Dial M for Murder (Alfred Hitchcock)

[pro-bassoonist]

Warner-France have announced a preliminary date for Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder (Le crime était presque parfait): June 2.

Variety:

The melodramatics in Frederick Knott's legit hit, Dial M for Murder, have been transferred to the screen virtually intact, but they are not as impressive on film. Dial M remains more of a filmed play than a motion picture, unfortunately revealed as a conversation piece about murder which talks up much more suspense than it actually delivers. The 3-D camera's probing eye also discloses that there's very little that's new in the Knott plotting.

Co-starring with Ray Milland are Grace Kelly, his wife and the intended murder victim, and Robert Cummings, her lover, who has a rather fruitless part in the resolution of the melodramatics.

Milland plots his wife's death, figuring on using Anthony Dawson for the actual killing while he has an alibi established elsewhere. The scheme goes awry.

There are a number of basic weaknesses in the setup that keep the picture from being a good suspense show for any but the most gullible. Via the performances and several suspense tricks expected of Hitchcock, the weaknesses are glossed over but not enough to rate the film a cinch winner.

(Color) Available on VHS, DVD. Extract of a review from 1954. Running time: 105 MIN.

Pro-B