14: DIAL M FOR MURDER

DIAL M FOR MURDER, based on the famous stage play, is Hitchcock’s stagiest effort (a minor effort by his own admission), yet even on autopilot Hitchcock imbued this elemental tale with strong design and charming performances, specifically the mustache twirling Ray Milland and the angelic Grace Kelly. The story of a man scheming to murder his wife is not all that unique, and unsurprisingly the events take a dark toll on wife Kelly. Over the the course of the film, her state of mind slowly erodes and it reflects in Kelly’s performance and, most notably, her wardrobe. The film begins with her in a lively and youthful red dress as she embarks on a passionate affair and ends with her in drab browns and grays as she withers in prison. This arc is the most interesting element of the entertaining thriller, and it makes for an interesting appetizer to Luis Buñuel’s BELLE DU JOUR, an existential drama about another beautiful blonde housewife (this time Catherine Deneuve) who responds to her own dissatisfaction and takes control in ways Kelly’s character wouldn’t even imagine 20 years earlier.