Film Review
Coming after the commercial failure of the huge experimental gamble
Under Capricorn (1949),
Stage Fright looks like a dramatic
throwback to a much earlier phase of Alfred Hitchcock's career.
Here we are, back in England, with a rather quaint murder mystery - no
big name American actors, no set-piece action sequences, just a glamour
icon in the form of Marlene Dietrich and lashings of quirky British
comedy. It's not most people's idea of a typical Hitchcock
thriller, but it is a madly enjoyable romp.
This was the first in a
series of films that Hitchcock made for Warner Bothers, immediately
preceding the far more successful
Strangers
on a Train (1951). It was the last film that the director
made in England before his 1972 film
Frenzy.
Hitchcock's films are renowned for the calibre of their casts, and
Stage Fright, although an odd ball,
is no exception. In addition to the sultry Dietrich, the film
includes two very highly regarded British actors - Richard Todd and
Alastair Sim - and the popular American comedy actress Jane
Wyman. There is also Kay Walsh, virtually unrecognisable in
one of her best character roles, stalwart British actor Michael Wilding (the future spouse
of Elizabeth Taylor)
and some delightful contributions from
Sybil Thorndike and Joyce Grenfell, for whom the phrase "English
eccentricity" was probably invented.
Marlene Dietrich is clearly the film's biggest draw, particularly as
she gets to sing "The Laziest Gal in Town", especially written for her
by Cole Porter, and the Edith Piaf number "La vie en rose", whilst
draped in the most eye-catching costumes designed by Christian
Dior. Dietrich is almost too good for the film - the
glamour and confidence she brings feels strangely incongruous, if not a
tad indecent, for a British film of this era. And yet she is
perfect for the story being told - her larger-than-life persona
emphasising the sugary artificiality of the showbiz world, in a way
that is intended to distract us from the greater and far deadlier
artificiality of the real world from which she appears happily
insulated.
Whilst
Stage Fright is
considered by some to be one of Hitchcock's weaker films, others regard
it as one of his most intelligent and subtle works. The film
shows that, contrary to what most people choose to believe, there is no
easily defined boundary between reality and artifice. Everything
we see or hear has multiple interpretations, and therefore the notion
that there is a truly objective standpoint is absurd. It is a
theme which Hitchcock explores in a number of his films, but seldom as
explicitly as here. Several characters in the film fail or risk
failure through their inability to discern the truth and their
willingness to be duped and exploited by others. As someone once
said, people will believe anything -
except
the truth.
One area of controversy is the film's use of the false flashback, where
one character gives us a factually incorrect account of part of the
story. On its initially released, many critics condemned
the film because of the false flashback, and even Hitchcock ended up
regretting it, citing it as the second biggest mistake of his career
(the first being the decision to kill off a sympathetic character in
his 1936 film
Sabotage).
Today, opinion is divided as to whether Hitchcock was wrong to use the
false flashback. One school of though argues that he was entirely
justified in doing so, since any account of a story is interpretive,
and hence liable to factual inaccuracy. The false flashback in
Stage Fright works dramatically -
without it, virtually the whole narrative falls apart - and it also
gives us an insight into the mind of its narrator, making the
denouement even more disturbing and
suspenseful.
Another reason why
Stage Fright
is underrated is because it is manifestly one of Hitchcock's lighter
films. What the film lacks in suspense, action and narrative
complexity it more than makes up for in comedy. The highlight is
the hilarious rifle range sequence in which Alastair Sim tries
desperately to get Joyce Grenfell to part with a toy doll - you'd be
forgiven for thinking the entire scene had been swiped from an Ealing
comedy. There are some darker moments too. The sequence
near the end where Jonathan (Richard Todd at his best) makes his
confession to Eve is spine-chilling in its intensity and bleakness,
with dark echoes of Hitchcock's later film,
Psycho (1960).
Stage Fright may not be in the
premier league of Hitchcock's great films, it may lack some of the
familiar elements we know and love, but its sheer oddity and sense of
fun are what give it an enduring appeal, particularly for true
Hitchcock aficionados.
© James Travers 2008
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Next Alfred Hitchcock film:
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Film Synopsis
Jonathan Cooper is on the run from the police, suspected of murdering
the husband of the renowned singer-actress Charlotte Inwood. In
desperation, he appeals to his friend, Eve Gill, a budding drama
student, to help him clear his name. With Jonathan in hiding, Eve
gets herself hired as Charlotte's dresser, with the intention of
proving that the star actress was her husband's real killer. Eve
soon discovers that in life, as in theatre, things are not always what
they seem...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.