Stage Fright
List Price:
Our Price: $13.49
You Save: $1.49 (10%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $3.00 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alfie Bass, Ballard Berkeley, Cyril Chamberlain, Helen Goss, Marlene DietrichBrand: Warner Brothers
Primary Contributor: Marlene Dietrich
Primary Contributor: Todd, Richard
Primary Contributor: Wyman, Jane
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 110 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of Stage Fright
Movie Review: STAGE FRIGHT (WARNER BROS. PICTURES/1950)
Summary: 3 Stars
REVIEW: Although Hitchcock later denounced it (and the "trick" played upon the audience which he felt ruined the film): "STAGE FRIGHT" can still be considered a moderate success. The story concerns one of the director's typical "innocent-man-on-the-run" episodes in which a frightened Richard Todd falls under the spell of the sultry actress Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich) whom he says murdered her husband and is now trying to frame him for it. Once our protagonist escapes from the law he seeks out his friend Eve (played with superb romantic/comic skill by Jane Wyman) for help. She hides him out at her father's boathouse, and then decides to pose as a substitute maid in order to spy on Dietrich. To make things even more complicated: Eve finds herself torn between her loyalty to her old flame, Jonathan Cooper (Todd); and the charming, handsome private detective (Michael Wilding) who is investigating the Inwood murder case. But after a daring confrontation between Eve and Mrs. Inwood: the curtain (literally) falls on a truly psychotic killer. Yet in spite of the "flaw" in the storytelling (which could have been fixed): "STAGE FRIGHT" will be remembered more so for the top-notch acting (Sim and Thorndike are especailly good as Wyman's mother and father) and the exquisite camera work rather than the ins-and-outs of a standard mystery thriller. HITCHCOCK CAMEO ALERT: the Master Of Suspense himself appears about forty minutes into the flick as the gentlemen who passes Jane Wyman on the street as she is talking to herself. Also look for his daughter Pat in the role of "Chubby" Bannister. HARSH LANGUAGE: none. VIOLENCE: about 3 mild scenes. NUDITY/SEXUAL REFERENCES: none (except for close-up shots of those lovely, lovely Dietrich legs). DRUG REFERENCES: a few scenes of smoking and drinking.
Summary of Stage Fright
Jonathan Cooper is wanted by the police who suspect him of killing his lover's husband. His friend Eve Gill offers to hide him and Jonathan explains to her that his lover, actress Charlotte Inwood is the real murderer. Eve decides to investigate for herself, but when she meets the detective in charge of the case, she starts to fall in love.In suspense films characters frequently deceive one another. But can the camera tell a lie? This is one of the questions that Hitchcock takes up in Stage Fright (1950), and his answer has puzzled, infuriated, and delighted audiences ever since its initial release. Stage Fright is one of only two films Hitchcock made in Great Britain after he moved to America in 1940 (the other is Frenzy, his late masterpiece). It is also his only picture to star Marlene Dietrich, whose character's allegiances are even more ambiguous than usual.
Years after making Stage Fright, Hitchcock claimed that because the villains were just as frightened as the heroes, the film did not carry the requisite quota of menace. But it has received a good deal of attention in recent years and is worth a fresh look. The director did admit that he was proud of the movie's most astounding plot twist, though no commercial filmmaker since has been bold enough to let the camera lie so eloquently. --Raphael Shargel
Drama DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in 20 Hitchcock Films I Watch Over & Over
MarnieUniversal; Release date: 2006-02-07; DVD
Best price: $9.86
Price in other shops:
To Catch a Thief - The Centennial Collection (1955) (2pc)Paramount; Release date: 2009-03-24; DVD
Best price: $11.35
Price in other shops:
SaboteurUniversal; Release date: 2006-06-20; DVD
Best price: $3.66
Price in other shops:
The Trouble with HarryUniversal; Release date: 2006-06-20; DVD
Best price: $9.79
Price in other shops:
Family PlotUniversal; Release date: 2006-02-07; DVD
Best price: $6.63
Price in other shops:
Shadow of a DoubtUniversal; Release date: 2006-02-07; DVD
Best price: $10.24
Price in other shops:
Vertigo (Universal Legacy Series)Universal; Release date: 2008-10-07; DVD
Best price: $13.75
Price in other shops:
The 39 Steps (Criterion Collection Spine #56)Image Entertainment; Release date: 1999-11-02; DVD
Best price: $21.99
Price in other shops:
Stage FrightWarner Brothers; Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $5.12
Price in other shops:
The Man Who Knew Too MuchUniversal; Release date: 2006-02-07; DVD
Best price: $12.31
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
RebeccaTCFHE/MGM; Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $11.11
Price in other shops:
Dial M for MurderWARNER HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $5.69
Price in other shops:
SaboteurUNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 2006-06-20; DVD
Best price: $3.80
Price in other shops:
Lifeboat (Special Edition)Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2005-10-18; DVD
Best price: $5.80
Price in other shops:
Strangers on a TrainWarner Brothers; Release date: 1997-06-11; DVD
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops:
Mr. & Mrs. SmithWarner Brothers; Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $1.87
Price in other shops:
SuspicionWarner Brothers; Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $8.88
Price in other shops:
Foreign CorrespondentWarner Brothers; Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $5.85
Price in other shops:
The Wrong ManWarner Brothers; Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $2.44
Price in other shops:
I ConfessWarner Brothers; Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $4.31
Price in other shops: