on the clues. Milland gives a fine performance as Wendice, making us admire his poise and resourcefulness despite his amoral coldness. Hitchcock favorite John Williams is excellent as the police inspector.

The only thing that keeps this from being one of Hitchcock's very best films is the weaknesses in the other two major characters. As Margot, Grace Kelly is charming as always, but her character makes too many obvious mistakes for us to sympathize with her as deeply as we could. As Margot's boyfriend, Robert Cummings is too over-eager and one-dimensional for us to like him very much. These imperfections keep the viewer's emotional involvement from being even stronger, but even so the story is still filled with suspense and interest.

"Dial M For Murder" will bring a lot of satisfaction to mystery and thriller fans as they watch it and try to figure out what will happen next.