Stage Fright (1950)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
A unique twist on a narrative device would prove to be a new
source of creativity in storytelling for director Alfred Hitchcock, but its originality
would also prove to be the downfall a in the eyes of many viewers of his 1950
thriller Stage Fright. Marlene Dietrich returns to the silver screen for
a shining moment as a diva-esque entertainer featured beside recent Academy
Award winner Jane Wyman in a crime drama about deception and jealousy. Set and
shot in Hitchcock’s native England with a supporting cast of British performers
the film makes for an appealing picture after Hitchcock’s rise in American
cinema that appears to miss the marks with the masses.
Stage Fright is a British/American thriller about an
acting student who goes undercover to help prove the innocence of a friend she
believes is being framed for murder. On the run from the police Jonathan (Richard
Todd) seeks refuge with friend, dramatic arts student Eve Gill (Jane Wyman). He
explains how his secret lover, the flamboyant singer/performer Charlotte Inwood
(Marlene Dietrich), murdered her husband and how he is the suspect after being
seen fleeing from the scene of the crime. Due to her feelings for Jonathan Eve attempts
to investigate for exonerating evidence for Jonathan by using her acting
prowess to get closer to the matters. While infiltrating Charlotte’s circle acting
as her dresser, Eve also becomes friendly with the case’s detective, Wilfred
Smith (Michael Wilding), whom she begins to have feelings for. The juggling of
her different relationships with Jonathan, Charlotte, and Smith proves to be
cumbersome and she finally confronts Charlotte only to discover Jonathan had
provided false information to Eve. While hiding in a theater Jonathan reveals the
truth to Eve, that he did perform the murder for Charlotte, leading to the
police literally bringing down the curtain on him.
Not one of Hitchcock’s finest pictures, Stage Fright
is decent suspense film with much to live up to when it comes from the
filmmaker that carries expectations with him which each production bearing his
name. The revelation of the an unreliable storyteller within the picture
provides the major twist in the plot, but it perhaps feels a bit out of place
as it was one of the first major uses of the device and it execution does not
allow it to be as demonstrative as well as it could have been. Marlene
Dietrich’s performance as the established star, and yet only a supporting
character is an excellent use of a infamous headlining star of yesteryear that
is fitting for both performer and character. Jane Wyman presents an intriguing heroine
who struggles with her emotions both personally as well with others, playing a
rather simple girl in a role that falls short of her previous accolades. The
film as a whole does not match the sum of its pieces for most, presenting a
rare disappointed by Hitchcock.
Stage Fright, which was an adaption of the thriller
novel “Man Running,” came during a period when Hitchcock was attempting to
establish himself as an independent producer/director. Under Transatlantic
Pictures, a partnership he had with Sidney Bernstein, Stage Fright
followed the critical failures of Rope (1948) and Under Capricorn
(1949). Set in London production was also organized to be shot in England where
the entire cast minus the two headlining stars consisted of British performers.
Having its two starring names with rather protective large self-images the
picture would have its bumps in the road even while under the guidance of one
of the industries great auteurs.
Marlene Dietrich, the renowned star of Hollywood features
dating back to the silent days with all the international appeal, charisma, and
sex appeal was a huge get for this picture. As Gloria Swanson was in Sunset
Boulevard (1950) later in the year, Dietrich was an idol of a Hollywood
past. Her star may had dimmed through the war years, but she was still a
massive public figure in popular culture, just lacking the body of work from
her more youthful years. The character of Charlotte played perfectly with the
style Hitchcock would need from Dietrich. With a plethora of cinematic
knowledge of her image in motion pictures Marlene Dietrich would be slightly
demanding on set. Her insistence on how she was filmed, instructing technicians
on lighting, lens, angles, and filters she was very insistent in front of the
camera. Filmmakers of greater egos would perhaps come to combat such demands
from a supporting performer, but Hitchcock found the time on set with her
amusing and would roll with her instructions before allowing his own vision to
be taken into account. Because of Dietrich’s insistent demands many shots of her
appear more glamourous, with a hint of old Hollywood starlet quality to her
image, which performs well with her character in the film.
Of course, the main character of the picture is Eve
portrayed by recent Oscar award winner Jane Wyman. Despite working alongside a
Hollywood legend in Dietrich, Wyman demanded that her name remain securely the
top billing for the picture. An amused Dietrich easily gave up relented to the
younger star for the sake of top billed, but for Wyman she still found herself
battling with the idea of playing second to the legendary actress. Wyman’s role
as an unassuming, meek lady that attempts to go undercover was at times hard to
swallow while she saw Dietrich playing the glamorous star within the story. Dressed
and made to look simple, Wyman would constantly apply additional makeup to
herself as she struggled to play a rather more plan female character compared
to the flamboyant Charlotte character. Wyman’s portrayal is rather good despite
the role being less interesting than her previously acclaimed performances.
The remainder of the cast was composed of many fine British
actors of stage and screen that prove to liven up the film, sometimes making us
wish we spent more time with them than the plot of the picture. Michael Wilding
plays Wilfred “Ordinary” Smith, the detective on the murder case that Eve grows
fond of while she is investigating how close the police are to solving the case.
His cleverness and likability make for a captivating performance. Richard Todd
as Jonathan leaves a bit more wanting in his performance, as a character that
cracks under pressure as the film proceeds, delivering the twist that the
earlier flashback was a fabrication. The intriguing Alastair Sim plays Eve’s
father whose overall charm, cunning, and demeanor manifests how a fine actor
can simply own a role, making it better than it is on paper. Other notable
appearances include Alfred Hitchcock’s daughter Patricia in a small role for
whom she was cast as she too was an acting student in England at the time.
Finally a short, unimportant, yet ever memorable performance of Joyce Grenfell
as a carnival game employee shines on the screen, proving to be all too fascinating
a performance despite having nothing to do with anything in the plot.
Hitchcock appears to follow in the footsteps of his more
recent works as he works in a number of extended, lengthy, and sometimes
complicated shots worked within the picture. Some are rather well composed,
creating inspired camera movements up or through spaces that add to a visually
stunning picture. Hitchcock’s creativity included many shots with reflective
surfaces allowing him to almost generate two interesting compositions in a
single frame. This allows the viewer to experience a conversation from multiple
angles in a single shot that delivers added dramatic flair to the moment with
no complexity in camera work.
The most creative part of the narrative is the Hitchcock’s
use of an opening flashback for which the entire drama is built around only to
discover that its story was unreliable later in the feature. It is an unwritten
rule of audiences that all flashbacks are seen as absolute truth as it looks
back on information, and to this point in movies all viewers would assume as
much. However, the picture’s primary swerve is that the flashback proves to be
a lie of Jonathan’s to make Eve believe she needed to help him. We, the
audiences discover we are misled just as Eve, but the presentation of the plot
device proved to bother many viewers as breaking this unwritten rule, even
confusing many. A person can lie in a movie, but you were shown something and
later told it was not true, despite seeing it. Many audiences and critics would
turn on the picture because of it and Hitchcock would learn it was not a wise
device to use in this manner.
Originally Stage Fright was to be distributed by
Transatlantic Pictures on their own before deciding to partner with Warner Bros.
to allow for a much large distribution. Reviews of Stage Fright would
play to generally mixed reviews, making a profit, but not enough to justify
Transatlantic Pictures to proceed as a business. The company would release one
more picture before it was folded. Many critics, film historians, and viewers
find much good in Stage Fright, but generally feel the film missed it
mark. Hitchcock would continue to partner with Warner Bros. as he moved into
what would be the height of his career. Stage Fright is a mix of fine
talent and ideas, but remains low on the list of Hitchcock pictures, but should
still be given its fair look.
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