← Back to results
Murder!
1930 102 min United Kingdom 16+
★6.9
Mystery, Crime, Thriller
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
🎭 Based on
«Enter Sir John»
byHelen de Guerry Simpson
Trailers
Description
When actress Diana Baring is found in a daze beside her colleague’s murdered body, all evidence points to her guilt. During the trial, juror Sir John Menier doubts the verdict, but yields to pressure. Haunted by remorse, he launches his own investigation.
Starring
Herbert Marshall
Actor
Norah Baring
Actor
Phyllis Konstam
Actor
Key opinion
Alfred Hitchcock’s 'Murder!' is widely recognized as a significant historical artifact that introduced groundbreaking technical innovations like the stream-of-consciousness voice-over. While film scholars value it as a foundational work in Hitchcock's evolution, contemporary general viewers may find the technical aging and slow narrative structure challenging.
| Originality | The implementation of the off-screen internal monologue is a revolutionary technical achievement that foreshadows modern noir techniques. | |
| Culture | The film functions as a critical historical precursor to later 'closed-room' jury dramas like '12 Angry Men'. | |
| Theme | The narrative prioritizes the moral weight and psychology of the crime over the mechanical puzzle-solving typical of the genre. | |
| Production | The technical presentation is compromised by subpar image and sound quality that hampers the experience for the modern viewer. | |
| Acting | The performances are viewed as static and dated by some modern audiences, while others appreciate the acting as strong for its era. | |
| Pacing | The pacing and plot are seen as foundational and interesting by cinephiles, while others find the narrative to be unengaging or slow. |