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Yet despite having all the right elements and the radiant Kelly, Dial M for Murder feels like a lesser Hitchcock work. Even by his usual plotty standards, the film is excessively talky. the material's stage roots show through, and Hitch shows a surprising lack of creativity in opening up the milieu. Also a detriment is that none of the characters are especially interesting or likable, which can still make for a fun potboiler (witness the similar Sorry, Wrong Number, whose main protagonist is so annoying you want her to get offed), but even Milland fails to create a memorable villain. Worst of all, it takes what seems like two full acts for the suspense to kick in, and the climax is not a genuine nail-biter. Dial M for Murder lacks the usual punch of even average Hitchcock.

One of the primarily complaints leveled at Dial M for Murder upon its release was Hitchcock's minimal use of the 3-D effect. His only film shot in the dimensional process, indeed there is little of the usual gags and gimmicks popping out at us from the screen (aside from a well-placed and much-famous pair of scissors during the climax). However, this proves a boon at home, where we don't have to suffer the indignities of paddle balls and yo-yo's forcing us to go cross-eyed. Alas, even as well-tailored it should be for the small screen, Dial M for Murder is one of Hitchcock's weaker efforts.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Presented in its original 1.33:1 full screen theatrical aspect ratio, I was pleasantly surprised when I first plopped the DVD into the player. The opening titles were awash in bright, vivid colors, smooth detail and rock solid blacks. Wow, I thought, this was gonna be a good one! Then the movie started.

Dial M for Murder was shot with a two-camera 3-D process, which unfortunately wrecks havoc with any video transfer. The result is very bad haloing and ghosting around just about any sharply contrasted object. It is quite distracting, even after you've gotten used to it, but to be fair there was likely not much Warner could have done. Certainly, this looks far better than any previous release, and does have its plusses. The Technicolor hues are nice and vibrant, detail and sharpness above average for the period, and even shadow delineation good considering the material. There is some heavy grain on any shot involving mattes (of which there are quite a few), and sometimes colors look a bit noisy. But, given the source material, I am going to give this transfer four stars out of five, because it likely looks far better than it has any right to.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby 1.0 mono track included here is bland and ordinary. Frequency response is just decent, with clipped highs and no low end. I occasionally had trouble discerning dialogue, and the music and effects often sounded shrill. It is certainly far from the worst mono track I've heard, and there are no major source defects. But nothing special.

An alternative Spanish mono dub is also included, along with English, French and Spanish subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

More interesting than the film they support are two new featurettes. Hitch and Dial M is a 20-minute chat with famous Hitchcock fans Peter Bogdanovich, M. Night Shyamalan, Richard Franklin, writer Nat Benchley and historian Robert Osbourne, plus Pat Hitchcock. All seem almost awestruck by the movie, but to be honest I couldn't see what all the fuss is about. But all do a fine job of pointing out the film's strengths and the usual panache Hitchcock brings to any project. Also worth watching is the 7-minute 3-D: A Brief History. Joining Osbourne again is director Joe Alves (Jaws 3-D), who give a straightforward, fun overview of the process. Too bad we couldn't see it in 3-D on DVD!

Rounding out the extras is the film's theatrical trailer, also in 4:3 full screen and mono.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

There are no ROM extras included.

Parting Thoughts