An actress is drawn into the cover-up of a murder and the love triangle that caused it.
British director Alfred Hitchcock began his career near the end of silent films, and soon after became an international sensation for his thrillers. Emigrating to Hollywood at the end of the 1930s, his first American film Rebecca won the Academy Award for Best Picture. He worked with the biggest stars of the era, and by the end of the decade began experimenting with narrative form and his visual approach.
Hitchcock returned to the UK for his first British film in ten years, set in the theatre community. It was shot on location in London at St. Paul's cathedral, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, as well as in the village of Elstree.
The film stars recent Oscar-winner Jane Wyman and style icon Marlene Dietrich, but the rest of the cast is filled with popular British actors Alastair Sim, Michael Wilding, and Richard Todd. It was also a Hitchcock family affair, his wife Alma contributing to the screenplay and daughter Patricia in the first of several on-screen roles she would play in his films.
Other high-profile talent participated in the production, with Cole Porter writing an original song for Dietrich to perform on-camera, and Christian Dior designing the gowns.
While utilizing some of the long takes Hitchcock had implemented in recent films, Stage Fright was a return to "classic" territory with its mixture of murder and black comedy, an accused man on the run, and black & white photography. The theatre setting led Hitchcock to play with the idea of performance and deception, particularly the unreliable narrator device.
The film was divisive among critics and it was not a success at the box office. It is now regarded as one of Hitchcock's most underrated works.
Running time is 110 minutes.
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