Tehran’s Arasbaran Cultural Center hosted a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 detective film “Dial M for Murder” on Wednesday, followed by a review session featuring film critic Amir Qaderi. The event offered attendees an opportunity to revisit the classic thriller based on Frederick Knott’s successful stage play.
The film stars Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. It centers on Tony Wendice, a retired professional tennis player married to Margot, a wealthy socialite. Upon discovering that Margot is having an affair with Mark Halliday, an American crime fiction writer, Tony fears losing access to her fortune if she divorces him. To prevent this, he schematically plots to have Margot murdered, enlisting the help of Charles Swann, a former Cambridge University classmate with a criminal record who survives by running small scams.
Tony manipulates Swann by revealing knowledge of Margot’s affair and blackmailing her with a love letter from Mark, which Swann had previously stolen from Margot’s handbag. Tony coerces Swann into agreeing to kill Margot by threatening to expose him unless he complies and offers a £1,000 payment. The plan involves Tony and Mark attending a party, leaving Margot alone at home where Swann is to strangle her after entering with a latchkey hidden by Tony. The murder is to be staged as a botched burglary.
However, the plot unravels when Margot manages to defend herself, fatally stabbing Swann with scissors. Tony returns home and attempts to frame Margot by tampering with evidence, including moving the key supposedly used by Margot into her handbag and planting Mark’s love letter on Swann’s body. Margot’s inconsistent statements during the investigation by Chief Inspector Hubbard deepen suspicion against her, leading to her arrest, conviction for murder, and a death sentence.
As Margot’s execution nears, Mark grows suspicious of Tony’s involvement and urges him to confess, believing it could save her. Meanwhile, Inspector Hubbard uncovers discrepancies, noting Tony’s unexplained expenditures and discovering a large sum of cash in his possession. Crucially, Hubbard realizes that the key found in Margot’s handbag belongs to Swann. Through detailed analysis, the inspector deduces that Swann returned the key to its hiding place inside the apartment immediately after entry rather than replacing it outside.
To trap Tony, Hubbard re-enacts the scene in which Margot tries to unlock the door with the key found in her handbag, but it fails. Tony later returns to recover the handbag, only to find the hidden key missing. When he retrieves the key from beneath the carpet and uses it to enter, he inadvertently confirms his knowledge of the original concealment spot, exposing his guilt. The film concludes with Tony’s arrest as he accepts defeat, acknowledging the collapse of his carefully crafted scheme.