DIAL M FOR MURDER

DIAL M FOR MURDER
Written by Frederick Knott
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings

Margot Wendice: Do you really believe in the perfect murder?
Mark Halliday: Yes, absolutely. On paper, that is. And I think I could plan one out better than most people, but I doubt I could carry it out.
Tony Wendice: Oh? Why not?
Mark Halliday: Well, because in stories things usually turn out the way the author wants them to, and in real life they don’t ... always.

Everyone is always so polite in old movies. Amazingly enough, this is even true when they are lying right to your face or say, plotting your demise to collect your fortune. This is what makes Alfred Hitchcock’s DIAL M FOR MURDER so deliciously devious. The characters on screen have no idea what is going on in the minds of the people standing right in front of them, while we the audience, just watch and wait to see what they can all get away with and for just how long they can do so. And Hitchcock, being the genius that he is, makes us privy to everyone’s dirty little secrets and before we know it, we are practically complicit in the crime itself.

Frederick Knott adapts his own stage play for the screen and Hitchcock takes the dialogue heavy, location light work and transforms it into an incredibly tense experience that constantly keeps the audience guessing. The whole ordeal begins with Mark and Margot (Robert Cummings and Grace Kelly), lovers reunited after a lengthy time apart. She reveals to him that her husband has changed recently, as though he is a new man with a new appreciation for life and for her. This puts a bit of a wrench in their plans to be together. She needn’t have worried though. Her husband, Tony (Ray Milland), hasn’t warmed to her at all. In fact, he plans to do away with her and have his way with her money. And he’s got the whole thing figured out too, every tiny little detail. There’s just one thing he hasn’t considered and that is that life rarely lets everything go according to plan just so.

Hitchcock originally shot DIAL M FOR MURDER in 3D, which would explain all the objects carefully placed in the foreground scattered throughout the film. By the time the film was released in theatres though, audiences had already tired of the fad and so it was mostly released in 2D. Now that 3D has returned to favour, the film has been rereleased in its original incarnation in select theatres and on Blu-ray 3D. It is a genuine treat to gain insight into how a movie making master dealt with the third dimension way back in the day. His usage is unobtrusive, and arguably unnecessary, but it never detracts from the brilliance taking place on screen. DIAL M FOR MURDER is duplicitous and deceitful and simply a delight for fans of murder and mayhem.

Mogambo(1953).

Mogambo(1953). Directer: John Ford. Cast: Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly and Donald Sinden. The film was adapted from the play by Wilson Colliso. Kelly won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (1954), and the film was nominated for two Oscars, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Gardner), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Kelly). Mogambo is a remake of the classic film Red Dust (1932). The earlier movie also featured Gable in the lead role.

After trying to capture a black leopard, safari guide and big game hunter Victor Marswell returns home, only to find a young woman in his outdoor shower. The unexpected Kelly, tells Victor that she traveled from New York at the invitation of Maharajah, who left for India leaving her stranded. Kelly, is furious when she learns she will have to wait until next week, for the boat to take her back to America. She wins over Victor, and they begin romantic relationship. Kelly also makes fast friends with Leon Boltchak and Brownie, Victors helpers. Kelly is heartbroken when Victor comes to tell her that the boat has arrived and orders her to pack. After telling Kelly an awkward goodbye, Victor welcomes British anthropologist Donald Nordley and his wife Linda, who have come to study gorillas. Victor is angry when he hears their plans, and refuses to take them. Soon, Donald becomes ill because of a tsetse fly vaccination, Victor doctors him, but his attitude angers Linda, and she slaps his face. Later that evening, Donald recovers, and Linda apologizes to Victor.

Everyone, is surprised to see a disheveled Kelly show up with the skipper, who tells them that the steamer had engine trouble and will take about four weeks to repair. The next morning, Linda goes for a walk in the jungle and Victor goes out looking her, saving her just in time from the black leopard. On their way back to the camp, Victor and Linda are caught in a wind storm, Victor carries her home and sparks begin to fly. Kelly witnesses the romantic moment, and throws barbs at them throughout dinner.



Victor suddenly changes his mind and agrees to take the Nordleys to gorilla country. Brownie suggests that Kelly join them on safari and catch a flight to Cairo. Will Kelly make her flight or be the Victor..? I know.. I know.. that was a bad play on words. :)

Grace Kelly was not the first choice for the role of Linda Nordley. Gene Tierney dropped out because of health problems. The movie was filmed on location in Okalataka, French Congo, Mount Kenya, Thika, Kenya, Kenyan Rift Valley, and Fourteen Falls near Thika. Also the Kagera River, Tanganyika Isoila Uganda, and at the MGM British Studios. The film offers some of the best wildlife shots taken of the African continent. Most of the music is performed by the native tribes. The film shows a traditional Africa that has long since passed. This type of scenes is why I love this film.. but the love triangle is still the focus. Clark Gable's performance is amazing. How often does an actor have the opportunity of portraying the same character 20 years later? In "Red Dust", Gable was also amazing.

FUN FACT:
While filming Mogombo, Clark Gable and Grace Kelly began an affair that lasted for several months.

Photo of the Day: Cary and Grace

Here are two of my favorite stars, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in To Catch A Thief

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Pawsome Pet Pictures: Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly.

Personal Quote:

Jimmy Stewart: [on Grace Kelly] We all say she made as good a princess as she did a movie actress, even better.

Grace Kelly: I hated Hollywood. It's a town without pity. I know of no other place in the world where so many people suffer from nervous breakdowns, where there are so many alcoholics, neurotics, and so much unhappiness.

Battle of the Blondes: Grace Kelly VS Kim Novak.

The "Battle of the Blondes" final match is between, two wonderful actresses Grace Kelly and Kim Novak aka, “Hitchcock blondes”. I hope you enjoyed my "Blond Bombsells" tribute as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you.

Without a doubt, the favorite of all the Hitchcock blondes was Grace Kelly, who had the perfect combination of polish and poise with the hidden passion, that Hitchcock was so attracted to.

Kim Novak, was selected as the next Grace Kelly and landed a part in one of my favorite Hitchcock films, the psychological thriller, Vertigo(1958). Which is believed by many to be the film which reveals the most about the director's blonde obsessions. It is also believed by some film critics that Stewart was playing Hitchcock who loved transforming women into his vision, which is exactly what the director did with his "Hitchcock blondes".

One of Grace Kelly's best known performances was in the film, To Catch a Thief(1955). Romantic/Thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Gary Grant, Grace Kelly. Grace Kelly, was absolutely elegant and at the height of her beauty in this film. Kelly, was dressed by the very talented Edith Head. The movie is set on the French Riviera. On 14 September 1982, Grace Kelly was killed in an automobile accident in Monaco, supposedly on the very same road as her famous chase scene in this film and not far from where she had a picnic scene with Cary Grant. She was 52 years old and lost control of her car after suffering a stroke while at the wheel.

Dial M for Murder (1954). A thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, and Robert Cummings. Kelly plays Margot, a wealthy socialite who is cheating on her retired tennis player husband. As the plot has many twists and turns, Margot's husband becomes involved in a plan to murder her and collect her fortune, Kelly's character manages to save herself.. or does she?

Click here to view a couple of past reviews on the film Dial M for Murder(1954).

Pushover (1954). Film noir best known for being the first film to feature Kim Novak in a starring role, along with Fred MacMurray. It was adapted from two novels, The Night Watch by Thomas Walsh and Rafferty by William S. Ballinger. Please click here to view Pushover (1954) movie review.

Jeanne Eagels (also title The Jeanne Eagels Story) is a 1957 fictionalized biographical, odd little film, of the life of stage star Jeanne Eagels. Please click here to view Jeanne Eagels movie review.

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1954

About the field: Wow, this was quite probably the most interesting line-up so far. It's far from being the best, but it was so colorful and I had much pleasure in it. Too bad that nowadays it's more about Garland vs. Kelly and they forget the other great nominees. My ranking was not as easy as I thought when I finished reviewing the ladies. There was one good, two very good, one very-very good and a timeless, amazing performance. My pick was very easy and I understand why people hate that loss. But the ranking:

5. Grace Kelly in The Country Girl

On the one hand, she's painfully miscast and in the beginning she has no weight. On the other hand, in the end her presence and effect is quite strong and is worthy of my praise. Not easy to judge it, but I myself missed her mysterious persona from her other movies, in other words, the essence of Grace Kelly.

4. Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina

This may not be Audrey Hepburn's best work, but I was utterly charmed and perfectly entertained by it despite its lack of great character development. But I laughed, I was moved, I cared about Sabrina and most of all, I had some kind of an emotional connection to her

3. Jane Wyman in Magnificent Obsession

Jane Wyman gives a satisfying, emotional and very moving performance, which however lacks depth. It might be also due to the weak points of the screenplay, but she wasn't able to be towering and truly impressive. Although everything is where is should be, the achievement is a bit too thin. Very strong work, though.

2. Dorothy Dandridge in Carmen Jones

must admit that I was totally charmed and mesmerized by the magnetic presence and extraordinary beauty of Ms. Dandridge, who gave a very exciting, wild, sexy and attractive performance as a very complicated woman. It's legendary status may be questionable, but it's a great achievement by a great talent.

1. Judy Garland in A Star is Born

If you travel 1000 years in time and see which performances people still remember, Judy Garland's in A Star Is Born will be one of them. Judy Garland's acting achievement is really one of a kind, a true and eternal classic, one that cannot be forgotten or overlooked by anyone who loves movies. This IS a performance for the ages.

So I can proudly announce

that my winner is...

Judy Garland in A Star is Born

There's justice sometimes.

So the ranking of the already reviewed years:

1. 1974
2. 1959
3. 1939
4. 2009
5. 1963
6. 1978
7. 1954
8. 1948
9. 2002
10. 1940
11. 1998

About the next year: Picking was so hard. I wanted to do two other years, but I did not get the movies after all and I was incredibly mad. So I was forced to find a year, which is interesting to me. So finally I found a fine year to do. The clues:

• Friendship forever
• #1 annoying fanclub for an actress and a nom
• (L) Tortured artists (L)

There was one right prediction from Joe, which was a bit late, but I just mention it.

So what do you think? Any observations, thoughts, request for the next years?

Grace Kelly in The Country Girl

Grace Kelly received her second (and last) Oscar nomination and only award for playing Georgie Elgin, a woman married to an alcoholic has-been in the movie The Country Girl. Kelly's win caused enough controversy. Some loathe it, some think it's deserving. Actually she won by seven votes or so, which (according to the rumors) belonged to Judy Garland's old MGM bosses. So it was a great surprise that Kelly won over Garland, who seemed to be a shoo-in. I guess that the fact that she had the brilliant Rear Window (in which she was much better and more interesting) and Dial M for Murder might have helped her win.

The Country Girl is not a bad movie, but not a great one either. It's a decently made old movie, which has some drama in it, and yet it wasn't able to really impress me. The same goes for Bing Crosby's performance (well, only to a degree). He's unbelievable in some of the scenes but sometimes his performance slows down. Nevertheless, I can say that this is definitely Crosby's best performance in any movie and he richly deserved the nomination. William Holden is also good, but he got the least baity role.

Grace Kelly. A very familiar feeling came to me again after 2002 and some of 1978: dissatisfaction. It's really the worst thing that can happen as it means that the acting was actually good, but something kept me from totally embracing it. I had the same emotions I had with Nicole Kidman: there's one extremely moving scene, which stands out too much and makes the other parts look even weaker. But that scene is satisfying in a way.

First of all, I have to say (as many people before me) that Kelly was totally miscast as she was a) too young b) too inexperienced c) too beautiful (OMG, one could write thousands of pages about her beauty). People say that Susan Hayward started the so-called "acting for Oscar with baity, loud roles" tradition and that Grace Kelly is the origin of the deglam wins. I SO wanted to disagree and love her, but she really wasn't enough.

I was always trying to love her and embrace the character of Georgie, but the main problem is that Kelly didn't embrace the character herself enough to grab my attention. The weakest thing about her was her delivery of the lines: sometimes I felt as if she was at school saying a poem at a literature lesson. She did not connect the emotions to the dialogue and it caused a very mixed bag. I knew (and felt) that the emotions were inside her and she let some out with her face and eyes, but I did not get enough. And yet somehow she was able to make me sorry for her character and sometimes she even moved me.

However, she was able to build her character and show some development in it: Georgie is a bitter, incredibly sad and worried person who tries to control everything to prevent disaster and to protect his husband to whom she's very attached. I could always see how much Georgie was struggling, but not Kelly: she made it look quite easy actually.

As I said, in the beginning I had no emotional connection to the character of Georgie, but as the movie went on I got more and more close to her. There's a climatic confrontation scene between her and William Holden at the police station which is brilliant, and from there it seemed to me as if Kelly's performance got some life and by this, it became so much more interesting. This is especially visible in her last scenes, where she does not have much to say (and thank God she can rely on the emotions of her body) and her silence has so much weight.

Rating in this case is not very easy and I think that this may change. On the one hand, she's painfully miscast and in the beginning she has no weight. On the other hand, in the end her presence and effect is quite strong and is worthy of my praise. Not easy to judge it, but I myself missed her mysterious persona from her other movies, in other words, the essence of Grace Kelly. One part is around a 3, the other is around a 4, so it's somewhere around 3.5. Not easy, not easy. A weirdly effective and very uneven performance.

Just like in the case of Ginger Rogers and Nicole Kidman. A 4 wouldn't be fair I think.

The Next Year

Now it's time to move on and continue the fun with a very controversial and talked about year, which is talked about mostly because of two nominees. But let's see which one of them I prefer or I go with someone else.

1954

So the nominees were:

• Dorothy Dandridge in Carmen Jones
• Judy Garland in A Star is Born
• Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina
• Grace Kelly in The Country Girl
• Jane Wyman in Magnificent Obsession

So what do you think? Who's your pick? What's your ranking? Any predictions for my ranking? I am not sure either as I have previously seen only one of them.

I've already written Grace Kelly's profile, so she will be the first, but YOU decide who the next should be.