Murder! (1930) Hitchcock’s Sound-Era Thriller–What You Need to Know, Hero and Villain, Theater Setting, Hitchcock’s Cameo, Stars Herbert Marshall and Norah Baring
Alfred Hitchcock’s sound-era thriller, “Murder,” stars Herbert Marshall in his first speaking role, thus launching a long fruitful screen career in the U.K. and in Hollywood.
Grade: B (***1/2* out of ******)
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Marshall plays an actor-manager named Sir John Menier, reportedly inspired by the pompous real-life actor, George DuMaurier.
Summoned for jury duty, Sir John is one of 12 people who must decide the fate of Diana Baring (Norah Baring), a young actress on trial for murder.
Though the girl is found guilty, Sir John believes that she’s innocent and sets about to prove it on his own, exercising his actor’s prerogative of adopting clever disguises in the course of his investigation.
Along the way, he is assisted by a pair of lower-class clods, Ted and Dulcie Markham (Edward Chapman and Phyllis Konstam), who help him stage an elaborate re-enactment of the crime.
Based on Enter Sir John, a novel and play by Clemence Dane and Helen Simpson, “Murder” was simultaneously filmed in a German version, with Alfred Abel playing the Herbert Marshall part.
“Murder” features a villain, Handel Fane (played by Esme Percy) who is a transvestite, a killer motivated by his racial status; he’s a half-caste. Confessing to the crime of which Diana is accused, he later commits suicide by hanging himself during a trapeze performance.
The happy ending shows Diana and Sir John together, but it turns out they are on stage, performing in his new play.
As is known, for all of his career Hitchcock was fascinated with the theater as a setting, enabling him to comment on the issues of appearances versus reality and role-playing. In “Murder,” Hitchcock blurs the distinction between life on stage and off by using the last name of his leading lady, Nora Baring, as her character’s name, Diana Baring.
At one point, Sir John says: “This is not a play. This is life!” Later on, in his effort to acquit Diana, he aims to get at “Nothing but the truth,” which is also the name of a play in the theater’s repertory.
Villain
The villain, Fane, represents “Otherness.” In another play performed, the murderer is dressed as a woman and as a cop, which are also the disguises that the villain had used to escape from the scene of the crime.
In his first, striking entrance, we witness his fixed, hypnotic gaze, straight into the camera.
Intertextuality: Theaters and Movie Houses
Theatrical settings also feature prominently in “The Thirty Nine Steps,” the two versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1934 and 1956, respectively), “Stage Fright,” “I Confess,” and others.
Movie houses also appear in “Sabotage,” “Rebecca,” and “Saboteur.”
The film was originally to be released under the same title as the novel, Enter Sir John, but this was changed to the simpler Murder! during shooting.
Changes from the book include altering the names of the two principal characters.
The portrayal of the character Sir John Mernier was loosely based on that of the actor Gerald du Maurier, who was a friend of Hitchcock.
Inspired by Daphne du Maurier:
Hitchcock later adapted three novels written by du Maurier’s daughter Daphne du Maurier: Jamaica Inn (1939), Rebecca (1940) and The Birds (1963).
Cameo
Hitchcock makes his cameo appearance as a man walking past the murder victim’s house.
The film’s sets were designed by the art director John Mead.
The German language version of the film, Mary (1931), was shot simultaneously on the same set with German-speaking actors. Miles Mander reprised his role as Gordon Druce in Mary, though the character’s name was changed to Gordon Moore.
In addition to original music composed by John Reynders, the film uses the opening of Richard Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” prelude in a radio broadcast Sir John is listening to during the shaving scene.
For the filming, an orchestra played the music live on the set. Hitchcock described the filming of this scene to François Truffaut in the book-length interview Hitchcock/Truffaut (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1967). In the early days of sound film, there was no way to post-dub sound, so Hitchcock had Herbert Marshall’s voice recorded on a phonograph record, which was played back during the filming of the scene, while the orchestra played the “radio” music live.
Credits:
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay by Hitchcock, Walter Mycroft, Alma Reville, based on Enter Sir John by Clemence Dane and Helen Simpson
Produced by John Maxwell (Uncredited)
Cinematography J. J. Cox
Edited by Rene Marrison
under the supervision of Emile de Ruelle
Music by John Reynders
(musical director)
Production company: British International Pictures
Distributed by Wardour Films
Release date: July 31, 1930
Running time: 101 minutes
Budget $200,000
Box office $600,000
DVD: September 5, 2000
Cast
Herbert Marshall as Sir John Menier
Norah Baring as Diana Baring
Phyllis Konstam as Dulcie Markham
Edward Chapman as Ted Markham
R.E. Jeffrey as Foreman of the Jury
Miles Mander as Gordon Druce
