Review of Dial M for Murder (1981) by Shourya R — 16 Aug 2008

While Tony Wendice was planning a perfect murder, Hitchcock was planning one of his most claustrophobic movies. Shot almost entirely in Wendice and Margot's flat, Hitchcock makes adept use of foreground material, such as furniture and other props, to extract the most of the NaturalVision 3D presentation.

While I only saw this on a home DVD, you can imagine the how the tension is punctured by Margot (Grace Kelly) desperately sticking her hand directly into the camera as she searches for a pair of scissors to defend herself.

The stage play background of this movie is particularly evident in my favorite scene where Lesgate comes over to sell his car and realizes, far too slowly, that the conversation has taken a very peculiar turn and that he has essentially been talked into murdering a woman.

This is a classic Hitchcock movie and deserving of its AFI Top 10 ranking in the Mystery genre.