Many people forget Alfred Hitchcock was an experimental film maker. He moved to Hollywood to have access to the latest technology, but he also used technique in different ways. 1948’s Rope was filmed almost exclusively using long takes using one shot per reel of film. 1958’s Vertigo used camera zoom and pullback techniques that were revolutionary. With 1954’s Dial M For Murder the director decided to use 3D – only by the time it was released theatrically the 3D craze was declining, so it would be released both in 3D and 2D – and for decades it was the 2D version that most people would see. There would be sporadic revivals of the 3D version, but it wasn’t until Warner Brothers decided to release it on Blu-ray that a 3D version of Dial M For Murder would be widely available to all.
Based on the play, Dial M For Murder stars Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings (with Anthony Dawson and John [no, not that one] Williams) in a story about jealousy. There’s a major plot point about a phone call, but the title could have easily been called The Keys based on another element to the story. I don’t want to spoil the plot if you haven’t seen it, but it’s a solid mystery and suspense story that would be boring in the hands of most other directors.
On Blu-ray we are getting a solid presentation of the film and one can see why Alfred Hitchcock didn’t use the 3D format but for this one time. There isn’t much in the way of “gratuitous” 3D shots, and rather than pander to the format, he worked around the format and let the story tell itself. There are some shots which really do shift the perspective of events in 3D that don’t come across in 2D, and I would have liked to have seen Hitchcock use 3D more.
The special features are paltry for a film such as this. There’s a 20 minute featurette in standard definition from a few years ago, which is decent, but incomplete. Then there is the film in 2D and 3D – and that’s it.
I expected more from Warner Brothers for this release, and am disappointed.