Of Hitchcock's early talkie films, Murder! is not as good as Blackmail and The Lodger but it is an improvement on Juno and the Paycock. It is an interesting film, particularly for Hitchcock completists, but it is a long way from one of his best. Murder! is very well shot and photographed, and Hitchcock directs splendidly with some tautness, subtle humour and a great deal of atmosphere. The lighting is very fitting to the tone of the story and the costumes and sets are beautifully evoked. The music is haunting and never too much or little, the use of the Tristan and Isolde prelude was also a nice touch. Of individual scenes coming off best were the thrilling beginning courtroom sequence and the suspenseful climax. Herbert Marshall is very good in the lead role. Apart from Marshall though the acting does come across as too stagy, Nora Baring and Esme Percy are particularly prone to it, but Marshall is the only actor who doesn't come across as on the stagy side. Aside the beginning and end, the story didn't come across as involving. A lot of it is rather dull and lacking in suspense, for a Hitchcockian whodunit with the wrong man theme that was somewhat odd and disappointing. The script has flashes of intelligence especially at the beginning but is tonally disjointed and lacks life in much of the film. And as a few have mentioned the voices and the way the actors speak are very heavily clipped and accented(even for a Hitchcock early talkie), so it is not always easy to understand what is being said. All in all, an interesting film but not a great one. 6/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Murder!
