Cindy and Marty review the Hitchcock mystery Dial M for Murder
Film: Dial M for Murder (1954)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Based on: Frederick Knott’s stage play (and earlier television version)
Starring: Ray Milland (Tony Wendice), Grace Kelly (Margot Wendice), Robert Cummings (Mark Halliday), John Williams (Chief Inspector Hubbard), Anthony Dawson (Charles ‘Swann’ / Captain Lesgate)
Setting: Primarily one London apartment—by design
Cast Notes
The film’s tension depends on performance contrast: Ray Milland plays Tony as charming and measured—until the mask slips; Grace Kelly balances glamour with vulnerability; and John Williams gives us one of Hitchcock’s best ‘quiet logic’ detectives, a man who seems friendly and unassuming while he builds a case piece by piece.
John Williams recreated his stage role as Inspector Hubbard and had won a Tony for the part.
Anthony Dawson also returned from the stage production in a key supporting role.
Robert Cummings’ ‘outsider’ American energy pushes against the British restraint of the apartment and its social expectations.
Recommended Pairings (If You Want a Double Feature)
Rear Window (1954) – another ‘contained space’ Hitchcock suspense machine
Rope (1948) – controlled space + real-time tension experiment
To Catch a Thief (1955) – Grace Kelly in a very different Hitchcock register
A Perfect Murder (1998) – modern remake/variation that invites comparison
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