Dial M For Murder (3D Blu-Ray)

Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder (1954)(Released: 2004 by Warner Home Video)Another (Not so long, this time!) DVD Review by Joe Torcivia"When the batteries are running dry, take a hit play and shoot it." With his typical understatement, director Alfred Hitchcock describes his efforts on another masterpiece, "Dial M for Murder", adapted from a famous stage play by author Fredrick Knott.In it, husband Ray Milland plots the murder of wife Grace Kelly - who is having an affair with American mystery writer Robert Cummings.Milland meticulously plans his crime to the finest detail, only to find that the best laid plans of mice and Millands often go astray. No more, lest we venture into "Spoiler Territory".Despite the "star power" of its leads, the film is stolen by John Williams as Chief Inspector Hubbard, who cracks the case almost in the manner of a "British Columbo". Williams, who made a career of playing "stuffy old Englishmen", was something of a regular on the ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS television program - appearing in 10 episodes of the show!In an ironic casting twist, Williams went from trapping a "wife murderer", to planning such a murder himself in the HITCHCOCK PRESENTS episode "The Three Dreams of Mr. Findlater" (1957). There, it is WILLIAMS' character who works out every deadly detail and somewhat ineptly attempts to carry out his scheme - with the assistance and urging of an attractive "island girl" who is the product of his daydreams.Given the involvement of John Williams, and the fact that it was produced a scant three years after "Dial M for Murder", I would strongly suspect that "The Three Dreams of Mr. Findlater" was in some way inspired by the film.As is our custom in these reviews, we'll break it into CONS and PROS.The CONS:If there were a "CON" to list, it would have to be that the Extra Features are adequate, but not plentiful, given this is a famous film by a legendary director.Most notably, there is NO COMMENTARY TRACK to accompany this film! Surely, there are film historians and Hitchcock scholars capable of providing such a track.The PROS:The Film: Story, cast, and direction are all first rate. Print quality seems fine for a film of its age.Menu Navigation: Menus are attractive and easy to navigate, with the "added fun" of depicting the "cursor", used to select the various options, as a PAIR OF SCISSORS! Those familiar with the film cannot help but smile at this little touch.Extra Features:"Hitchcock and Dial M" (Runs 21:33).A "making of" documentary, that nicely covers the film, given the lack of a true commentary track. Participants include: Peter Bogdonovich, M. Night Shyamalan, Patricia Hitchcock (Alfred's daughter), Robert Osborne, Nat Benchley, Richard Franklin, and Richard Schickel. Oddly, it is the relative "youngster" Shyamalan who makes the most interesting and enthusiastic comments of the group."3D: A Brief History" (Runs 7:06).To compete with the emerging medium of television, the makers and distributors of theatrical features offered color, widescreen/Cinemascope... and for a brief time in the mid-fifties "Three Dimensional Films".Unbeknownst to me until viewing this feature, "Dial M for Murder" WAS released as a 3D film!Watching the film WITH this knowledge, it becomes very clear. "Dial M for Murder" is shot in an unusual way (...which I merely attributed to the directorial quirks of "Hitchcock being Hitchcock"), where certain objects and characters exist in the EXTREME FOREGROUND, in comparison with the rest of the frame.This technique is particularly apparent in the "attempted murder of Grace Kelly" scene. Both Kelly's arm and the aforementioned "pair of scissors" are intentionally "thrown back" toward the audience to maximize the effect. Again, I thought this was just the director's flair. It must have been great fun to see that way!At the 54:05 point of the film's length of 1:45:16, there occurs an INTERMISSION - punctuated with the on-screen image of a TITLE CARD simply saying "Intermission".I naturally thought that this was in keeping with "Dial M for Murder's" origins as a STAGE PLAY. In fact, it was because the 3D effect required TWO PROJECTORS, playing two slightly different synched versions of the film - and that both projectors needed to be RELOADED at that point. (Commonly, half a film would play on one projector and the other half would play on a second projector - but this process required both projectors to be "in service" at the same time!)The 3D fad as a whole, its specific application to "Dial M for Murder", and the public's boredom with, and abandonment of, the craze and its requisite 3D Glasses are examined all in the space of a scant seven-plus minutes.Participants in this feature include: Film historian: Robert Osborne, and Filmmakers: Joe Alves (Director of "JAWS 3D"), Peter Bogdonovich, and Richard Franklin (Director of "Psycho II").Theatrical Trailer for "Dial M for Murder"Golden Age Hollywood Movie Trailers were a unique art form all their own, and Warner Bros. made some of the best! One reason why was the melodramatic "Voice of Warner Bros" Robert C. Bruce. Bruce carries some - but not all - of the load here.Overall:This is a great film with a good selection of Extra Features. It is recommended for Hitchcock, murder, and suspense fans, and enthusiasts of the mid-fifties period.

I'm 32 Male, this movie was great! I enjoyed it a lot.

My husband really loves of all Alfred Hitchcock's movies. We recently watched Dial M for Murder- we've probably watched this 5 times. He's introduced this movie to our 13 year old daughter too. We're all fans. Love to see all the great actors of a by gone era.

A lot has already been said about the film, so I won't bother trying to add my opinion. Instead, I will only describe my experience with the 3D component of this special edition Blu-Ray.Being new to the world of 3D TV, I struggled with what would be my first acquisition. It goes without saying that I wanted to get a film that had originated in 3D, instead of being back-converted. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the team at Warner Brothers had actually gone back and re-mastered Hitchcock's only 3D film, 1954's "Dial M for Murder" into the Blu-Ray 3D format.I was intrigued until I started reading some of the reviews, some of which complained of ghosting and image quality. What finally did convince me was a single review that claimed that there were no issues at all with their Vizio TV with passive 3D glasses. Since this was my exact set-up, I took the plunge and bought it.To say that I was amazed would be an understatement. I was actually fortunate enough to see this film in 3D in a theater about 20 years ago during a retrospective of the format, and although the 3D worked, the print had shown its age. Digital re-mastering has cleaned up a lot of the faded colors, and this version actually looks better than what I saw in that theater. I did notice what looked like a filter over the entire image that made it look grainy, and perhaps this was an attempt to mask inconsistencies in image grain across different scenes. This is borne out by the title sequence, which is so sharp that it looks like it was photographed yesterday. However, the colors and brightness overall are vivid and make for a beautiful visual experience (as does Grace Kelly, whether she's in two or three dimensions).But I digress. One piece of advice I can give to anyone considering purchasing this Blu-Ray is to be aware that the film was shot during the early days of 3D, so the format had its limitations back then. The re-mastering team has done a fantastic job of restoring critical image registration, but they can't do anything about Hitchcock's penchant for using process shots for exteriors. Don't be surprised when you see an outdoor scene and the background looks flat, because it actually was projected onto a 2D screen behind the actors when it was originally shot. Finally, I strongly advise watching the film at night, with the lights turned out. Any ghosting that I saw was caused by background lighting reflecting off my TV screen. Turning out the lights fixed everything.The only way this disc could make me happier is if the Warner Brothers team had also included "Lumber Jack Rabbit," the only 3D Merrie Melodies cartoon. Perhaps they are saving this for another release. "House of Wax", perhaps?

Work very well, good price, and came fast.most satisfied.this is a great movie, and must have for hitchcock fans, love it!

Ein ziemlich alter Schinken, aber ich liebe ihn

Dial M For Murder in 3D blu ray format, is for me, close to perfection.I have viewed this film many, many times over the years. Firstly in 1954, aged fifteen, when I became awareof the Hitchcock name as a director of quality films and Dimitri Tiomkin as a master composer of soundtrackmusic and all this has stayed with me to this day.Seeing the film in 3D mode has opened my eyes to the filmmaking skills of all concerned.And 3D really enhances the film. Not with constant displays of "in your lap" shots but with adepth and realism that made me feel that I was there in real terms watching the action and withina few feet of Grace Kelly, Ray milland and the rest of the excellent cast.For me this is a prime example of Hollywood at its all round best.When I read some of the niggling reviews I was worried that this 3D blu ray might be a disappointment butnot only did I enjoy it immensely but to my surprise, my 14 year old grandson also enjoyed it a lot.That is praise indeed!

If you want an introduction to the phenomena known as Alfred Hitchcock this is a great place to start. A mystery suspense about a murder plotgone astray , it is both entertaining and mesmerizing . Like watching a train wreck , you cannot turn away. The characters are carefully directed , tomake you alternate between sympathetic identification with them , to revulsion. Ray Milland is never better , suave , sophisticated and then menacing. Hollywood was , at the time , fascinated by Grace Kelly ; I find her performance adequate but stiff. Robert Cummings is a simple plot prop , and is less than noticeable , but that is probably intended , so as not to distract from what's going on. The Police Inspector is methodical and ultimately brilliantly insightful. A great story that will hold your attention from start to finish. The included Special Features are also excellent. The commentaries include production details by well known director / film historian Peter Bogdanovich , which are both entertaining and enlightening , and add to the understanding of the movies crafting.

SHEER PERFECTION, like so many of Hitchcocks movies: Rear Window, Rope, Vertigo, and others too numerous to mention, this movie just overflows with Class and Brilliance from the direction, photography, story, acting and everything else which goes into making it another Hitchcock classic to be viewed over and over again. The 3D effects seem to have been carefully planned and give the movie real depth, though on my system there so some 'ghost' outlines, as also reported by some other reviewers. Perhaps there is some slight fault in the 3D image as my recent viewing of two other 3D movies - EVEREST and THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (the best 3D I have ever experienced) played without any ghosting. Nevertheless, the slight imperfection in the 3D image did not spoil my enjoyment of this fascinating drama. Cinema at its finest. KAN