Dial M For Murder 1954 | Hitchcock Film | Crime Thriller | Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings

Dial M for Murder is a 1954 American crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams.
The movie had a strong foundation because it was based on an extremely well-crafted hit play by Frederic Knott (who also wrote the screenplay for the movie version).
Dial M for Murder is not one of his best, but still, Alfred Hitchcock delivers a superior piece of film making. What tends to make even lesser Hitchcock films shine is his innate gift for directing performers, and this accounts for many of the pleasures of this film.
The most surprising thing about Dial M for Murder is that it was filmed in 3D, which was going through one of its occasional phases of popularity in the early 1950s. Always up for a technical challenge, Hitchcock's use of 3D is often intelligent and inventive, but given the lengths that Hitchcock had to go to in order to make the film work in 3D, it's ironic that it was not surprising that it is very RARELY shown in the 3D format.
The story is a simple one: A tennis-playing effete British smoothie (Ray Milland) discovers that his glamorous wife (Grace Kelly, elegant and effective) is carrying on a passionate love affair with a broad-shouldered American (an appropriately manly Robert Cummings), so he decides to murder her. But rather than do the deed himself, he seeks the help of an intermediary, leading things to go horribly awry…unless of course he can clean up the mess by framing his wife for a terrible crime.
The highlight of this film is the astonishing performance of Ray Milland as Tony Wendice, the suave and unflappable villain. He won a Best Actor Oscar for The Lost Weekend, but I think he’s even better here. Even when he cruelly and cleverly blackmails an old college mate (Anthony Dawson) into participating in his murder plot, he is ever calm and smiling, the perfect British upper class sort. It is that emotional tone in his performance, combined with Hitchcock’s directorial genius, that makes the famous closing scene of this film so memorable.
Oh Grace Kelly, why does everyone love you so? I think I must have missed the memo that said, All cinephiles must love Grace Kelly! She’s a knockout for sure, but she’s devoid of any emotion. She tries to get emotional, but then she has to hide her face because Princess Kelly is incapable of showing actual emotion.
Milland is a playboy whose wealth has come entirely through his marriage to chic heiress Kelly. When he fears he'll lose her riches to American mystery writer Cummings, he plots her unfortunate demise. Milland contacts Dawson, an old chum who now operates in the underworld, and blackmails him into killing Kelly while he is conveniently away. Milland's plan misfires, however, when the murder plans go awry,
Dial M for Murder was remade another four times for television; a 1958 "Hallmark Hall of Fame" version, with Maurice Evans and Rosemary Harris (and both John Williams and Anthony Dawson reprising their roles from the film), another BBC version in 1962 with Richard Pasco and Diana Fairfax, a 1967 production with Laurence Harvey and Diane Cilento, and a 1981 TV film with Christopher Plummer and Angie Dickinson. It was also turned into a feature film again, with Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow in A Perfect Murder in 1998.
The bulky 3D camera made even simple shots complicated, with the director having to have a pit built in the studio floor to accommodate the camera and bring it to ground level for some shots. Even the simple shot of a finger dialing a telephone had to be faked. In order for the close up to work in 3D, Hitchcock had to use a huge wooden finger and have it dialing a giant prop telephone.
Sir Hitchcock didn’t make a cracker every time out during his career. He had his share of misses, but Dial M For Murder should not have been a miss.
The pieces were all in place, but the result did not meet expectations, and mediocrity ruled the day instead.
But for me, Dial M For Murder is a timeless classic Hitchcock thriller that is suspenseful and well-made, just as you'd expect. The performances, the story, and the faithfulness to the play are all there. The thrills come in following a succession of dawning in people's minds.
Mr. Hitchcock has presented this mental material on the screen with remarkable visual definition of developing intrigue and mood.
Dial M for Murder was pure Hitchcock, just like Vertigo, Psycho, North by Northwest etc. It wasn't his very best, but it damn sure was a very great movie.
Never imagined that I would enjoy this film as immensely as I just did.