Dial M for Murder

"Is this the man she was waiting for... or the man who was waiting for her?"

1954 1h 45m EN

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 2,965

ThrillerCrimeDrama

Synopsis

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When her American lover visits London, a wealthy woman’s jealous husband hatches a plan to murder her and inherit her fortune.

“Is this the man she was waiting for... or the man who was waiting for her?”

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Cast

Ray Milland
Tony Wendice
Grace Kelly
Margot Wendice
Robert Cummings
Mark Halliday
John Williams
Chief Inspector Hubbard
Anthony Dawson
Charles Swann
Leo Britt
Storyteller
Patrick Allen
Detective Pearson
George Leigh
Detective Williams

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Frederick Knott
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

72 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Robert Burks. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Rudi Fehr shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ray Milland and Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Is this the man she was waiting for... or the man who was waiting for her?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0046912 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alfred Hitchcock directs. Robert Burks behind the camera. Dimitri Tiomkin scores. Rudi Fehr cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
272 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Robert Burks. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Rudi Fehr shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Ray Milland and Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Is this the man she was waiting for... or the man who was waiting for her?".
8IMDB entry: tt0046912 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 16 themes, including "adultery", "london, england", "jealousy", "blackmail".
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Burks
Original score: Dimitri Tiomkin
Editing: Rudi Fehr
Costume design: Moss Mabry
Makeup / hair: Gordon Bau
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,400,000
Box office: $3,000,000
Return: 214% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Dial M for Murder (1954)

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Alfred Hitchcock

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-08-10
★ 10/10
I used to consider this second-tier Hitchcock, but a re-watch proved to me just how excellent the script and directing were, as well as how stellar and underrated both Grace Kelly and Ray Milland tend to be, at least presently, three generations after the fact. The suspense is tied tighter than the proverbial drum. Needless to say, to this day, I never keep scissors on top of my desk anymore...
John Chard2019-01-05
★ 8/10
No, I'm afraid my murders would be something like my bridge: I'd make some stupid mistake and never realize it until I found everybody was looking at me. Middle tier Hitchcock it may be, by his own admission, but it's still one of the finest mystery thrillers around. Ray Milland plays Tony Wendice, a former tennis player married to Grace Kelly's Margot, who is the source of his wealth. Fearing his lifestyle is about to come to an end due to her dalliances with American mystery writer, Mark Halliday (Robert Cummins), Tony hatches a plan to have her murdered by an old acquaintance whom he has over a barrel with blackmail. However, the plan backfires and a whole new strategy is needed to save Tony from suspicion. Based on the popular and successful play by Frederick Knott (who adapts for the screenplay here), Dial M For Murder was a film Hitchcock had little time for. In fact, having already started work on Rear Window, Hitch treated Dial M For Murder as a jobbing assignment. His mood was further darkened by Jack Warner's insistence that the film be shot in 3D, with all the camera restraints that such a production brings. Perhaps unsurprisingly though, the restraints and general mood of the director brought about very pleasing results. Choosing to go for a claustrophobic single set shoot, Hitchcock resisted the urge to launch things around for 3D effects, instead he used the process to highlight props and angles of the Wendice home. His use of colours here first rate, particularly around his new found favourite actress, Grace Kelly. Having never seen the 3D version (who has I wonder?) I can't say what impact, if any, the gimmick had. But regardless of Hitch's grumblings and general disdain towards the film, he rose to the challenge by challenging himself and actually produced a fine and technically sound picture. Ray Milland is icy cold yet debonair, while John Williams as Chief Inspector Hubbard strides in and walks off with the film. Kelly is adequate enough, it's her least effective turn for Hitch, so early in her career, she was a bit free with her physical love on the set (source "A Life in Darkness and Light"), but this highly appealed to (and amused) Hitch and he of course would use her for better rewards post this production. Sadly Cummings is awfully bland and threatens to lose the film momentum when things start to spice up in the last quarter. Hugely entertaining picture though, one that is ripe with characterisations and of much interest to Hitchcock purists in how he works around the 3D format for his own filmic senses, Dial M For Murder holds up well today as a disquieting mystery thriller. 8/10
barrymost2019-09-05
★ 7/10
Just with a glance at the cast list and the knowledge that it's directed by the legendary film-making genius Alfred Hitchcock, you know it's going to be good. This taut, nicely-done thriller was originally filmed in 3D, though I wouldn't say it's any less effective when viewed normally. Ray Milland and Grace Kelly are both very accomplished actors, and are very enjoyable here. Watch for John Williams as Inspector Hubbard from Scotland Yard; he's like a British Columbo! The story moves along at a good clip, with interesting dialogue and good twists. Watch out for that lethal pair of scissors!