Murder! (1930)

This early Hitchcock feature is full of innovations typical of Hitchcock in his early days of the talkies, which were sometimes wildly experimental, like here. At the same time it's his slowest film, you have to be patient with some trying scenes, but the main asset of the film is the very shrewd story. Two actresses, who have been quarrelling rivals, meet to make peace, which meeting ends with one of them being found dead, battered to death by a poker lying beside her, while the other actress sits paralysed and can't remember anything. She is brought to trial, of course, and the jury seems to take it for granted that she must be guilty, there is no other explanation, while Herbert Marshall is the last jury member to be persuaded to agree on the verdict, which he afterwards regrets, he continues brooding on the issue, and then comes the great shaving scene, which is central in the film. He shaves while there is his monologue, and as the radio playing Wagner's Tristan overture reaches an emotional peak, the clue to the mystery dawns upon him, and he starts his own investigation together with another actor of the theatre.There are many interesting scenes, for instance when the police question the actors during am om-going theatre performance, the famous jury session, striking details such as the loose teeth, and the famous climax, where Hitchcock proves himself fully fledged.The music plays an important part here, especially the circus orchestra sharpens your attention, but the ingenious plot is the main thing. Pardon the slow motion, but it's still definitely Hitchcock.

"Murder" from 1930 is a rare film from Alfred Hitchcock in that the plot is a "whodunit." I can't recall many other films where the director would use the same kind of narrative. It works quite well on the whole but the pace could have been better and a running time of 90 minutes or less would have helped also. The explanation given at the end of the film for the murder, is rather unexpected and quite daring for those more Conservative times. It changes the complexion of the whole story. The killing of a theatre actress at the beginning, leads to the arrest and trial of a woman who's a member of the same acting company. Whilst the jury members debate who whether the woman is guilty or not, Herbert Marshall as one of the jurors, initiates his own investigation. With the assistance of Edward Chapman (later in some of the Norman Wisdom comedies), they both uncover a good deal of information that casts some doubt as to the suspect's guilt. There are many great Hitchcock moments and it's always interesting to follow Herbert Marshall's efforts in obtaining the truth. There is an interesting scene during when Marshall is having a shave. As he gazes into his mirror in a somewhat melancholic state of mind, his thoughts about the case are reflected in a separate voice-over which was recorded by the actor. An effective scene. In spite of the over-length, "Murder" is still a pretty darn good film.

"Murder!" may be one of the least known of Hitchcock's films and is hardly seen today, yet this early talkie, which he made in 1930, has a lot more than historical interest to recommend it. Herbert Marshall, (very good), is the juror who, after bringing in a guilty verdict, (in a terrific sequence that makes great use of early sound techniques), has second thoughts and starts investigating the case himself.It's based on a play and is set in a theatrical milieu, (Marshall plays a famous actor), and Hitchcock films it accordingly but it is full of great Hitchcock touches that distinguishes it from other British films of the period; it certainly couldn't be mistaken for the work of anyone else. Indeed this is text-book film-making of a high order and is an essential part of the Hitchcock canon.

The second earlier Hitchcock film I've watched, and like SECRET AGENT, I found this one very dated. The problem lies in the pacing alone; at nearly two hours, this is a slow and dragged-out movie which could have done with an hour lopping off so that it moved at a fair old whack. As it stands, especially during the middle part of the film everything feels dragged out endlessly.Not that this is a bad film, because it isn't. I don't think Hitchcock ever directed a truly bad film. The plot comes across like TWELVE ANGRY MEN, although of course it was made decades before that classic. Aristocratic leading man Herbert Marshall (later the bad guy in FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT) is one member of a jury who finds a young woman guilty of murder after a body is found at her feet with the murder weapon grasped in her hand. Of course, as is invariably the case with these murder mysteries, nothing is as simple as it seems and Herbert begins a private investigation into the crime.The investigation is where this film gets bogged down after an arresting opening. However, things pick up for the climax, which is stark, stylish, and suitably horrific - a classic Hitchcock ending. Watch out for the scene with Marshall shaving in the mirror, the first example of a voice-over narration representing an internal monologue in cinema. Marshall is great and the supporting cast are fine, and the theatrical backdrop allows for some interesting characterisation with cross-dressing and the like going on. But that pace makes MURDER! one of Hitch's lesser efforts.