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Murder [VHS] [1930]
 
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Murder [VHS] [1930]

VHS ~ Herbert Marshall
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Herbert Marshall, Norah Baring, Phyllis Konstam, Edward Chapman, Miles Mander
  • Directors: Alfred Hitchcock
  • Writers: Alfred Hitchcock, Alma Reville, Clemence Dane, Helen Simpson, Walter C. Mycroft
  • Producers: John Maxwell
  • Format: Black & White, PAL
  • Language English
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: Warner Home Video
  • VHS Release Date: 12 Jul 1999
  • Run Time: 92 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00004CPMA
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 22,747 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

    Popular in this category:

    #49 in  Video > Classic Films > Directors > Hitchcock, Alfred

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

This 1930 drama was an early field day for Alfred Hitchcock and his evolving ideas about the blurring of opposites: reality and illusion, guilt and innocence, observing and doing, men and women. A rare whodunit in the director's canon, the story of Murder finds a stage actress (Norah Baring) convicted of murdering a female friend. Herbert Marshall stars as a veteran theatre actor and, coincidentally, member of the jury who has grave doubts about the verdict and decides to investigate the crime on his own. His efforts lead him through a world with which he is sufficiently familiar--that of backstage intrigues--and toward what some critics have charged is an unfortunate link between villainy and a gay stereotype. But that limited critique completely misses the playful overlapping of faulty perceptions invited by this movie, in which Hitchcock deliberately confuses us at times about whether the action we're seeing is real or occurring on a stage. Even when the distinction is obvious, thematic echoes bounce wildly between the two, such as an early scene in which policemen observing a play don't realise the solution to the real murder is weirdly foretold in what they're watching. --Tom Keogh


Synopsis

A woman found near the scene of a murder is arrested. One of the jurors hearing the case sets out to prove that she is innocent.

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Ealy Hitchcock delight, 13 Nov 2000
By A Customer
Man of the stage, Herbert Mershall, struggling to prove Norah Baring's innocence in Alfred Hitchcock's beautifully staged, hugely influential drama mystery. You can see where Sidney Lumet picked up some of his bits for 12' Angry Men. Brilliantly acted, wonderfully scribed and typically-well directed. Leading the audience to its clammy, claustrophobic finale, while Hitchcock weaves together a tale of guilt, suspicion, intrigue and forbidden love. Though its slightly dull paced at times. It still could be considered today, a daring peice of wotk for its time.May even be Hitchcock's best film of the thirties, along with The Lady Vanishes.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Early Hitchcock "Whodunnit", 8 May 2006
By L. Davidson (Belfast, N.Ireland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This review is from: Murder [DVD] [1930] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
"Murder" certainly is one of the better of Hitchcock's 1930's films; it has an intricate plot , a steady build up of suspense, good acting and a dramatic finale. After a stage actress is killed ,seemingly by by one of her colleagues who is subsequently convicted of her murder, a veteran actor who served as the chief juror at her trial ,decides to launch his own investigation into the incident after having post-trial reservations about the case. There are some good scenes in the film, most notably the jury scene and the finale in the circus. "Murder" would have been worthy of a four star rating had it not been for the fuzzy sound and grainy picture, which made the film difficult to follow at times. I suppose this is to be expected of a 75 year old movie though. Maybe one day someone will digitally remaster it.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, 2 Aug 2009
By Alex da Silva (Lytham St. Annes, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Murder [DVD] [1930] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
Diana (Norah Baring) is accused of murder. She goes on trial and is
found guilty. However, one of the jurors, Sir John (Herbert Marshall),
is not convinced of her guilt and investigates the case himself in
order to prove Diana's innocence. Can he do anything in time before she
is hung......?.....

The film is separated into different sequences, eg, introduction to
cast of characters in theatre company, jury deliberation, Sir John's
investigation and this keeps the film moving as the dialogue is
repetitive and rather slow at times. There are some annoying scenes,
eg, at the beginning when we are introduced to the characters in the
theatre company via a policeman asking them questions while they
continue with their performances on stage. The result is a muddled
noise with everyone talking over each other at the same time. Its
played for comedy but it isn't funny - its tiring. Also, Norah Baring
has a terrible voice and is annoyingly stupid in not saving herself by
mentioning the name of the man who was in the flat to Sir John. Are we
really meant to believe this importance that is attached to being
half-caste...............especially in the theatre profession......?
Esme Percy is good as the camp trapeze artist Handel Fane.

The film has a good end section that cancels out the previous part
where it loses its way a little, ie, nothing happens.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars AT AGE 28 HITCHCOCK SHOWS HIS GENIUS
Hitchcock was just 28 when he made Murder! Fans will love this film from the 20's. By watching this you know what Scorsese and Spielberg studied at school. Read more
Published 13 months ago by D. Bronstein

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