Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Leading Actors/Actresses
Ray Milland, Grace Kelly
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Robert Cummings, John Williams, Anthony Dawson
Genre
Crime, Thriller
Language
English
Awards
National Board of Review, USA, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor and New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Best Actress
Date of Release
29 May 1954
Producer
Alfred Hitchcock
Setting and Context
The action takes place in London in the year 1954.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is told from the perspective of a third person objective narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone used in the film is a tragic, violent and unsettling.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Margot and the antagonist is Tony.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is between Tony and Margot and it is the result of Tony finding out about the affair between Margot and a writer named Mark.
Climax
The movie reaches its climax when Hubbarb proves Margot is innocent and when it is proven that Tony was the one who orchestrated the whole sequence of events.
Foreshadowing
The fact that Margot will be accused of murder is foreshadowed by the scene in which Tony puts incriminating evidences around Swann, making sure Margot will be blamed.
Understatement
When Tony tells Margot not to call the police because he will try to help her is an understatement as it is later proven that he does everything he can to make sure Margot is blamed for the murder.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
N/A
Allusions
One of the allusions in the film is the idea that the justice system is always willing to blame someone who already has a criminal record and stop looking for other possible suspects. This makes Tony feel sure about the possibility of Swan being accused of the murder while also being sure he will not be suspected.
Paradox
A paradoxical element is how Tony ended up being tried for the murder and having his life ruined even though he tried everything in his power to make sure his wife will be the one to suffer.
Parallelism
A parallelism presented in the film is between Tony and Swann. Even though Tony in the beginning was not involved in the criminal world, as time passes, he becomes even worse that Tony, being willing to do everything he can to save himself.
