Product Details

• Actors: Ray Milland
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: March 28, 1995
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000F37Q
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,559 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dial M for Entertainment, September 30, 2005

By	H. F. Corbin "Foster Corbin" (ATLANTA, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I must be the last living American fan of Alfred Hitchcock movies to see DIAL M FOR MURDER. This thriller is based on the play by Frederick Knott, who also wrote the screenplay for Hitchcock. The movie stars Grace Kelly (Margot) who is married to Ray Milland (Tony, the ex-tennis player), along with Robert Cummings(Mark Halliday) who thinks that his recent affair with Margot is not known to Tony. Of course he is wrong as Tony vows revenge and plans the perfect murder of his wife. There are no perfect crimes, however-- at least not in the movies-- or we wouldn't have a film that runs for two hours. DIAL M FOR MURDER shows Mr. Hitchcock as his best as he leads the viewer down one labyrinth after another with much style and intelligence. The acting is fine, particularly that of John Williams who plays Chief Inspector Hubbard, who solves the crime as only a dry, detached British police officer can. Although Grace Kelly is billed as one of the stars, she spends a great deal of the movie time off camera on death row. I'm happy to announce that almost dying becomes her as she is just as refined and beautiful when she leaves the prison as before she went into it. About the only difference we notice is that she has gone from wearing a fur stole to a sensible (Republican?) brown cloth coat. I was reminded of how much we as movie lovers lost when Ms. Kelly abdicated her position as a Hollywood queen to become a princess of a region about the size of Central Park in New York City.

Query: Shouldn't Margot have been suspicious when Tony called her from his dinner appointment and didn't say anything into the telephone for several minutes while her assailant tried to strangle her? Shouldn't she have found his behavior strange at best and at worst damaging to his credibility?

At any rate, this movie-- in quite beautiful technicolor-- is entertainment at its very best.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Murder?.....NOT!, March 24, 2008

By	L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (fountain valley, ca United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

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Aren't we lucky that cell phones weren't around in the 50's. Then Grace Kelly would never have had to leave her bed, to answer that potentialy fatal phone call in the living room.No matter how often you view this very suspense filled, thriller from Hitch, you still want to shout out to Grace Kelly."Look Out Grace...there's a murderer behind you!" That's one of the things I love about Hitch films. The connection to the characters, the need to help them. You practically want to get up and put those scissors in her hand, so she can protect herself from evil. Dial M has many of those moments, and is a superb classic that stands up to many repeat viewings.

Ray Milland has discovered his wife (Kelly) is having a love affair with Robert Cummings. Also she is the rich one in the family and he decides her time is up. He ropes in and hires a guy whose lifestyle makes for an easy blackmail mark. He's going to pay him 1000 pounds(well, after all it's only a few minutes work), and has it all worked out. Right down to the smallest detail. But uh-oh, the perfect plan starts unraveling almost the minute the plan is set in motion.The details start to go amiss, and don't stop until the end. Small things at first, a slow watch, phone troubles, the wrong person gets killed, you know little stuff like that! It is a joy to watch Ray Milland in action as he must explain away all of it to his wife and the police.

The film is a thing of beauty. Hitchcock made this film from a hit play, and filmed it in the same fashion. Most of the scenes are set in the confines of a small apartment. Hitch moves his actors around like the master he was. As mentioned Milland is a genius, Grace Kelly is wonderful as the good girl except for the little matter of the extra-marital affair. And of course we forgive her for this, because we too, like the Robert Cummings character better then the husband. Cummings also makes the most of his part. As a mystery writer, who knows the perfect murder can only happen in a book, he tries his hand at solving this mystery as well. John Williams, another favorite of Hitch's, is the Detective heading up the murder investigation. He's perfect as that Columbo type, who you know, that he knows what might have taken place, but needs to prove it. And it is fabulous to watch him put the pieces together.

Where's Hitch?....Where could he be in this film mostly made in one room. Ahhh..about 12 minutes in..the 'Picture' of innocence as he mugs for the camera at a class reunion.

The DVD is available here:Dial M for Murder - see my review of the DVD for features and quality details

A great addition to your Hitch collection...and always look behind you when answering the phone!..Enjoy...Laurie