DIAL M FOR MURDER 🤩 

This week is filled with mayhem, doubt, worry, confusion, and a smidge of hope. It brings to mind a million ‘what if’ scenarios that could alter our country. It is a fact that so many things in our everyday lives are out of our hands. Even though they may start with each individual’s control, some events definitely end with the audacity of the whole. I find it impossible to know what others think most of the time. Friends, neighbors and even family members often wear masks. They might not be of the old N95 variety, but they still hide and disguise what is being deliberated deep inside. It is a problem, to be sure. 

It is incredible how many people will look you straight in your eyes while lying to your face. These people produce all the saccharine, sweet varieties of tone and pitch while still being deceitful. I hate phonies. It makes it hard to trust anyone outside or even inside your circle. Grace Kelly, as Margot, had moments like this. She and her husband, Tony (Ray Milland), had fallen out of love. This is a common occurrence in many marriages. One partner will meet someone new by chance, and the other will choose to travel down a more sinister path to solve their problem. Picking the darkness is never a good idea. Things can go wrong. The final outcome may have an effect opposite to what was planned. This is blatantly showcased by director Alfred Hitchcock’s brutal and brilliant 1954 film – DIAL M FOR MURDER. 

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind Grace Kelly was a stunning woman with exceptional acting talent. Her stellar performance was one of the main reasons DIAL M FOR MURDER was so well received and beloved by audiences through the decades. She had the skill to guide and influence anyone where she wanted them to go. Oh, those big sultry eyes. She just flat-out sizzled, yet I never did get her attraction for Mark (Robert Cummings). I did not believe their love affair, but this lack of chemistry did not take away from her strong, powerful performance. 

Ray Milland could play evil. His sociopathic demeanor was creepy. His facial expressions and breaths added layers to his character all the way to the final frame. The Chief Inspector, played by John William, was the only actor recast from the original Broadway play, which ran for over 500 performances. He was fantastic. Obviously, he had his calm, civilized role perfectly characterized. 

The entire movie was filmed in basically one set, just like the play. The apartment was decorated entirely by Hitchcock. He was quoted in interviews saying he loved finding the perfect adornments. Grace Kelly also had tremendous influence over what she wore. Hitchcock was said to give her free rein after listening to her opinions.

DIAL M FOR MURDER was a psychological classic thriller filled with suspense and all the makings of the perfect crime. Kelly was magical, and Milland was manic. Mix these together, along with the clever script, and audiences will be immersed in double-dealings and fraud, just like the deceit and lies swirling around our country this week. I wish some had the moral caliber of the Chief Inspector so that truth and trust could guide the way again out of the darkness into peaceful new beginnings. I am holding my breath. 

DIAL M FOR MURDER is available on TCM.