Stage Fright (1950)

Stage Fright - 1950

Next is an offering from one of film's most popular directors, Alfred Hitchcock.  It comes in the form of 1950's "Stage Fright", starring Jane Wyman and Marlene Dietrich.  The film revolves around the murder of an actress's husband and a young woman's eagerness to help a friend in need.

The film's supporting cast includes Michael Wilding, Richard Todd, Alastair Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Kay Walsh, and Patricia Hitchcock.

The film opens on a scene in London with a car racing down the road.

Inside the car is Eve Gill (Wyman) and her friend Jonathan (Todd).  Jonathan is in terrible trouble and Eve, in love with Jonathan, is anxious to help.  As they speed towards her father's home on the coast, Eve asks Jonathan what the trouble is.

He tells her it all started when he was at home and there was a knock on the door.  When he opened it, actress Charlotte Inwood (his girlfriend) was standing there in a blood-stained dress, telling him that she killed her husband.

Charlotte is terrified and gets Jonathan to go to her home to get another dress for her so she can appear at the theater that evening.

Jonathan tells Eve that Charlotte's maid saw him leaving her house with her dress and that the police came to his home to question him.  He bolted and now the police are on his tail.  They arrive at Eve's father's home under the cover of night.

Eve introduces Jonathan to her father and he falls asleep.  The Commodore and Eve talk things over.  He also examines the blood-stained dress that Jonathan brought with him and discovers that the blood had been smeared on it deliberately.  He exercises caution in believing the story.

They ask Jonathan how much he trusts Charlotte.  He angrily accuses them of trying to turn him against Charlotte, and tosses the dress in the fireplace.

Leaving Jonathan in her father's care, Eve goes back to London to confront Charlotte Inwood.  Finding the house impenetrable, she follows a detective she sees coming out of the house into a pub and strikes up a conversation with him to find out what is known about the case.  He tells her his name is Smith and drives her home and Eve starts to fall for him.

After Smith leaves, Eve doubles back to the pub where she meets up with Charlotte's maid, whom she saw earlier.  Eve tells Nellie that she is a newspaper reporter and wants to be disguised as Charlotte's maid to get close to her and get a story.  She pays Nellie a sum of money to say she is Nellie's cousin Doris, who will be taking over for her for a few days because of illness.

She changes her appearance and heads to Charlotte's house to start work.

Eve meets Charlotte and begins work, quickly realizing how trying a job it's going to be.  "Now get me out of these weeds," Charlotte says.  "I'm beginning to feel sad, and I shouldn't feel sad.  It's so depressing."  Eve has a close call when Detective Smith arrives to question Charlotte.  She goes into the next room and overhears Charlotte telling the detective that she doesn't realize how Jonathan could have done such a thing to her husband.  Eve is shocked that she is blaming everything on Jonathan.

Eve dashes home to meet Detective Smith for a prearranged tea with her mother.  What she doesn't realize is that her father is there with the news that Jonathan ran away.  Having just arrived, Eve leaves quickly, having to meet Charlotte at the theater for a performance.

During a performance of the song "The Laziest Gal In Town", Charlotte spots Jonathan watching.  Eve also sees him.  He makes his way to Charlotte's dressing room.

Charlotte follows him there, and tells him he's got to get out of the country.  She'll come and see him when she can...maybe in a few months, maybe a year.  She says she's grateful for everything he's done.  He's angry that she's giving him the brushoff.  He tells her he didn't destroy the blood-stained dress.  Eve is listening from the other side of the door and is very surprised to hear this.  So is Charlotte.

A policeman comes to the theater following up on a sighting of Jonathan.  Eve, still trying to piece together what really happened, distracts the policeman so Jonathan can escape.

When Eve returns home from the theater, she finds Jonathan there having a chat with her mother.  As Jonathan begs her to keep helping him, Eve realizes she no longer cares for him.  It's Detective Smith who fills her thoughts now.

The next day Eve takes Detective Smith as her guest to garden party where she is selling tickets in aid of the drama society.   In the cab, Eve intends to get Smith to start suspecting Charlotte.  However, during the course of the car ride, Eve and Smith share a kiss, and all thoughts of the case go out the window.

At the garden party, Eve runs into Nellie, who is demanding more money from her.  Eve calls her father and he comes to her aid.  Eve is tired of all this, and wants to tell Smith the whole thing, but her father says they still need him to start suspecting Charlotte.

Her father gets an idea to distress Charlotte by smearing some blood on the dress of a doll.  He gets a small boy to present it to her.  Charlotte had been giving a performance of "La Vie En Rose" and had to stop mid-performance.  Unfortunately for Eve, she is outed as Charlotte's maid Doris (whom the police want to question) right in front of Detective Smith.

Detective Smith follows Eve home, and she tells him everything.  He's upset with her deception.  He accuses her of protecting her lover.  Eve tells him it's not like that.  She's fallen in love with Detective Smith.  Eve's father comes in and tells Smith about another plan of his: to pretend and blackmail Charlotte into paying for the blood-stained dress.  Smith says he'll let them know and tells Eve to get to the theater to help Charlotte.

Smith has policemen at the theater, and Eve leads Charlotte into a room with a microphone.  She tells her about the dress, and Charlotte offers her money.  She tells Eve that she was in the room when Jonathan killed her husband.  Officers come in and arrest Charlotte.

Jonathan is also at the theater and escapes the police.  Eve helps him, still thinking he's innocent.  Detective Smith tells the Commodore that Jonathan did kill Charlotte's husband, and has also killed before, but got away with it in self defense.  Jonathan tells Eve that Charlotte was telling the truth, and Eve realizes she is with a killer.

Jonathan plans on killing Eve, too, so he can use insanity as a defense.  She skillfully leads him to the orchestra pit where he is surrounded.  They drop the iron safety curtain to contain Jonathan, but he gets caught and the curtain falls on him, killing him.  Detective Smith embraces Eve and leads her away.

Cast rundown:

   Jane Wyman........................................Eve Gill

   Marlene Dietrich...................................Charlotte Inwood

   Michael Wilding....................................Det. Insp. Wilfred Smith

   Richard Todd........................................Jonathan Cooper

   Alastair Sim.........................................Commodore Gill

   Sybil Thorndike....................................Mrs. Gill

   Kay Walsh...........................................Nellie Goode

   Patricia Hitchcock.................................Chubby Bannister

And that's a wrap on Stage Fright.  It's a very well-done film-noir/thriller, and Marlene Dietrich's scenes are beautifully shot.  Originally, Tallulah Bankhead was supposed to star as Charlotte Inwood, but the studio cast Marlene Dietrich instead, a very good choice.

Of course, no Hitchcock film would be complete without the famous director cameo.  This one takes place about 40 minutes into the film.

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Murder On The Orient Express (1974)

Murder On The Orient Express - 1974

Our next film is 1974's "Murder On The Orient Express", which features an all-star cast of magnificent proportions.  Someone is murdered aboard the famous and luxurious Orient Express train.  Stuck in a snowbank, the renowned detective Hercule Poirot must uncover the murderer who may still be aboard.

The film stars Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Paul Cassel, Sean Connery, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Rachel Roberts, Richard Widmark, Michael York, Denis Quilley, Colin Blakely, and John Gielgud.

The film opens in 1930 at the residence of Colonel and Mrs. Armstrong in Long Island.  Inside, tragedy has struck as their daughter Daisy is kidnapped.  Her body is later discovered having been murdered.  In all, five people died as a result of the kidnapping/murder.

Five years later, the Orient Express is departing from Istanbul.  Many colorful characters board, including the world famous detective Hercule Poirot (Finney).

Monsieur Poirot is traveling as the guest of the director of the line, Signor Bianchi.  He intends to relax and fully enjoy himself with the superb cuisine offered on board the train.

However, business soon encroaches upon his pleasure.  Mr. Ratchett (Widmark) requests that Poirot act as his personal bodyguard.  He has received many threatening letters and is in fear of his life.  Poirot refuses, taking a strong dislike to the way Ratchett presents himself and the way he is cagey about his business affairs.

During the night, Poirot is awakened by several noises.  In the morning, Ratchett (who was in the compartment next to him) is found dead.  Signor Bianchi immediately asks Monsieur Poirot to head up the inquiry into the murder.

The guests are told about the death of Mr. Ratchett and that Monsieur Poirot requires their passports and will interview them all separately.

Matters aren't helped by the fact that the train is stuck in a snowbank and no police help can be given until it is cleared.

Among all the passengers questioned in connection with the murder, I have three standouts.  The first is Mrs. Harriet Hubbard (Lauren Bacall).  She gives an absolutely stellar performance as the fast-talking lady whom everyone cannot wait to avoid.

The second is Ms. Greta Ohlsson (Ingrid Bergman), an endearing Swedish missionary who uses phrases like "bed-gown".  Ingrid Bergman received her third Academy Award for her portrayal of Ms. Ohlsson, a well-deserved accolade.

The third is the Princess Dragomiroff (Wendy Hiller).  Ms. Hiller does an excellent job portraying a lady several decades older than herself.  "You never smile, Madame la Princesse?" asks Monsieur Poirot.  "My doctor has advised against it," comes the Princess's reply.

The filmmakers really make you feel that she is a dowager princess of the Old World.  Everything about her is meticulous.  I love the scene when she is in her cabin and her maid is reading to her in German as she sleeps.

And the elegant personal mementos of a bygone era suggest a woman who continuously lives in the past.

During the course of his investigations, Monsieur Poirot comes across a burned note in Ratchett's compartment.  Upon closer inspection, the name "Daisy Armstrong" comes to his attention, and he begins to understand who Ratchett was and why he was getting the threatening letters.  He was the mastermind of the Daisy Armstrong kidnapping/murder.

Later in the investigation, the murder weapon comes to be discovered by Mrs. Hubbard, and is positively identified as having Ratchett's blood on it.

After piecing together the murder, Monsieur Poirot confronts the passengers in the Dining Car with the identity of the murderer (or murderers).  As it happens, each passenger on the train has a connection to the Daisy Armstrong kidnapping.

Monsieur Poirot solves the case, though tells the assemblage that justice has finally been carried out, and that a murderer has been deservedly murdered.  Just as he has finished his summation, the train is able to break through the snowbank and get underway again.

Cast rundown:

   Albert Finney......................................Hercule Poirot

   Lauren Bacall......................................Harriet Hubbard

   Martin Balsam....................................Bianchi

   Ingrid Bergman..................................Greta Ohlsson

   Jacqueline Bisset................................Countess Andrenyi

   Jean-Pierre Cassel..............................Pierre Michel

   Sean Connery....................................Colonel Arbuthnot

   Wendy Hiller......................................Princess Dragomiroff

   Anthony Perkins.................................Hector McQueen

   Vanessa Redgrave..............................Mary Debenham

   Rachel Roberts...................................Hildegarde Schmidt

   Richard Widmark................................Ratchett

   Michael York.......................................Count Andrenyi

   Denis Quilley......................................Antonio Foscarelli

   Colin Blakely......................................Dick Hardman

   John Gielgud......................................Mr. Beddoes

And that's it for Murder On The Orient Express.  Of all the Orient Express adaptations, this one remains my favorite.  The newer versions may be more sumptuous and flashier, but this one has much better performances.

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