STAGE FRIGHT [1950 / 2022] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release]
Keeps the Audience on the Edge of their seats!
In Alfred Hitchcock's world, theatres are where danger stalks the wings, characters are not what they seem, and that “final curtain” can drop any second. The droll ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ springs from that entertaining tradition.
Jane Wyman plays drama student Eve Gill, who tries to clear a friend Jonathan Cooper [Richard Todd] being framed for murder by becoming the maid of flamboyant stage star Charlotte Inwood [Marlene Dietrich]. Filming in his native England, Hitchcock merrily juggles elements of humour and whodunit and puts a game ensemble like Alistair Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Joyce Grenfell, Kay Walsh and daughter Patricia Hitchcock are put through their paces. No one turns a theatre into a bastion of dread like Alfred Hitchcock, and ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is proof positive.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1950 Locarno International Film Festival: Win: Alfred Hitchcock. 1950 National Board of Review, USA: NBR Award for Top Ten Films. 1951 Edgar Allan Poe Awards: Nominated: Best Motion Picture for Selwyn Jepson (novel) and Whitfield Cook.
FILM FACT No.2: The story was adapted for the screen by Whitfield Cook, Ranald MacDougall and Alma Reville (the director's wife), with additional dialogue by James Bridie, based on the 1947 novel “Man Running” by Selwyn Jepson. Though Hitchcock had lived and worked in Hollywood since 1939, this mystery/thriller, which is mixed with humour, was made in London locations. The only members of the cast who are not British are the two top-billed stars: Jane Wyman and Marlene Dietrich. The film has a few extra-long takes, reminiscent of those that Alfred Hitchcock used in ‘Rope’ [1948] and ‘Under Capricorn’ [1949], both films produced by Alfred Hitchcock for Transatlantic Pictures in partnership with Sidney Bernstein and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ was originally intended to be a Transatlantic release, but became a Warner Bros. Pictures release instead. The biography of Marlene Dietrich by her daughter said that Marlene Dietrich did not particularly like Jane Wyman, perhaps because they were such opposites. Although ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is based on Selwyn Jepson's short story “Man Running” – also known as “Outrun the Constable,” and it differs in some ways in the original story. Alfred Hitchcock's cameo is a signature occurrence in most of his films. In ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ Alfred Hitchcock can be seen 39 minutes into the film as a man on the street turning to look at Eve Gill [Jane Wyman] as she rehearses her scripted introduction speech to Mrs. Charlotte Inwood [Marlene Dietrich].
Cast: Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd, Alastair Sim, Dame Sybil Thorndike, Kay Walsh, Miles Malleson, Hector MacGregor, Joyce Grenfell, André Morell, Patricia Hitchcock, Ballard Berkeley, Robert Adair (uncredited), Alfie Bass (uncredited), Hyma Beckley (uncredited), Gordon Bell (uncredited), Gerald Case (uncredited), Robert Cawdron (uncredited), Cyril Chamberlain (uncredited), Ann Codrington (uncredited), Brenda Cowling (uncredited), Harold Coyne (uncredited), Basil Cunard (uncredited), Nuna Davey (uncredited), Petra Davies (uncredited), Howard Douglas (uncredited), Josephine Douglas (uncredited), Frank Duncan (uncredited), David Ellis (uncredited), Norman Fisher (uncredited), Susanne Gibbs (uncredited), Helen Goss (uncredited), Everley Gregg (uncredited), Irene Handl (uncredited), John Harvey (uncredited), Alfred Hitchcock (uncredited), Arthur Howard (uncredited), Lionel Jeffries (uncredited), Linda King (uncredited), Kenneth Kove (uncredited), Joe Linnane (uncredited), James Maclaren (uncredited), Howard Marion-Crawford (uncredited), Sidney Monckton (uncredited), Edna Morris (uncredited), Colin Morton (uncredited), Reginald Purdell (uncredited), Louie Ramsay (uncredited), Peggy Scott Sanders (uncredited), Jean Shepherd (uncredited), Paddy Smith (uncredited), John Tatham (uncredited), Dennis Vance (uncredited) and Digby Wolfe (uncredited)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Producer: Alfred Hitchcock (uncredited)
Screenplay: Alma Reville (adaptation), Whitfield Cook (screenplay), Selwyn Jepson (based on the novel “Man Running”), James Bridie (additional dialogue) (uncredited) and Ranald MacDougall (uncredited)
Composer: Leighton Lucas (composed music)
Cinematography: Wilkie Cooper, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English
Number of discs: 1
Running Time: 109 minutes
Region: All Regions
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ [1950] marks an exciting time in the catalogue of Alfred Hitchcock on Blu-ray. At the very least, it is the last of his American output and the last that Warner Bros. Pictures has in their vault to transfer over to Blu-ray. A few years ago, it seemed like they were rolling out the remainder of his films they carried distribution rights to, but they stopped shy of ‘STAGE FRIGHT.’
In Alfred Hitchcock’s world, theatres are where danger stalks the wings, characters are not what they seem, and that “final curtain” can drop any second. ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ springs from that entertaining tradition. Jane Wyman plays drama student Eve Gill, who tries to clear a friend Jonathan Cooper [Richard Todd] for being framed for murder by becoming the maid of flamboyant stage star Charlotte Inwood [Marlene Dietrich]. Filming in his native England, Alfred Hitchcock merrily juggles elements of humour and whodunit and puts a game ensemble like Alistair Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Joyce Grenfell, Kay Walsh and daughter Patricia Hitchcock through their paces. No one turns a theatre into a bastion of dread like Alfred Hitchcock, and ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is proof positive.
‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is a much overlooked piece in the master, Alfred Hitchcock’s, catalogue of film. It is the one before gangbusters thriller ‘Strangers on a Train’ and following one of his more notable turkey like in ‘Under Capricorn.’ The film definitely is an improvement over that one, but it still has the director exploring, experimenting and may not coming back 100% successful in his work. But, it is through chances like ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ that he gets to have the experience, learn, harness and craft such masterpieces in a run of films that was about to run him through the decade that this film opens up.
Alfred Hitchcock’s sense of fun and mastery begins very early in the film, with his eagerness to play with camera and post productions tricks about. That going along with some good old fashioned visual storytelling. Our introduction to Marlene Dietrich especially is gangbusters as we follow Richard Todd from a medium shot trailing down to his feet going down stairs to open the door for someone wearing a trench coat, who opens it to reveal a blood splatter to pan up to show us Dietrich for the first time. It is super simple, but an absolute graceful touch of beauty. Later in the same sequence, he showcase Marlene Dietrich jumping from one scene to the next as she changes coat as the events behind her transpire from current to flashback. The restoration for that effect makes it much more obvious as you can see the strings, but the admiration and appreciation for the challenge and accomplishment for the time is quite high.
Where Alfred Hitchcock has admitted to not being very successful, especially in the flashback sequence that makes up much of the first act of the film. However, given time and hindsight, you may be surprised to find out that this was a big piece of the discourse surrounding the film. Alfred Hitchcock found that showing a flashback that was a lie really sank the film and was a bit of cheat to critics and audiences. However, later years and many films in history later, we’ve been trained as audiences the key trait of having an unreliable narrator in stories. But most of all, we aren’t afraid to question a story or flashback to be entirely accurate as portrayed in the film as they may have when it came out.
‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is superb film incredibly contains Marlene Dietrich and Alistair Sim among its great cast, in a blend of Hitchcock thrills and chills, humour and even musical interludes. It is mostly overlooked due to its original “failure” with fans and critics caused mainly by misguided hatred of a plot device used in the film. Also people fail to cope with the very different moods the film moves between. From whimsical British comedy to chilling psychological drama.
Apart from all that ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is simply thoroughly entertaining. It is very very funny with Alistair Sim as brilliant and hilarious as ever in a great role for him as well as an entirely satisfying cast. Marlene Dietrich is superbly cold in a wonderful, striking addition to her acting career and Marlene Dietrich sings a classic sexy sultry style song. The twists from humour to chilling suspense make terrific enthralling moments in the film. This is a highly unusual and near perfectly executed film. ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is definitely for fans of Alfred Hitchcock, Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, and especially Alastair Sim.
STAGE FRIGHT MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE LAZIEST GAL IN TOWN (1950) (uncredited) (Written by Cole Porter) [Performed by Marlene Dietrich and a male quartet]
LA VIE EN ROSE (Music by Louiguy) (Lyrics by Édith Piaf) [Performed by Marlene Dietrich]
EVE’S RHAPSODY (1950) (uncredited) (Music by Leighton Lucas) [Played on the piano]
LOVE IS LYRICAL (Whisper Sweet Little Nothing to Me) (1950) (uncredited) (Written by Mischa Spoliansky) [Performed by Marlene Dietrich]
SOBRE LAS OLAS (1887) (uncredited) (Music by Juventino Rosas) [Performed by Marlene Dietrich] Played when Jonathan Cooper gets out of the car and goes into Charlotte Inwood's house]
Frühlingslied (Spring Song) Op.62 #6 (1842) (uncredited) (Music by Felix Mendelssohn) [Played on the accordion by Eve Gill's father]
IN GRANDMA’S DAY (1917) (uncredited) (Music by Dave Stamper) (Lyrics by Gene Buck) [Sung by a chorus after Charlotte Inwood exits the stage]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Archive Collection presents the film ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ with a stunning 1080p Black-and-White image and shown in the standard 1.37:1 aspect ratio. This is a brand-new master struck from a 4K scan of the original camera negative yields a terrific image that is a big step up from the inferior 2004 DVD release. We also get excellent clarity and contrast combine with beautifully resolved grain to produce a vibrant, lush picture with a palpable film-like feel. Rich blacks, bright whites, and nicely varied greys enhance the image, while good shadow delineation helps ramp up suspense in key moments. Alfred Hitchcock employs far more close-ups than usual in ‘STAGE FRIGHT,’ many of them extreme, and the sharpness is often stunning. Dietrich's smooth, creamy complexion, Jane Wyman's large, dark eyes and tear-stained cheeks, Richard Todd's sweat, scruff, and unkempt, greasy hair, Michael Wilding's angular features, and Alistair Sim's basset hound expressions are all wonderfully crisp, and the lengthy dissolves that occur as Jonathan imagines the ensuing police investigation sport a high level of detail and definition as well. Without question, ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ has never looked better on home video, making this an essential upgrade for every Alfred Hitchcock fan.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Archive Collection brings us the film ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ with a standard 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio experience and it also supplies clear, well-modulated sound that's free of any age-related hiss, pops, or crackle. Sonic accents like ringing telephones and screams make a statement, while atmospherics like footsteps and cooing seagulls subtly shade the action. A wide dynamic scale handles all the highs and lows of the music score, as well as Marlene Dietrich's sultry vocals sings an original Cole Porter song, “The Laziest Gal in Town” in the film, without any distortion, and all the dialogue is easy to comprehend. Sound doesn't play quite as big a role in ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ as it does in other Alfred Hitchcock films, but this audio track nicely handles everything the Master of Suspense throws at it and certainly adds ambience to this wonderful Alfred Hitchcock's artistry.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Documentary: Hitchcock and ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ [2004] [480i] [1.37:1] [19:22] This is a very interesting and insightful entertaining featurette includes interviews with Richard Franklin, director of Psycho II, director Peter Bogdanovich, and film historians Robert Osborne and Richard Schickel, as well as wonderful reminiscences from Patricia Hitchcock who was the daughter of Alfred Hitchcock and was also known as “Chubby Bannister,” who remembers Marlene Dietrich as the “nicest, nicest woman” and use to sit with the actress on the set and would explain to Patricia Hitchcock all about the lighting technique and felt Marlene Dietrich was the most glamorous movie star she had ever met. We also hear Patricia Hitchcock informs us that at the start of the film, you see the open top car driven at the camera and it is supposed to be Jane Wyman driving the car and Richard Todd in the passenger seat, well because of insurance problems, Patricia Hitchcock was asked by her father Alfred Hitchcock to drive the car in that short scene. Jane Wyman fondly recalls how Marlene Dietrich “mothered me to death,” and personally was not very happy with the actress, especially with all the scenes she did with Marlene Dietrich, but despite this, eventually Jane Wyman got on really well with Marlene Dietrich and also found her very interesting. In addition to praising the cast and analysing Alfred Hitchcock's artistry, the quartet of expert’s debates the merits of the film's controversial flashback sequence, which Alfred Hitchcock later termed the greatest mistake of his career and examines the various mother roles in Alfred Hitchcock films and especially ‘STAGE FRIGHT.’ They also inform us about Alfred Hitchcock that in the 1940’s had a contract with Warner bros. Pictures, and was with them for several years directing films in the same genre as ‘STAGE FRIGHT,’ which also included ‘I Confess’ and ‘Dial M For Murder’ and they feel ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is his best film in that genre. Peter Bogdanovich talks in general about ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ and what he thinks of other Alfred Hitchcock films and thinks the opening scene with the SAFETY CURTAIN going up as a good start to the film and especially showing London after the end of the Second World War. Richard Franklin also feels the opening shot of the SAFETY CURTAIN as a brilliant start to the film and sets up the basis for the start of the murder/mystery film and also sets up the theatrical angle of the film. At the start of the film we meet Marlene Dietrich turning up at Richard Todd’s home and we do not know at the time, that what Marlene Dietrich says to him is a big fat lie, and of course we have to be a like a detective to work out the guilty murderer is and keeps you guessing right to the very end when the SAFETY CURTAIN comes down on the murderer. They talk about how clever Alfred Hitchcock was, especially when Richard Todd arrives at the house where the dead body is and the clever way the camera gets right close-up behind Richard Todd and entering the house and closes the door behind him, that we do not see, but we hear it close, because Alfred Hitchcock cleverly edits that specific scene. They talk about the actress Jane Wyman and before filming ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ had just won the Photoplay's Gold Medal for the film ‘Johnny Belinda,’ which we see in a clip with the Theatrical Trailer and they feel she was a really super star actress. As to the character Marlene Dietrich plays, they felt she was a wonderful devious feme fatale in her scenes in the film, which of course sets up Richard Todd for all the wrong reasons, but enjoys sending her victims to their doom. But they also enjoyed the scene in the film when Marlene Dietrich sings the song “The Laziest Girl In Town” that was an original song written by Cole Porter and thought it was a great moment in the film for the actress and feels it sets up her character, and again Marlene Dietrich is sheer delight and again using her men around her character. Peter Bogdanovich says that he saw Marlene Dietrich sing that song “The Laziest Gal in Town” at a concert in Denver Colorado and informed the audience that she sang the song “The Laziest Girl In Town” for Mr. Alfred Hitchcock in the film “The Laziest Girl In Town” and feels it is her signature song. They also give great praise to the two brilliant British actors Alastair Sim and Dame Sybil Thorndike and would remind them of the early British Alfred Hitchcock films and also the scenes in the film with those actors would portray a foolish kind of humour and the scenes in the film come across as very nostalgic for England. They were very confused why Richard Todd was asked to be in ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ as they thought he was not quite right for the part, despite being a big stage actor in the London theatre circuit and of course was never asked to appear in anymore Alfred Hitchcock films, but they feel near the end of the film where hides under the stage with Jane Wyman, they feel Richard Todd really gives off a very menacing warped evil performance. As to the actor Michael Wilding, they thought he gave a very agreeable performance in the film, but also the romantic set up the film and at the time of ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ was a big star in British films and nearly married Elizabeth Taylor. They give great praise to the British comedy actress Joyce Grenfell who plays the character “Lovely Ducks” who also played over the top eccentric characters and in the film ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ they really felt the actress really stood out and also an incidental pleasure. They all feel the film ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is very much underrated and also at the same time feels the film is very light weight, compared to other Alfred Hitchcock films he directed after ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ like ‘Strangers On A Train’ [1951] and ‘I Confess’ [1953]. Contributors include: Robert Osborne [Film Historian], Peter Bogdanovich [Filmmaker], Richard Franklin [Director of ‘Psycho II’], Richard Schickel [Film Historian], Patricia Hitchcock [Daughter of Alfred Hitchcock aka “Chubby Bannister”], Jane Wyman [Eve Gill], Marlene Dietrich [Charlotte Inwood] (archive footage), Alastair Sim [Commodore Gill] (archive footage), Dame Sybil Thorndike [Mrs. Gill] (archive footage), Richard Todd [Jonathan Cooper] (archive footage) and Kay Walsh [Nellie Goode] (archive footage). Laurent Bouzereau [Director/Producer/Screenplay]. Leighton Lucas [Music Department].
Theatrical Trailer [1950] [1080p] [1.37:1] [2:52] The film's original preview begins with Jane Wyman accepting Photoplay's Gold Medal award for her acclaimed Oscar-winning performance in ‘Johnny Belinda,’ and then moves onto the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘STAGE FRIGHT.’
Finally, ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is a very under-the-radar Alfred Hitchcock thriller that is also a very engrossing murder mystery with plenty of tension, atmosphere, and wonderful English charm. ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ also features a gallery of colourful performances and enough Alfred Hitchcock style to please any fan of the Master of Suspense. Warner Archive Collection's new 4K master struck from the film's original camera negative revitalizes this underrated film that deserves a fresh look and plenty of respect. ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ is certainly one of Alfred Hitchcock’s more overlooked films in the British portion of his career, though still a gem through and through. With such an unusual set of components, it was probably inevitable that ‘STAGE FRIGHT’ would be a little uneven, but most of it works well enough. By Alfred Hitchcock's standards, it's average at best, but it is still a very entertaining film with an interesting and intriguing story and a number of good sequences. Simply seeing the distinctive persona of Marlene Dietrich and the enjoyably unique style of Alastair Sim in an Alfred Hitchcock film would make for an interesting combination in itself. They are joined by a generally solid group of performers, with their own individual styles, and there are several characters that all get fairly sizable roles. It has been a while waiting for it to finally come to Blu-ray, but its arrival from Warner Archive Collection is better late than never. The film looks and sounds quite lovely with its new transfer and excellent audio and with the nice featurette on the film as an extra to really make this a nice little release. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
