Dial M for Murder (1954) in 3D 4K Restoration
- Fri, Oct 25
- Sat, Oct 26
Director: Alfred Hitchcock Run Time: 105 min. Release Year: 1954
Starring: Anthony Dawson, Grace Kelly, John Williams, Ray Milland, Robert Cummings
Country: United States
Language: English
Presented as part of the 2024 edition of Hitchcocktober.
About the film:
An ex-tennis pro carries out a plot to have his wife murdered after discovering she is having an affair. When things go wrong, he improvises a new plan – to frame her for murder instead.
Adapted for film by Frederick Knott from his own stage play, with the touch of “the fine hand of Mr. Hitchcock as the goose-pimple horticulturist in the garden of motion pictures,” according Bosley Crowther’s original New York Times review.
Pressured by the studio to film in 3D, Dial M for Murder was Hitchcock’s first and only film shot in 3D, and theaters of the time largely screened the 2D version of the film. The Film Center is thrilled to present his 1954 film in this ultra-rare format.
About the filmmaker:
Alfred Hitchcock, nicknamed the “Master of Suspense,” was an English-American filmmaker who is well-known for directing influential thrillers. Hitchcock’s first Hollywood film, Rebecca (1940), won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the film earned Hitchcock his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Despite receiving little-to-no critical recognition, Vertigo (1958) is widely considered one of his greatest accomplishments thanks to its chilling score and complex exploration of themes that were personal to Hitchcock.
In 1960, Hitchcock changed horror—and film as a whole—with the ever-shocking Psycho (1960). The film was received with a great deal of controversy thanks to the ways in which it challenged traditional narrative structures; however, the controversy was a gift, as it became the second highest grossing film of the year and earned Hitchcock his final Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
With his television show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-62), Hitchcock became one of the best-known directors in world thanks to his memorable introductions of each episode. Throughout his life, Alfred Hitchcock directed more than 50 feature films across six decades. In 1968, he was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and in 1979 he earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.
The Film Center is thrilled to celebrate the master filmmaker once again with the 15th year of Hitchcocktober. Experience a stunning selection of Alfred Hitchcock’s finest as they were meant to be seen: on the big screen. These classic masterpieces continue to inspire some of today’s best filmmakers, and, in many ways, changed the art of filmmaking forever.
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