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Bob's Your Uncle: Frenzy (1972)

After his big projects of the 1950s, Alfred Hitchcock, his name securely made in movies, returned to his native England in triumph after a 20-year hiatus. According to the notes on the DVD, Hitchcock turned down a knighthood, saying in effect, "It would only impress people like his grocer." He later was knighted anyway in 1980, the year of his death.

After having worked with the big names, the Jimmy Stewarts and Cary Grants, Hitchcock wanted to do something where the audience couldn’t immediately spot the "good guy," hence he cast a bevy of unknowns from London’s theater in his new film Frenzy. According to the featurette on the making of Frenzy, Hitchcock stated "everybody who sees Cary Grant can tell he's not the bad guy."

The resulting movie is a great success. Hitchcock did an interesting thing; many people didn't care for it but I liked it because it was different than most directors would have done. He directed the leading man (John Finch) to be abrasive and unlikable and therefore more like we would expect a killer to behave. Meanwhile, the real killer is all smiles and hearty back slaps, so yes, this is a typical Hitchcockian "wrong man" theme, but it's done where you're actually probably rooting for the killer, at least at first.

Hitchcock knew well about the secret voyeur in us all - that's why his films have so much appeal - he knows we like to watch and indulges us. He even poked fun at this quality in his own dark way with the plot of Rear Window showing an immobilized Jimmy Stewart spying on his neighbors with every thing from the naked eye, to binoculars, to a honking big telephoto lens.

In Frenzy we look at a serial murderer, someone who rapes women and strangles them with a man's necktie, which is left to be found with the body. This movie is more graphic than the earlier Hitchcocks with female nudity a new innovation. If you've seen Frenzy on TV, you certainly haven't seen several seconds of it.

As an adjunct to the sex and violence, Hitchcock leavens the story with a goodly amount of black humor. Particularly funny is the killer's attempt to recover an incriminating diamond stickpin that the victim has clenched in her fist. Another superb bit of comic relief is provided by the police detective (Alec McCowen) who has to eat "gourmet" meals prepared by his ditzy wife (Vivien Merchant), who also seems to know more about crime solution than he does. These scenes and others like them add a lot to the viewing pleasure.

The genius of Hitchcock is in the pacing. He shoots everything very meticulously, he introduces us to the killer early on, but he makes us wait for the reactions from the other characters. We are waiting impatiently - when the secretary returns to the office we are left waiting outside; "why doesn't she scream?" we are thinking.

The Universal DVD is in well preserved color, in 1.85:1 theatrical format and runs 116 minutes. The DVD comes with a fair amount of extra content, including the amusing theatrical trailer with Alfred Hitchcock, a featurette on the making of Frenzy starring the cast members, production still photos, and actor bios.

To explore more of Hitchcock's work -

Rear Window
Vertigo
Psycho





Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening