October 10, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 33 Alfred Hitchcock classic comes to Blu-ray in 3-D by Dennis Seuling For three years in the 1950s, Hollywood brought 3D movies to the public for the first time. Most were characterized by numerous articles being hurled toward the camera to make moviegoers cringe in momentary fright. The gimmick was accompanied by complaints that watching these movies caused eyestrain, and stories were more for children than an adult audience. The simultaneous debut of CinemaScope, a widescreen process that did not require glasses, eventually became the industry standard. By 1955, the 3D fad was over and remained dormant with the exception of the occasional horror movie or animated movie -until “Avatar” blew audiences away in 2009 and opened the floodgates to a renewed fascination with the technique. Only four 3D films of the ‘50s surpassed the merely routine: “House of Wax,” the creepy movie that cemented Vincent Price’s position as king of horror; “Kiss Me Kate,” a high-spirited adaptation of Cole Porter’s hit Broadway musical; “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” which added an amphibious monster to Universal’s stable of fright characters; and “Dial M for Murder,” an Alfred Hitchcock thriller. “Dial M for Murder” (Warner Home Video) is now available in a Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray edition. Based on the Frederick Knott stage play, the movie is confined to a single set. Tennis player Tony Wendice (Ray Milland) discovers that his wife Margot (Grace Kelly) is having an affair with writer Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings) and methodically plans to have her murdered. Tony establishes a solid alibi and convinces a shady college acquaintance (Anthony Dawson) to do the killing. Hitchcock purposely avoided “opening up” the play into several locations. Instead, he relied on interesting camera setups and the riveting performances of Milland, Kelly, and John Williams (as the police inspector assigned to the case) to build and sustain suspense. Viewers will not find the customary projectiles rushing toward the camera, but scenes inside the Wendice flat are given depth. The film, however, has its drawbacks. Cummings is not a particularly convincing actor, and the murder plot appears convoluted. Once the plot kicks in, however, it is hard to look away. Hitchcock made several movies set in claustrophobic locations, including “Lifeboat,” “Rear Window,” and “Rope.” “Dial M for Murder,” which is part of that impressive list, boasts a literate script. Hitchcock masterfully builds tension and suspense as the plot thickens. It is satisfying to see Milland, an actor who never achieved the superstar status of contemporaries James Stewart or Cary Grant, command the screen Ray Milland, Robert Cummings, and Grace Kelly in a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Dial M for Murder.’ as the urbane Tony. Special features include the documentary “Hitchcock and Dial M.” “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Warner Home Video) is the only film to (continued on Crossword page)