Movie - Stage Fright (1950)

Movie –Stage Fright 
Score : 7/10
Year : 1950
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cinematography: Wilkie Cooper
Country : UK & USA
Language : English
Duration : 1h50 (imdb)

Authors : Whitefield Cook (screenplay);  
Selwyn Jepson (Novel Man running) ; Alma Reville (adaptation) 
James Birdie & Ranald MacDougall (uncredited, additional dialogues) 



With her father's help, Eve Gill, a student stage actress, tries to prove her friend, Jonathan Cooper, is innocent of murdering the husband of his lover Charlotte Inwood, a flamboyant entertainer.   

In this film, Hitchcock blurrs clues in this well paced film-noir and thriller into which is infused a lot of humour, dark or plainer. 

The opening and closing sequences are very interestingly executed to tie-in ; as the title and plot indicated, there is a lot to do with the stage and acting ; thus the curtain at the begining of the movie lifts, to reveal the city and the story begins. Cooper starts telling Gill his story, and the narration stops almost immediatly, to let the image take over and unfold the tale, which was very smart on the part of the director and editor. 

I really liked Eve's father, who plays along with his daughter's plans, and brings his own ideas and clever ways. I also liked that thier relationship is both sweet and endearing. 
I liked Eve a lot ; she's smart and yet written in a realistic way : she's a budding student, not a super-heroine, so she makes mistakes. Yet, her wit is of great service and she's no damsel in distress. 

Characterisation and dialogues are witty and funny, and the music, for a change in a Hitchcock movie, suits the mood and varies between tender, tenser, and funny moments much more than in most of his movies. 

Cinematography offered clever angles, especially indoors. Some artistic choices were quite interesting as well. 

Here's Hitch's cameo in this movie

Stage fright isn't the most known of Alfred Hitchcock's movies and it deserves to be known, and watched on a better image and sound quality that all current dvd editions. This is the official call to the powers that be, to make it so. 

As usual, he liked to shock the public, and for 1950, he dared portraying a divorced couple (Eve's parents), with ackward exchanges between them, contrary to american 1950's tv that tried to push family values and to portray perfect relationships, instead of anything real. 

He also got a bloody dress, in more graphic appearance than other movies of the period - but the movie being in black & white helps reducing any gore effects and even I can watch it with no difficulty. 

Stage fright is funny and an enjoyable entertainment. It's different to most of Hitch's movies, and lacks a bit in suspense, but makes up with originality. 

Cast : Marlene Dietrich, Jane Wyman, Richard Todd, Michael Wilding, Alasair Sim, 
Kay Walsh, Sybil Thorndike, Patricia Hitchcock, et al. (IMDB)