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Stage Fright (1950)
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by Warner Home Video
Sales Rank: 22680
Price: $14.95
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In suspense films characters frequently deceive one another. But can the <I>camera</I> tell a lie? This is one of the questions that Hitchcock takes up in <I>Stage Fright</I> (1950), and his answer has puzzled, infuriated, and delighted audiences ever since its initial release. <I>Stage Fright</I> is one of only two films Hitchcock made in Great Britain after he moved to America in 1940 (the other is <I>Frenzy</I>, his late masterpiece). It is also his only picture to star Marlene Dietrich, whose character's allegiances are even more ambiguous than usual. <p>Years after making <I>Stage Fright</I>, Hitchcock claimed that because the villains were just as frightened as the heroes, the film did not carry the requisite quota of menace. But it has received a good deal of attention in recent years and is worth a fresh look. The director did admit that he was proud of the movie's most astounding plot twist, though no commercial filmmaker since has been bold enough to let the camera lie so eloquently. <I>--Raphael Shargel</I>
Viewer Reviews
Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd) is in trouble. The police think he murdered the husband of famous actress Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich). And so he does the only thing he can think to do, run to Eve Gill (Jane Wyman) for help. Eve has a bit of a crush on Jonathan, so she quickly spirits him out of town and puts him in hiding.
Befriending Detective Inspector Wilfred Smith (Michael Wilding), Eve learns that the police aren't even looking for another suspect, so she goes undercover as Charlotte's new maid to try to prove the actress killed her own husband. Can she keep up her undercover identity without being discovered? Can she prove that Charlotte really killed her husband?
This lesser known Hitchcock film is still quite good. The pacing is off, and some scenes seem rather pointless and slow to me. But that's my only complaint. The story kept me guessing until the end. I was never on the edge of my seat, but I was certainly engaged. The acting was good. The characters are there to tell the story, but the actors did a good job of bringing them to life with the material they had.
I was a little surprised the film is in Black and White. Shows how little I know about when films became color, I guess. Still, I was engrossed within five minutes, and never noticed again. The film is set in London, so getting to see bits and pieces of that city from the late 40's is interesting as well.
Like many older films, this isn't as slick and dazzling as today's movies. But don't let that stop you. This is a good mystery that will entertain you for a couple hours.
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Stage Fright (1950)
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