Review of Dial M for Murder (1981) by Ben L — 10 Oct 2017

I?m trying my hardest to think of something that I didn?t like about Dial M for Murder, and I?m having a tough time. Everything about this story clicked for me. I was glued to the screen as I watched the plot unfold, and each step of the way I was dying to see what would happen next. It?s like one mystery after the next and with each one there comes renewed tension for me as a viewer. The way the story is structured allows the viewer to know exactly how things are supposed to work so we feel the drama waiting for the inevitable. Also there is a fair amount of foreshadowing which pays off brilliantly later on in the story (let?s just say having a mystery writer as a character is a great idea.).

Ray Milland is one of the primary reasons this movie works so well. He is left with the unenviable task of delivering massive amounts of exposition, and also having entire silent scenes alone on screen doing a lot of physical work. It all hinges on him keeping it interesting in both types of scenes, and he nails it. I?m always fascinated by the kind of dialogue where a person is saying one thing and you can tell they mean something different, and that?s almost half of what is going on for Milland. It doesn?t hurt that he has a brilliant cast of actors with him including Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. All of them are vital to making the movie work.

I am constantly reminded how much I love Hitchcock?s style of film-making. For one thing, he uses the camera in interesting ways in order to make a shot as effective for the scene as possible. Like in the murder planning scene he goes to a high and wide angle so we can see the entire room laid out like a map. Then he captures it all in what seems like a single shot so we can take in the full order of events as they are supposed to happen later. He also uses darkness and silent pauses to create dramatic pressure which builds up until the viewer is ready to pop, and just when we can stand it no more things explode. It?s all about pacing between the way actors move, the music, and everything else, and I love it! I could go on, but there?s only so many ways I can praise what is obviously a brilliant movie I loved and will revisit soon. I suspect this will rival some of my all-time favorites soon.