There are two kinds of murder stories. In those written by Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle, the mystery is the identity of the murderer. Hitchcock specialized in the other type where the identity of the killer (or, in this case, the man who tried to arrange the murder) is known from the beginning and the mystery is how he or she will be discovered. Dial M for Murder with Ray Milland, Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings is a classic example of Hitchcock's approach, though, of course, the viewer knows for a certainty that Tony Wendice (Milland) will be found out even after his rich, philandering wife, Margot Mary Wendice (Kelly) escapes the hired killer by plunging a pair of scissors into his back. The viewer is likely also to surmise that the third major character, Mark Halladay (Cummings), an American mystery writer and Margot's lover, will play a significant role in establishing her husband's guilt.
Despite the obvious sign posts, Hitchcock manages to sustain the suspense thanks not only to his own skills but also to Frederick Knott, who wrote the screenplay and the play on which the movie is based. Without giving away the secret, the crucial question posed by the death of the hired killer is how did he get into the Wendice apartment? Chief Inspector Hubbard (John Williams) answers this question initially by determining that Margot must have let him in and then murdered him because he was blackmailing her. She is convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged. But the chief inspector is not entirely satisfied and, seeking a different answer to the question, ultimately discovers that Tony planned the murder.
Milland and Cummings handle their roles in their customarily efficient style. Dial M is perhaps more notable as a reminder, if any is needed, of how beautiful and how classy Hollywood's own Princess Diana, Grace Kelly, was in her twenties when she became a star. She was, of course, one of Hitchcock's muses and it's easy to see why.
Despite the obvious sign posts, Hitchcock manages to sustain the suspense thanks not only to his own skills but also to Frederick Knott, who wrote the screenplay and the play on which the movie is based. Without giving away the secret, the crucial question posed by the death of the hired killer is how did he get into the Wendice apartment? Chief Inspector Hubbard (John Williams) answers this question initially by determining that Margot must have let him in and then murdered him because he was blackmailing her. She is convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged. But the chief inspector is not entirely satisfied and, seeking a different answer to the question, ultimately discovers that Tony planned the murder.
Milland and Cummings handle their roles in their customarily efficient style. Dial M is perhaps more notable as a reminder, if any is needed, of how beautiful and how classy Hollywood's own Princess Diana, Grace Kelly, was in her twenties when she became a star. She was, of course, one of Hitchcock's muses and it's easy to see why.