Dial M for Masterpiece
Last night, I watched Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial “M” for Murder, which I received through Netflix. Several of my readers have highly recommended this movie, and I have to agree that it is an amazing piece of work.
Compared to some of his other movies, it actually isn’t very suspenseful. It’s very intellectual, with plot twists that continue from start to finish. It is also very fast paced compared to his others. Within 20 minutes, the entire plan for the murder had been discussed, and I was intrigued with how it would play out.
The item that impressed me most was the way it was filmed. The camera angles are just amazing. Hitchcock had incredible vision. Anyone can film a movie, with a good plot and strong cast, and probably have okay results. But Hitchock went the extra mile. The angles are dramatic and larger than life. Even the curtains looked sinister. There was also a very unusual scene where the two men were planning the murder. It was filmed from behind the couch, and there was a lamp in the way.
Usually, this would be a bad thing. You don’t want large, distracting objects blocking your view. You don’t want to sit behind people and watch them talk. Most directors focus on the faces, and take us right in the middle of the conversation. But he didn’t. The result: I felt like a voyeur, listening in to a very secret conversation. I was behind the couch, and there was nothing I could do.
As always, Hitchcock tricked me into cheering for the villain. There was one scene where I thought he was going to forget to wipe the fingerprints off the chair and door. In my head, I was saying “Hey, don’t forget to wipe those! Come on, come on…” I watched nervously for a few minutes, and finally Hitchcock gave me what I wanted. The fingerprints were wiped away, making me feel relieved that he was safe.
Thanks to everyone who recommended this movie. I loved it! If you want to capture the art of Hitchcock, this is a movie that does it.
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Another thing about Hitchcock is his amazing use of light and shadow. A lot is lot when they are colorized because he used shadow for such tremendous effect.
Holy crap! I love your Halloween Header. That rocks!!
I love Hitchcock. If you haven’t checked out these, their also my favs along with Psycho.
Vertigo
North by Northwest
Strangers on a Train (criss cross)
Rope
Would you believe I don’t think I’ve ever watched a Hitchcock film? I’ll look out for this one next time I’m in blockbuster – so much better than a mediocre hollywoody pass-the-time movie.
Hi Nate, I don’t think I’ve seen this one (which seems unlikely since I thought I had seen all of his films). Maybe I’ve just forgotten… I’ll have to check it out…
Hitchcock did use very dramatic camera angles in his films – but one reason Dial M has so many odd and dramatic ones is that it was originally filmed in 3D. Notice the scene where Ingrid Bergman is being strangled and she reaches back to grab the scissors? That was staged that way on purpose to exploit the 3D effect and make it seem that the scissors were “coming out of the screen” toward the viewer. Hitchcock was smart in that he suspected that #D may not hold up over time and made sure the story and other elements would maintain the film’s quality even if the #D aspect was taken out.
Oops – make that Grace Kelly instead of Ingrid Bergman – another Hitchcock blonde.