Stage Fright (1950)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

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.

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...