Stage Fright

Stage Fright is a middle-of-the-road thriller from director Alfred Hitchcock that lacks both energy and engagement.

The plot sees a young drama student (Jane Wyman) and her father (Alastair Sim) help a young man (Richard Todd) accused of murdering a famous actress’ (Marlene Dietrich) husband.

Part of the problem is the cast. Though Alastair Sim and Marlene Dietrich are fine (with Sim stealing all of his scenes), the rest of the cast is rather flat, with Jane Wyman lacking the innate charisma of Hitchcock’s better leads (Ingrid Bergman would have been a superior choice), and Michael Wilding and Richard Todd failing to register at all.

Further, the script is far too plot-driven, even for a Hitchcock vehicle. None of the characters feel organic, as their actions only serve to advance the plot, rather than make actual sense. Wyman’s character in particular, with her entire outlandish scheme, is ridiculous from the get-go, and the eventual third-act twist isn’t remotely surprising given that, without it, the previous 100 minutes would have felt like a complete waste of time.

Finally, looking back, given the nature of the story, one can’t help but compare Stage Fright to another Dietrich film, Billy Wilder’s Witness for the Prosecution; next to which, Stage Fright pales in every way.