reviewed by Kiomars Vejdani
To grasp the full dramatic
impact of Dial M for Murder it must be seen in its 3D format, the way it was
envisioned and conceived by Hitchcock.
Although 3D films have been
in existence since 1920's (with
Anaglyph system, creating separate images for each eye with the use of
complementary red and green colours), the real birth 3D cinema started in early 1950's with the advent of Polaroid system (using polarised light to create two
separate images). Among the forerunners
of using the system was Warner Brothers starting with House of Wax, followed by
some other 3D films such as Charge at the Feather River, Hondo, and of course, Hitchcock’’s Dial M for Murder.
However, due to the difficulties of the system, after a
short while the companies were discouraged to continue with its use. (It was expensive due to having to print two
prints to be projected simultaneously by two separate projectors. Besides the incomplete harmony and
synchronisation of the two images could give the audience a severe headache. )
The 3D system was forgotten and out of use for
about three decades before its use was started again in 1980's. Later it was technically refined (especially
with contribution from IMAX 3D) and routinely used commercially specially for
its spectacular effects. A more serious
use of 3D was taken up by James Cameron
in his artistic creation of the magical world of Avatar. . His efforts were followed by works of Wim
Wenders in Pina and Werner Herzog in Caves of Our Forgotten Dreams. Two documentary films worlds apart in their
choice of subjects but having a common aim of using 3D effect to create a
physical space to give their films an extra dimension in reality. . Later they
were joined by Martin Scorsese in Hugo by using 3D effect to give the nostalgic
world of silent cinema and the magic of Georges Melies a concrete and tangible
reality. These film makers were all aiming
at use of 3D as part of film language.
However, long before these film makers Hitchcock in 1954
with his Dial M for Murder used 3D effect in purely cinematic way. Hitchcock in his long career on numerous
occasions by experimenting with new ideas and
techniques in his films has contributed towards development of film
language and expanding the boundaries of cinematic expression such as:
innovative use of sound in Blackmail with dramatic use of sound effect, the use
of long take in the Rope ( the whole film was shot in one long continued take), and exploring the possibilities of camera with restricted
mobility in Rear Window ( the film was shot from the point of a man with a broken leg restricted in his room)
With Dial M for Murder he
took the challenge of using 3D meaningfully to add to the effect of drama as an integral
part of his cinematic presentation. Sadly his efforts were not destined to be seen
by general public. Warner Brothers
after disappointing use of 3D system
decided to screen the subsequent films
made in their flat screen version. Dial M for Murder was a victim of such a
decision. The public had only the chance
to see the ordinary two dimension version on general release. The 3D version has only been projected on rare occasions and in special
circumstances such as recent screening at National Film Theatre in London as
part of complete retrospective of Hitchcock, s films which I was fortunate to
see.
Dial M for Murder has all
the familiar elements and characteristics of a Hitchcock film. He introduces
the films plot with his usual economy. The film begins with two establishing
location shots. A street in London with
a policeman in his universally recognisable uniform followed by showing the
door to the residence of the protagonists. Next we see a man gently kissing a
woman on the lips over the breakfast table. Their relationship indicates that they are
husband and wife. We have the close up
of the woman reading newspaper. The
extreme close up of the paper shows the
arrival of Queen Mary. After the
shots of the ship arriving to harbour and mooring, among the passengers landing the camera chooses
a man approaching us. Next we have the close up of this man kissing
the woman passionately on the lips. The
woman ( who in the previous shot was wearing a simple white dress) now is in a
provocatively bright red dress. The
situation indicates that they are lovers. So Hitchcock in precisely one minute and
without a single word establishes the main element of plot and drama: Adultery.
Tony ( Ray Milland) is an
ex- champion tennis player who has married to Margo ( Grace Kelly), a wealthy
woman. Although they loved each other in
the past, that feeling has gradually died away leading to the woman taking a
lover (They could be the protagonists of Strangers on the Train few years down
the line.)
As usual of Hitchcock there
are several layers of reality. On the first level we have wife, s adultery. She is the one committing a sin against her
husband. Her husband is the victim and our sympathy goes for him. But very soon a different reality sows its
face. We find out that husband already
knows about his wife, s unfaithfulness and having a lover. He is planning to murder his wife. His reason is not love and jealousy. It is much more selfish than that. He is worried about his own future as he has
become financially too dependent on his wife
and used to a life of leisure and comfort. He has to get rid of his wife
before she and her money goes to another
man. With revealing these facts the
situation changes and there is a reversal of roles. The husband becomes the villain for planning
to commit a murder and the wife becomes the victim.
But Tony, being an extremely
intelligent man, has to plan a master work for a perfect murder. He blackmails a stranger with no interest in
his wife, s death to kill her at their home while he is out with a group of
friends as alibi ( again this element of drama has something in common with
Strangers on the Train). We can see Tony’’s
intelligent mind at work as he plans the detail of the murder, such as:
blackmailing Margo anonymously for being in possession of her love letter, following Lesgate (the man he has chosen to commit the murder)
for months to collect enough dark material from his past to force him by
blackmail to do the killing, collect a
large sum of untraceable bank notes to bribe him as well . At
the meeting with Lesgate at his flat he
makes sure that only his finger prints are on the love letter and later on
he meticulously he removes all traces of
his finger prints in his flat. Tony has
not overlooked anything.
A regular theme in Hitchcock’’s films is clash between fate
and man’s will power. Often Hitchcock
builds his suspense on the basis of such a clash. In Dial M for Murder the element of chance
makes Tony’s perfect plan go wrong. Two elements contribute towards this. The first one is Tony, ‘s watch being slow. So he
phones slightly later than
planned causing Lesgate act
differently from Tony’s instructions The
suspense of the scene is built around two objects which contribute towards the
role of fate: Watch and telephone. The other factor is moving the scissors by accident
from sewing box to the surface of
the desk which Margo uses to kill
Lesgate in self defence.
But Tony’s mind starts to work
on an Alternative scheme to kill his
wife. This time in the hands of law, by
distorting the facts and re-arranging
the evidence to change the appearance of things. So that Margo’s killing of Lesgate in self
defence looks like a planned cold blooded
murder of a blackmailer. In this way she
can be executed for her crime. But once
again Tony is defeated by fate. This
time his intelligence and good memory works against him. By
remembering the secret place of
the key and revealing this knowledge he condemns himself.
However it is ironic that
Margo who was the sinner in the first place for her adultery is saved, and Tony
the original victim is condemned, defeated by the wealth and power of the
society. Moral ambiguity is a common
characteristic of Hitchcock’s films. Such an ambiguity shapes his characters. The people in Hitchcock’s films are neither
purely good nor completely bad. But a mixture of both. While Tony cold-bloodedly plans his wife’s
murder, he gets genuinely distressed
when on the phone he hears her cries of agony of being strangled. When his criminal acts are found out and he is
condemned by the law, he takes his defeat gracefully. He in a good natured way pour himself a drink and offers others in
the room as well. As for Margo, she is
fully aware of her sin towards her husband. But she is truly in love with Mark, the new
man in her life. She feels guilty about
her unfaithfulness and is tormented by not having the courage to confess her
adultery. When she eventually finds out
about Tony’s criminal plans, her reaction is deep sorrow rather than anger.
We cannot really hate Hitchcock’s
characters. In Hitchcock’s films there are no villains, only
human beings with weaknesses.
But we already know all of
these by watching the ordinary two
dimensional version of the film. However
Hitchcock by using the 3D effect adds a new dimension of meaning and emotion to the drama of the film. He makes his intention clear right from the
start. In the film’s beginning title we see the close up of a telephone cut to extreme
close up of one of its dials with a big letter M in red colour between the
words “Dial “ and “ For Murder “. Hitchcock
uses 3D effect to make these words
prominent in the foreground and physically separated from the telephone dial in
the background. Thus by
highlighting these words he visually
presents the main element of his suspense: The role of telephone in the murder
plan.
Hitchcock uses 3D effect
economically and only as the story requires. In fact in one scene in an intelligent way he
deliberately avoids 3D effect to highlight his plot. Margo and Mark are embracing each other just before Tony enters
the house. We see the shadows of
the lovers on the flat white surface of
the door. Soon as they hear the
sound of the key turning in the lock we
see their shadows separate as the
husband opens the door. In this way
Hitchcock has stressed the connection between adultery and the key ( the
crucial object in the murder plan)
Rather than using 3D to project the images out of the screen, Hitchcock aims
to get inside the surface of the screen to create depth. In the composition of
his frames he puts objects (lampshades, rows
of drink bottles, etc. ) in the foreground or around the characters to create physical
distance between them. In this way by
surrounding people with solid three dimensional objects he creates a
claustrophobic atmosphere ( the film is based on a stage play). The characters seem to be captive of their environment.
Hitchcock pays special
attention in the use of 3D in depicting the scene of crime. First in the high angle overhead view of the
room with the camera following Tony as he explains the murder plan to Lesgate. The
depth created by 3D adds to the
effect of high angle to depict the scene of crime as clearly as possible. And a few moments later, with camera at eye
level, while Tony is talking to Margo on the phone Lesgate turns off the light in the living
room as he inspects the scene . The only
source of light comes from Margo’s bedroom. The contrast between dark shadows in the
foreground and the light of the bedroom in the background, with added physical
space created by 3D brings the scene to life.
Another use of 3D by
Hitchcock is expressing the vulnerability of the characters by showing them in
close up, often looking direct at the camera, while with the help of 3D
creating a physical distance between them and the background , thus separating
them from their environment. In this way
the characters look isolated, threatened,
and helpless. Interestingly the first time
this effect is used is with Lesgate when
he begins to suspect that he is being
black mailed by Tony to commit a murder. But mostly
this effect is used with Margo. . It is used on several occasions. The first one is when she receives a hit of
accusation. She is asked why she did not inform the police immediately.
Her close up separated from the background expresses her
loneliness and
helplessness. She looks questioningly at the camera, in fact at Tony ( he had instructed her not to
inform the police). We cut to the shot
of Tony behind the police inspector. The physical distance between him and the inspector created by 3D
makes him look emotionally remote, not
prepared to support Margo, leaving her
in the hands of law. The same device is used two more times with close up Margo
separated from the background to stress her defencelessness. The first one is when after questioning by the
police she is formally accused of murder. The second occasion is her stylised “trial
“. In one prolonged shot of her close up
she looks at the camera only slightly
turning towards the questioning and accusing voices off the screen. As we get closer to the verdict of guilty the
colour of the background changes from grey and pink to red , until at the
moment of death sentence being announced
by the judge it becomes bright red. The
added effect of 3D in isolating her from
the background with its threatening
change of colour fully conveys her sense
of doom. The most dramatic use of 3D to
show Margo in danger is the moment before she she is going to be strangled. The shot starts with her close up standing
behind the desk holding the phone. As
the camera rotates in a semi circle to show her from the back at the corner of
the frame we see Lesgate approaching behind
her. The space created between
them by 3D , in a paradoxical way makes him look even closer and more dangerous.
Unlike other film makers of
his time who in their 3D films used the cheap thrill of making objects jump out
of the screen, Hitchcock uses this effect sparingly. In fact only on two significant occasions and at the crucial moments of drama.
The first one is when Margo is being
strangled by her would be assassin. Fighting for her life, her hand comes out of
the screen moving in every direction to find something to save herself. As we know she finds the scissors and stabs
the man with it. Her being saved at the
cost of charge of murder is the first turning point of the plot, coinciding
with the first defeat of Tony’’s will
power by fate. The second occasion is
when the location of the infamous key is revealed. As the inspector retrieves the key from under
the fifth step to show to Margo and Mark ( and audience), the key in his hand comes out of the screen and
pushed under our nose. This shot heralds
the resolution of the conflict of the drama as well as defeat of Tony for the second and last time in the hands of
fate. His defeat is completed when, after opening the door with the key he has retrieved from under the fifth step and entering the room, he finds himself trapped by the law.
Once again the 3D by adding to the
effect of high angle camera in depicting the scene of his entrapment highlights
his ultimate defeat.
The 3D effect has never been
used in a dramatically more meaningful way. Once again the Master has shown us the way.
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