Movie Review: Stage Fright

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Engaging mystery

Cons: This characters, a couple of pacing issues

The Bottom Line:

Mostly good story

You will notice a few flaws

But still enjoy it

Is Murder Waiting in the Wings?

It's funny how films can earn reputations. Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright wasn't well received when it was initially released in 1950, so it isn't one many people have seen. But I'm glad I didn't let that stop me because it is an entertaining picture.

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?

So let's the get the thing that surprised me the most out of the way. This movie is black and white. I just assumed that anything produced after World War II would be in color. (Once I thought about it, I did remember that Psycho was also filmed in black and white a decade later). Still, this wasn't a big issue with me. I frankly forgot that detail by the five minute mark because I was drawn into the story.

Like many older movies, this one proceeds at a slower pace than today's movies do. While there are a couple pointless scenes (like the scene from Charlotte's play), the movie stays on track pretty well. Except for the last few minutes, this isn't a nail biting film, but the mystery is good and develops at a decent pace. I was confused until the end.

This film is more plot driven than character driven, so the characters can be a little thin. The romantic sub-plot feels forced as a result. Eve was a great character, and I cared what happened to her. The other characters serve their purpose well.

Since it is a universal problem, I'm not blaming the actors one bit. The performances were all good as far as I am concerned. Jane Wyman plays an every woman and does it very well. Her parents are played by Alastair Sim and Sybil Thorndike who do their best to steal every scene they are in. They are a true delight. Marlene Dietrich is a bit over the top as Charlotte, but it works. As a fun bit of trivia, Hitchcock's daughter Patricia has a small part here as one of Eve's friends.

The film was set and filmed in London. While the locations aren't a focus of the movie, it does provide a few glimpses of the town during that time.

It's a shame that Stage Fright has been all but forgotten among Hitchcock's films. It's an entertaining hour and forty minutes that provides a classic Hitchcock mystery. What more could you want?