Stage Fright

Plot synopsis:
Eve Gill (Jane Wyman), an aspiring actress studying at RADA, is interrupted in the middle of a rehearsal by her friend, actor Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd). The frantic Jonathan explains that he is the secret lover of flamboyant stage actress/singer, Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich). He claims that Charlotte visited him after killing her husband in an argument. She was wearing a bloodstained dress and Jonathan agreed to go back to her house and obtain another one. He found the body of Mr. Inwood at the residence, took a spare dress from the wardrobe and then tried to simulate a burglary gone wrong, only to be caught in the act by Charlotte's theatre maid and dresser, Nellie Goode (Kay Walsh). He is now on the run, wanted by the police.Eve has long had a crush on Jonathan, but accepts that he is not interested in her romantically. She takes him to hide in a house near the coast owned by her father, Commodore Gill (Alastair Sim). Persuaded to help, the Commodore then notices that the blood on Charlotte's dress has been smeared on deliberately, not by accident, and he and Eve suspect that Jonathan has been framed. He angrily rejects this, destroying the dress and thus the best evidence they have on Charlotte.Eve decides to investigate for herself. Posing as a reporter, she bribes Nellie Goode to pretend that she is ill and cannot work for Charlotte for a while. Eve then utilises her acting skills to affect the false identity and accent of a Cockney maid, claiming to be Nellie's cousin, "Doris Tinsdale", and takes the temporary job of replacing "her cousin" in order to infiltrate Charlotte's household.In the course of trying to clear Jonathan, Eve meets Detective Inspector Wilfred Smith (Michael Wilding). As Eve, she and Smith get quite friendly and she has to go to great lengths to cover the fact that she is also "Doris" the maid when Smith visits Charlotte to ask further questions. As Eve, she is not able to get much from him on the progress of the investigation.Out to court Eve, Smith visits her and her mother at their home in London. They are joined by the Commodore who drops subtle hints to Eve that Jonathan has left their house by the sea. Meanwhile, in spite of the tragedies that are surrounding her, Charlotte continues to perform at her West End musical show. She is secretly visited by Jonathan who wants her to accompany him abroad and tells her that he still has the dress with the bloodstain. Charlotte makes it clear that she will not give up her career for a hunted fugitive in any case she is secretly having an affair with her manager Freddie Williams (Hector MacGregor).Eve again helps Jonathan escape the police and he hides out at the Gill's London residence. He thanks Eve for her support, but she feels torn since she is starting to fall in love with Wilfred Smith.When Nellie Goode uncovers the deception that is going on, Eve manages to buy her off with blackmail money. With time running out, she persuades Smith to accompany her to a garden party where Charlotte is singing on stage in a large tent. During the performance, Commodore Gill gets a little boy to take a doll wearing a dress stained with blood, Gill's own, up to the stage. The sight causes Charlotte to collapse and Williams summons "Doris" for assistance. Seeing Eve attending to Charlotte and the stained doll's dress leads Smith to put two and two together.Smith confronts Eve and the Commodore over their "amateur meddling". They persuade him to set Charlotte up into making a confession. Once the theatre has closed for the evening, Eve comes out of character and confronts Charlotte near a hidden microphone Smith and his men listening in to the conversation from the loudspeakers. Charlotte admits her involvement in her husband's death (making her an accessory) but denies committing the murder itself, blaming Jonathan.Eve then sees that Jonathan has been brought to the theatre by the police, Smith having guessed that he was hiding in their house. She falls into hysterics, enabling Jonathan to get away. At this point Smith reveals to the Commodore that Jonathan really did kill Mr. Inwood and that he has actually killed before, though he got off on a plea of self-defence.Hiding below stage, Jonathan confesses to Eve that Charlotte goaded him into killing her husband but actually in order to make way for Freddie Williams. The story he told Eve when she agreed to hide him was all lies. He has a temper that makes him lash out when provoked. When he threatens to kill her as well, Eve escapes and in the confusion that follows Jonathan is decapitated by the stage's safety curtain.

Tags: insanity, plot twist, murder, romantic, flashback

Review:
black comedy that boasts great performances from Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Alistair Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Joyce Grenfell, Kay Walsh & Richard Todd.
The scene at the garden party when she switches from Dietrich's cockney maid to Smith's innocent date with every turn is delightful.It is the masterful presence of the great Alastair Sim, however, that makes Stage Fright one of Hitchock's most enjoyable to watch.
But compared to the whole lot of crappy facsimile suspense films made since 1950, Stage Fright is quicker to entertain than most.Be sure to check it out if you want to see Hitch cast his own daughter Patricia in the supporting role of "Chubby Banister."  Is that some kind of sick joke or was that name flattering in the fifties?P.S.-- I can't watch Marlene Dietrich anymore and not be reminded of Madeline Kahn's Teutonic Titwillow.
And with Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Todd and Michael Wilding how can you go wrong?Wyman convincingly plays a drama student who gets involved over her head in a purely Hitchcockian case of murder.
This 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.
Talk about verisimilitude getting in the way of realism.We know that the stage will play a large role throughout, and Hitchcock loved to include the theatre in his films.
By Hitchcock's standards, it's average at best, but it is still an entertaining movie with an interesting 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.
I don't think it is as good as North By Northwest and Rebecca, but Stage Fright was a great film, and this is coming from a Hitchcock fan.
As for the acting, I had very little problem with it, Jane Wyman was perfectly alluring as Eve. Michael Wilding delights as "Ordinary Smith", and while he started off a tad wooden, Richard Todd was fine too.
Richard Todd's Jonathan Cooper is very good, and Michael Wilding, Sybil Thorndike and Kay Walsh are excellent as Ordinary Smith, Mrs. Gill and Nellie Goode, respectively.I won't discuss the plot, because I think that reveals too much and the suspense is a big part of the enjoyment of these films.
However, it's very entertaining and quite good, starring Marlene Dietrich, Jane Wyman, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd, Alistair Sim and Sybil Thorndike.
Without going into details, director Alfred Hitchcock's "Stage Fright" does something with a character's "point-of-view" that fatally flaws the film.
Kay Walsh (as Nellie Goode) leads the pack of smaller, delightful Hitchcock characters.****** Stage Fright (2/23/50) Alfred Hitchcock ~ Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Todd, Michael Wilding.
STAGE FRIGHT does not ignore, among the supporting performers, the elderly couple (who are usually the parents of a protagonist) and so they are here: ALISTAIR SIM as calm and peaceful Mr Gill and SYBIL THORNDYKE as his rigid, demanding wife.As she is a strict mother of more or less Victorian style, he is a very sympathetic, hilarious (at moments) daddy who is afraid for his daughter knowing that 'in real life you have to face situations with all its bearings.' He is a very likable old gentleman, at the same time, resorting to more peaceful way of life and one of the most frank of all Hitchcock's supporting characters.
And the last aspect:HUMOR is ever-present from the lovely scene of Doris Tinsdale in glasses through Hitchcock's cameo presence, Mr and Mrs Gill's tense interactions, some of Ordinary Smith's lines to the dark wit (for the time) expressed in Charlotte's line "I hate rainy funerals." Many clever lines make the film witty in an intelligent manner.STAGE FRIGHT is undeniably a movie worth seeing, another of Hitchock's powerful productions though it might not look like one.
There is also no flab in the movie whatsoever; it kicks off with a murder and subsequently develops into a good old chase yarn.The principal parts are taken by Jane Wyman, cast against type and underplaying nicely, and Marlene Dietrich in one of her theatrical grande-dame roles, (in this one she sings 'The laziest gal in town').
Meanwhile Detective Wilfred Smith (Michael Wilding) that is in charge of the case befriends Eve and they fall in love for each."Stage Fright" is a delightfully naive film of Alfred Hitchcock and the last in his British phase.
This is especially jarring when we have MARLENE DIETRICH acting up a storm in her best WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION sort of mode, overly glamorized as a grand stage actress who is trying to pin a murder on a presumably innocent man.There are other compensations in the cast, notably ALASTAIR SIM as Wyman's father who gets to deliver one of the film's better performances and, of course, RICHARD TODD as the accused man around whom the plot spins.
Hitchcock is evidently having fun with the audience as he plays a trick that disguises the truth and leads to a conclusion best described as less than satisfactory.Hitch's loyal fans will no doubt find all of this quite acceptable as a movie to enjoy for whatever interest its mystery holds and whatever flaws the story has, but be warned that it certainly doesn't rank among his best works.
I also found the acting of ALL the principal players wanting; Jane Wyman's qualities are ones I have never really appreciated, I must admit, Richard Todd is hopeless after the very first scenes, even the divine Dietrich seems to be 'just going through the motions' and, saddest of all, even Alastair Sim, who could usually raise a piece of froth like 'The Green Man' into something like a minor film classic, just does not have the material or setting to make a mark either.
You either like it a lot or not at all, and while I see much to admire in isolation, I fall among those who don't.The story concerns London drama student Eve Gill (Jane Wyman), a young woman who is hopelessly in love with Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd)--who is too preoccupied with stage star Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich) to care much about Eve one way or another.
Hitchcock was a master at building tension through a juxtaposition of long takes and flash cuts, but something has gone astray in his work on this film, and STAGE FRIGHT seems slightly clunky and unduly slow; I kept wanting to tell the actors to "get on with it!" The DVD transfer is what you might call very good instead of excellent, and the DVD comes with a number of bells and whistles, mostly focusing on the "the director and camera lie to you!" issue--which is, as I've said, largely a non-issue from a modern point of view.
The fact that it was followed by the tremendous "Strangers on a Train" made things harder for this little overlooked gem.Despite this apparent bad luck, "Stage Fright" is a movie that displays the master's fine eye for film-making, and it even foresees the bright future Hitchcock had ahead at the beginning of the 50s.
Works like "North By Northwest", "Vertigo" or "Psycho" have an immediate precursor in these two often forgotten films.After a beautiful set of introductory credits that set the action in London, the movie starts quickly as we have Johnatan Cooper (Richard Todd) and Eve Gill (Jane Wyman) running away on her car.
Her performance as Eve must be one of the greatest (and sadly forgotten) in any Hitchcock film While Eve's investigation is filled with problems; she has the good aid of his witty and at times cynic father, played wonderfully by Alastair Sim. He is probably the defining character of the film, as he represents the classic Hitchcocknian mix complete with that famous British humor and his deep expressive eyes.
Eve Gill (Wyman) attempts to help her friend Jonathan Cooper (Todd) who has assisted his lover, high actress Charlotte Inwood (Dietrich), in covering up a brutal murder.This mystery drama from Alfred Hitchcock deceives audiences in true Hitchcock style as we see numerous characters all come together to see an unravelling of a brutal murder.Opening with Eve and Cooper in a car driving to escape Cooper recollects the events of his desperate escape in a flashback that adds extra drama to an already tense notion.Marlene Dietrich's protagonist, an echo of Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond, is desperately trying to resolve her frustration and sadness onto her lover in Cooper's apartment.
Case in point: there is a very clever dolly shot during the first few minutes where walls disappear as a character enters a house from the street, closes the door, and the camera just keeps on rolling as the sound of the street fade away and the character walks in, up the stairs and down a hall.But in it I discovered wonderful Richard Todd and fascinating Michael Wilding, I found a new and higher appreciation for Marlene Dietrich, I added another notch to my highest appraisal of the legendary Alistair Sim, and now I see Jane Wyman in a whole new light.
I enjoyed "Stage Fright," but I can see why it's not counted among Hitchcock's best.Jane Wyman is unconvincing as a stage actress who goes "undercover" to investigate a murder that the man she loves is being blamed for.
The best performance, and the most compelling reason for watching the film, comes from Alistair Sim, as Wyman's cheeky father, who doesn't much care who murdered whom or why, but simply enjoys the drama of the chase."Stage Fright" doesn't have any of those thrilling Hitchcock set pieces or those dazzling shots he's known for, but what it lacks in style it makes up for in sense of humor.
Sadly, that potential is never realized as the film just wanders about.For a basic plot summary, "Stage Fright" sees Eve Gill (Jane Wyman) drawn into a murderous situation surrounding her love interest Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd) & his controlling lover Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich).
This may be the film, in which, Hitchcock enlists the greatest number of brilliant performances from his actors - including a hypnotically powerful performance by Alisair Sim as Eve's father, and good work by Richard Todd, Sybil Thorndike and Michael Wilding.
Dietrich effortlessly delivers a convincing femme-fatale, and the wonderful Alastair Sim was perfect casting as a witty and charming (almost) rogue.The story itself is Hitchcock-by-numbers without any of the intensity and suspense that marked his best work, the plot twists were predictable and the pace somewhat lacking.The film will probably not be remembered as one of his best but thanks to some fine acting and casting and the fact that even bad Hitchcock is generally worth watching, this film probably warrants a 6..
It stars Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd and Alastair Sim. Plot sees Wyman as drama student Eve Gill, who is asked by friend Jonathan Cooper (Todd) for help because he is on the run for the alleged murder of Charlotte Inwood's (Dietrich) husband.
Alfred Hitchcock directed this mystery thriller that stars Jane Wyman as Eve Gill, who helps her friend Jonathan Cooper(played by Richard Todd) when he is accused of murdering his lover's husband.
The woman in question is actress Charlotte Winwood(played by Marlene Dietrich) who is being interrogated by the detective investigating the case, who also talks to Eve. Strangely, they find themselves falling in love, as the real murderer turns out to be an unpleasant surprise...
Marlene Dietrich playing another bad character and singing songs like "The laziest girl in town" and Jane Wyman with her innocent look and detective-instinct to investigate a murder-case, in which her secret-love is involved, are doing great in this movie.
near-classic Hitch with a fine (if maybe miscast) Wyman and awesome Dietrich & Sim. The first fifteen minutes of Hitchcock's Stage Fright feels so much like vintage work from this filmmaker - a set up that is so this director that even if you've only seen one or two of his movies it would feel like you're right at home in the fully realized world of Wrong Man Suspense he did so well - that one might almost take it for granted.
This time it's set in England, so it's easy to pair it up with the movies that Hitchcock made before he left for America (and after this he'd only return twice more), as it's in black and white and the rest of the story is loaded with sometimes quirky but memorable and realistic feeling characters.But this opening is electric, starting with a car ride where Todd explains to worried Jane Wyman in flashback about how he got mixed up with Marlene Dietrich's theater star Charlotte Inwood (Wyman's Eve is an aspiring actress but not there yet, which of course will work its way into the narrative), and the important piece to the puzzle is a blood-stained dress.
Not completely unusual of course for Hitchcock - what would a good spy movie be, which this isn't but you know what I mean, without Playing A Character as part of the entertainment of it all - though in the world of the theater as the backdrop it makes it all the more fitting.I think that the work on the script and of course Hitchcock's direction mark this as something superior to what it could've been, and having Dietrich as the nonplussed diva (she asks and states things in such a way that could sound demanding or bitchy, but her tone is more bemused than really ever agitated so people do what she says and asks, even down to a last request in her last scene for a chair to sit on), and Sim as I mentioned as the father.
And as a matter of fact, at the conclusion, it turns out that some, if not all of Todd's flashback has elements of truth in it.Hitchcock told Francois Truffaud that he saw STAGE FRIGHT as an opportunity to work with some great British character actors (Sim, Joyce Grenville, Sybil Thorndyke, Kay Walsh).
She actually looks younger seven years later in "Witness for the Prosecution." No matter.The acting is superb all around.The infamous "lying flashback" at the beginning seems far less troublesome to today's audiences than it did when the film was released, perhaps because we're more accustomed to films playing tricks with time, now.The character development is exceptional -- particularly the relationship between Jane Wyman and Michael Wilding.
As far as the male actors are concerned, strong performances are given by Richard Todd as the wrongly-accused boyfriend {for some reason or another, the Irish actor reminded me of Joaquin Phoenix}, Michael Wilding as the honest and romantic detective with whom Eve inevitably falls in love, and Alastair Sim is a lot of fun as our leading lady's loving and playful father.In comparing Alfred Hitchcock's films with those of his contemporaries, it's interesting to note how the director made stunning, dynamic use of the camera.
Drama student Eve Gill(Jane Wyman)pretends to be an aid to London theater star Charlotte Inwood(Marlene Dietrich) to prove that she murdered her husband.
The most famous thing about "Stage Fright" is without a doubt its final plot twist; having seen the film twice now, I can say that the twist almost holds up, but there is one scene, or more accurately one line, that cheats (Todd and Dietrich meet in her dressing room, alone, and she says the word "accident").
I have to say I am slightly puzzled as to why 'Stage Fright' is not generally considered one of Alfred Hitchcocks' finest works, as on every viewing I remain glued to the screen right the way from beginning to end.The film opens with a theatre curtain rising and we are immediately introduced to a postwar London still containing the ruins of World War Two. Eve (Jane Wyman), a Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts actress is driving Johnny (Richard Todd) who has run from away from the scene of the murder of the husband of Charlotte (Marlene Dietrich), a major star of the theatre.
The film makes good use of established English character actors like Alistair Sim as Wyman's father, who is given the most amusing lines.
In "Stage Fright", however, Hitchcock reverses this convention; at the end of the film it turns out that Jonathan is indeed guilty of the murder.
Early on he chides Eve about "transmuting melodrama into real life" and throughout the film acts the role of her tut-tutting stage manager, enabling her performance as best he can even if he knows she's better off going to the police.That's something a lot of Hitchcock experts can't forgive "Stage Fright" for, beyond the flashback question: It's the one time the police are not the fly in the ointment.
And its characters are interesting and well-developed.Musical-comedy star Charlotte Inwood's (Marlene Dietrich) husband has been murdered, and her lover Jonathan (Richard Todd) fears that she committed the crime and is trying to frame him for it.
It is about a stage actress and singer named Charlotte Inwood [Marlene Dietrich], who murders her husband and goes to her toy-boy Jonathan Cooper [Richard Todd] for help to destroy the evidence against her, notably a blood-stained dress.
Featuring a cast with Jane Wyman and Marlene Dietrich, largely playing herself, it also features actor Michael Wilding in his second (and last) straight collaboration, and disappointing film, with the director.Wyman plays an aspiring actress, Eve Gill, that thinks she's in love with Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd), who has told her that he's being pursued by the police because he's assisted Charlotte Inwood (Dietrich) in covering up a murder.
Robinson (Richard Todd) goes to Eve (Jane Wyman), a theater understudy in training, about his being trouble with the law due to trying to help his lover, a renowned stage actress, Mrs. Inwood (Marlene Dietrich) cover up the murder of her abusive husband.