Dial M For Murder (1954)
New episode out now! We revisit the world of Alfred Hitchcock with 1954’s Dial M For Murder. We talk about the visual style of the film and how it was influenced by the decision to shoot with a new 3-D camera rig, are impressed by the use of shadows and score to increase the suspense, enjoyed watching Tony evolve his plan when things went wrong, and discuss the first appearance of both the stereotypical “Hitchcock blonde” and Grace Kelly in particular in his films. We touch on the similarities we see between the film and other Hitchcock movies as well as Columbo and Poirot, try to figure out where we’ve seen the actors before, and admit we kinda wanted to see the murder succeed just to see a satisfying plan come together. Katy cannot pronounce names or remember things, Carrie knows a real finger when she sees one, Maddy has to plan very carefully when going to a movie, and Mack is the Keymaster. We also discuss new terms for a secret male lover, ponder the ubiquity of a pencil-thin mustache in these noir films, and compare a scene from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to one of an English judge ordering the death penalty . We touch on movie theater soda blends, Mouse Trap, auditing your keyring, and the evolution of the car selling process. Enjoy! And special thanks to Jason for compiling a very helpful dossier- find him on Letterboxd under JKHenson89 here!
TW: Capital punishment, gaslighting