Stage Fright
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Movie Reviews of Stage Fright
Movie Review: "What kind of father are you, anyway?" "Unique."
Summary: 4 Stars
There are a lot of movie buffs, including Hitchcock fans, who have never gotten around to seeing "Stage Fright", coming as it does in the Master's transition period between sparkling who-done-its and hard-edged thrillers. That's a shame, because "Stage Fright" has a little bit of everything we love from Hitch: wit, romance, intrigue, drama, and in the end, genuine chills.
The film stars Jane Wyman as Eve, a dramatic student who finds herself aiding and abetting the fugitive Jonathan (effectively played by Richard Todd). She loves him, you see, and since he is apparently being set up for a murder rap by no less a femme fatale than Marlene Dietrich, she is determined to clear his name at any cost.
And so Eve is forced into playing her greatest role ever; impersonating lady's maid to Dietrich in order to catch the vamp in her lies. She is assisted in this by her father, "The Commodore", played by the wonderful Alastair Sim. Sim gets off most of the films best lines, and joins a host of rich side characters. There is also the requisite detective (yummy Michael Wilding) whom Eve both fears and gradually begins to admire (prompting her Father to remark, "I hope you're not thinking of changing horses midstream?").
Close calls, wild chases, misplaced trust and bloodstained dresses all culminate in an exciting conclusion that should satisfy mystery fans and film buffs alike. Everything considered I would put "Stage Fright" at the top of Hitchcock's second tier films (behind first tier masterpieces like "Notorious" and "The Lady Vanishes"). Don't let this one pass you by!
GRADE: B+
Movie Review: Murder Makes a Curtain Call
Summary: 4 Stars
Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd) is in trouble. The police think he murdered the husband of famous actress Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich). And so he does the only thing he can think to do, run to Eve Gill (Jane Wyman) for help. Eve has a bit of a crush on Jonathan, so she quickly spirits him out of town and puts him in hiding.
Befriending Detective Inspector Wilfred Smith (Michael Wilding), Eve learns that the police aren't even looking for another suspect, so she goes undercover as Charlotte's new maid to try to prove the actress killed her own husband. Can she keep up her undercover identity without being discovered? Can she prove that Charlotte really killed her husband?
This lesser known Hitchcock film is still quite good. The pacing is off, and some scenes seem rather pointless and slow to me. But that's my only complaint. The story kept me guessing until the end. I was never on the edge of my seat, but I was certainly engaged. The acting was good. The characters are there to tell the story, but the actors did a good job of bringing them to life with the material they had.
I was a little surprised the film is in Black and White. Shows how little I know about when films became color, I guess. Still, I was engrossed within five minutes, and never noticed again. The film is set in London, so getting to see bits and pieces of that city from the late 40's is interesting as well.
Like many older films, this isn't as slick and dazzling as today's movies. But don't let that stop you. This is a good mystery that will entertain you for a couple hours.
Movie Review: Clever...perhaps a little too clever!
Summary: 4 Stars
To begin, let me say that I agree with other film buffs, that
Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright is the most underrated of his
50's films. I think the reason for it being so, is that it's a little to artful and clever for its own good.
This is due to its use of a flashback in which a lie is told!
We can't see where the lie comes into place until the last scene
of the film. Clever...yes. Irritating...very!
But still this is a film worth seeing because of two reasons.
One, it is the first film in what I consider to be Hitchcock's
Golden decade(1950-60)of film making.
Secondly, It is the only movie he made with the legendary
Marlene Dietrich. Which makes it a definite keeper!
Add to that Richard Todd, a very young and very talented Jane Wyman.
The great charicter actor Alastair Sim, Dame Sybel Thronedyke
and Micheal Redgrave.
Watching this film is a nice way to spend a weekend evening.
Movie Review: Jane Wyman was an Actress, Capital A
Summary: 4 Stars
Watching Jane Wyman, who didn't fit the usual Hitchcock profile, work her way through this movie is great. Alongside Marlena Dietrich who had no bad profile and playing it sometimes as low born, it's a performance worth watching. There's a twist in a twist and controversy over Hitch's ideas regarding "seen through the eyes of...". Well, you have to see it to understand I won't give the twists and turns of plot away. It's a great little film. Buy it!Movie Review: An overlooked gem
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a movie often overlooked on the way to the superb Strangers on a Train, but another in the Hitchcock cannon that gets better with each viewing. This movie shows the beginnings of the winning combination of wit and suspense that would mark several later films.