Review of Frenzy (1946) by Joel A — 22 Jun 2015

DOUBLE THUMBS UP.

Viewed this on 23/6/15.

This could be the very best film that Hitchcock has ever made or at least in par with Psycho(my favourite). Hitchcock uses never seen before elements into this film like nudity, uncensored violence and most of all real shooting locations and modern camera techniques making the visuals striking and more believable compared to his other close confined films like Rear Window. This film really requires nudity and it shows how good Hitchcock could have done had they allowed him to show the shower scene in Psycho the way he shot it. It's violence and Hitchcock's tread into much darker material is essential because it adds much psychological tension to the film. The score is also great. The most interesting storyline in the film is a comic relief story of the investigating officer and his wife. The story lets us guessing and tightening things even as the film goes to the very near. The performances are also spot on with Barry Foster giving an unforgettable performance and equally good is Alec McCowen who only comes into the latter half of the film. However, if I asked, I would say there's one small problem. The film shows women in a bad light in generally, they are all either nude and killed or they are beings that fail to understand the truth, like the secretary of Ms Blaney or the wife of Blaney's friend or like the investigator's wife.