Photo courtesy of impawards.com
It would be an understatement to say that Alfred Hitchcock was an influential filmmaker for he is one of the most influential filmmakers in cinematic history. Through his originality in creating suspenseful thrillers and incorporating unorthodox filmmaking techniques, his psychological thrillers and dramas have stood out amongst the rest.
In 1954, Hitchcock released the thriller Dial M For Murder, a film that also contained elements of film noir. The story centers on the couple Tony and Margot Wendice. Tony is aware that his wife is having an affair with crime writer Mark Halliday and because of this, he blackmails an old college acquaintance, Swann, into carrying out his plot to murder his unfaithful wife.
Firstly, the three man characters in the film are all flawed. This is characteristic of a film noir for most of the characters in film noirs are marked with moral corruption. In this film, Margot and Mark are guilty of adultery while Tony is guilty for his attempt to murder his wife.
In regard to the plan of the murder, Tony is meticulous, planning every step that Swann should take. Ultimately, this murder is not a crime of passion but one of premeditation. It is also interesting to note that Tony, to the audience’s knowledge, does not develop any plans to murder Mark, only his wife.
“I usually put myself in the criminal’s shoes, and then I keep asking myself, what do I do next?” – Mark
Tony also exhibits a high sense of confidence. He believes he has created the perfect crime for he does not foresee any faults in the plan. What he fails to realize though is that the perfect crime does not exist, a perspective previously explained by the crime writer Mark in the film. Perhaps Tony is not only pursuing his murderous plot to exact revenge on his wife, but perhaps he is also seeking personal pride through successfully carrying out the challenge of the perfect crime, a feat many believe o be impossible.
Therefore, Tony’s fatal flaw proves to be his confidence. He places too much confidence in Swann to carry out the crime but Swann ultimately fails, requiring Tony to alter his plan and make it appear as though Margot killed the intruder intentionally. Once Margot is arrested and sentence to die, Tony is once again confident that he has achieved the impossible. It appears as though no one suspects him of any wrongdoing, that is until the day before Margot’s execution is to take place. The chief inspector notices something peculiar about Tony taking large sums of money from his bank account, sums that were meant to pay Swann for his duty. Eventually, the inspector develops a theory for what really occurred in Tony and Margot’s home, a theory that is eventually proven to be accurate. Ultimately, Margot is released from prison and Tony’s intentions are revealed to everyone around him.
In the end, the actions of the three main characters are brought to light. Their secrets are no longer shrouded in secrecy and in a way, they each must pay the consequences of their wrongdoings. Because of this, there truly is no hero in this film. One could argue that the inspector is the one to save the day for he uncovers the murderous truth about Tony Wendice and thus proves Margot’s innocence, therefore saving the innocent; but is Margot truly innocent?
“Once he opens that door, we shall know everything.”
– Chief Inspector Hubbard
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