Hitchcock's Frenzy -1972

Frenzy was Hitchcocks's next to the last movie. It never gained a large measure of popularity here in The US for one good reason; the American public did not know any of the "stars"..and stars brought the people to the theater.
The movie was filmed in Great Britain (for Universal studios) and the actors were "local"...er international to us, 'local' to the British audience. However, the movie is classic Hitchcock, and this time he gets to make fun of himself, and tell a good story , spiced with suspense as only he could do it. He had a good time with his friends, on a limited budget. If there were any doubts that Hitch "still had it" in 1972, Frenzy should have dispelled them.

The DVD released by Universal studios has a short history of the film which shed some light on the origins of the movie. The cast by and large was chosen in typical Hitchcock style, searching for talent in relative obscurity, and looking for the best for the money. Unlike Tippi Hedron, though, these actors had some proven ability. The "hero" (or anti-hero) had done MacBeth with Polanski, although most of his filmography consists of cheap horror flicks, and the "Villain" had been in a minor British thriller, Twisted Nerve (1968) previously, which had been said to have a "Hitchcockian" flair. The women, though, were well known in various performance media, mainly Television and the stage.

The movie was low budget, and the "stars" came to work in taxis, or rode their bikes, and were given no special treatment. Rehearsal was not required, but was often considered a deferment to the actors by this amazing director, who managed to get the "best" from his cast, by going about it in a completely unexpected manner. He had one actress believing she was auditioning for a completely different part, and talked about batter recipes. When the "star" asked, Hitchcock said "I suppose you want to run the jokes?" (rehearse).

The movie was shot in London, with many travelog shots of famous places, reflecting the love of a native son. During this film, Alma, Hitch's best friend, and assistant, (his wife) had a heart attack, Henry Mancini was fired as the composer (although he left the score, adapted by Ron Goodwin), and the screen play was written by Anthony Shaffer, who incidentally is the identical twin of the man who screen wrote Amadeus, Peter Shaffer. The story was adapted from a book by Arthur La Bern.

Some of the lesser parts in the film were played by actors who had been with Hitchcock 40 years previously, before he left for Hollywood. It had been 22 years since Hitchcock had filmed in England. (Stage Fright-1950). Hitch returns to his roots. One of the main characters is a green grocer, as was Hitchcock's own father. In many ways, this movie acknowledges the director's own life.

Be sure to see the TRAILER for this flick, which features our director "floating about London" in the Thames, and wandering about London talking about his flick in that dry, hilarious Hitchcock manner.

Looking for the Classic Hitchcock Elements

They aren't as easily seen as you might think. Often mentioned, "patterns in women's hair" was a device used in only one film effectively, Vertigo, and it was the swirling spiral that was repeated throughout the film in many different settings, including the hair style.

This time there is a central image, and it is of a necktie-being tied..too tight. I suppose it is more than a fluke that Alfred Hitchcock hated neckties, as I remember from his commentaries on the TV series.

Other recurrent images are shattering glass images, retying a neck tie, and news banners and placards proclaiming the events of the repeating "necktie" murders. There is one brilliant long shot ascending a staircase, and a "bathroom scene". In one scene, the Master of suspense keeps the audience in utter and complete silence, as we watch a "still" shot of the front of a building, waiting for the inevitable scream when a "murder" is discovered. The director's cameo, present in all his films from 1926 forward, may be hard to spot, and I won't give it away. (It is a longer shot than usual, and once you find it you will be amazed that you missed it the first time!)

The Photography

The value of the Hitchcock approach is how this comes together in the final product. Typically interesting are the long shots, the use of the architecture to make a point, and how commonplace (and well known) areas blend so well into the story. Check out the alleyways, with the "arrows", in the second murder scene, and the vegetable market in Coventry Garden for some of the best long shots.


The Music

The themes, composed by Mancini,(and arranged by his replacement) are thematic for London, setting the nostalgic tone for Hitchcocks's return to his native land for this movie. The sound control, however, shows that same Hitchcock intuition and creativity, and silence is used most effectively.

The Dialog

This isn't particularly clever, but, it is done in such a way as to pack a huge amount of information into a small package. In just a sentence, we are given motivation, or a profile of the murderer, or indeed, most of the story. Anthony Shaffer did a masterful job of putting it together, keeping a rhythmic pacing in the word exchanges, and interspersing every distasteful or gruesome segment with some genuine humor. I think London patter may be a little harder to follow for American Audiences, but it doesn't take long to adjust.

The Humor

There are funny moments all through this flick, although it never degenerates into downright silly. The murderer himself has some hugely funny scenes, and I confess the sight of the second murder victim had my mother and myself both tittering helplessly, gruesome though it was.
There is a particularly cute domestic subplot, directed and played with utmost skill, where the wife of the police inspector is taking a gourmet cooking class. They discuss the murders over dinner,( which looks ghastly), with the inspector trying not to show her how horrible he finds it. The wife adds her input, but you may notice she never eats her offerings herself, although she continues to swill martinis.

Some Unusual Aspects

Hitchcock shows himself to be a master of innovation, or at least well in the forefront of film-making with this flick. As Peter Bogdanovich states in his interview in the documentary, he made, in his seventies, "a young man's film". There is at least one scene of shocking brutality (all of it merely implied in the best Hitchcock tradition), and some nudity as well.

Even more interesting to me, as this film was a product of the early seventies, was the sub-theme, or "Squadron Leader-to-Barman" story, which beats both Scorcese and Coppola to the returning, disillusioned veteran theme. It was becoming clear, and Hitchcock was in tune with it, that war heroes did not necessarily return home to a hero's welcome, nor were their fortunes assured by their acts in the military. Civilian life for our hero, we see, is a grave disappointment. This hero certainly breaks out of a well known good guy type. And, in my opinion, it merely made the movie more interesting.

The pacing of the story is well done, and by about midway, when we KNOW who the murderer is (having witnessed at least one murder) some of us may think that the movie will be predictable. It is not.

The Plot:


The movie opens with the discovery of a murder victim floating in the Thames, naked, except for a strangling neck tie.

"I say...its not my club tie, is it?" says the man, Sir George, who had been speaking to a crowd, now gathered at the scene where the body is being pulled from the river.

Flip to our hero Richard Blaney, knotting his tie in coming to work in the bar where he works, and lives. He is fixing a drink (the hair of the dog that bit him, I'd say).

"A thief or a boozer, its all the same to me. I don't need either as a barman."

And Blaney has been fired from his job. In spite of being a former "Squadron Leader" he has few prospects, and we find we are unsympathetic as he whines and moans, grumbles and growls, and always has a ready excuse for his failures. It is never his fault. Blaney runs into a friend, a grocer named Bob Rusk, and whines to him.

(Bob) "You weren't pi**ing in the beer again?".

Dick proceeds to tell Bob the woes of "Squadron leader to Barman -in one easy lesson". Bob lends an ear, and offers support and a bunch of grapes, plus a tip on a long shot at the raceway. His friend offers him some money, but pride keeps him from accepting.

(Bob)"Don't forget. Bob's your Uncle".

Dick continues drinking, and later when he hears the results of the race (which he couldn't back, being devoid of cash) he smashes the grapes on the ground, in a fit of rage. He then shows up at his ex-wife's business, the Blaney bureau. This is a matchmaker business. He insults the help and is witnessed arguing loudly with his ex wife, obviously jealous and diminished by her success. But the successful wife and the miserable failure of a husband mend their differences, and part on good terms. He finds out later that his former wife Brenda slipped him some much needed cash.

(Brenda to Mr Robinson) "I can't help you. You're different..."

Next day, Brenda is in her office, when Bob (the same) shows up, identifying himself as Mr. Robinson. With some discussion, we find that "Mr. Robinson" has some peculiarities (never specified) and the respectable agency wants no truck with him. Mr. Robinson, it turns out has other intentions.

"You're my type of woman!"

This statement is a lead in for a disturbing rape and murder, the only act of violence we will really see in this movie. It was brilliantly filmed in an almost stream of consciousness style, with abrupt, choppy movements, which underscores the violence, all of which is implied rather than explicit. It is profoundly disturbing, when she realizes his full intentions, as he removes his neck tie.
Now we know the identity of the "neck tie murderer", and it's just a matter of time, right? Wrong!

Meanwhile our pain-in-the-butt hero is on his way to say thanks to his wife, and discovers the murder scene shortly after. He panics, and runs...but not before the icky old maid secretary sees him leaving, on her way back from lunch.

He meets his girlfriend Babs, and realizes that he is the prime suspect in the murder. He has certainly seemed to be capable of it. When he is spotted by a member of his old squadron, he runs, then is taken up to hide by his old buddy, Johnny Porter. Hetty Porter, the friend's wife, proves to be antagonistic to Richard generally, and believes him guilty of his ex-wife's murder, due to the written circumstances of his divorce.

And this is where I'll have to leave you, in spite of some very good plot developments still to come and a final twist at the end, which is as good as any I've seen.

What clues, or weaknesses in the hero and villain will come to play?


The Cast:

Jon Finch - as Richard Blaney, ex squadron leader and a truly unhappy character. We see time and time again, how miserable his life is, with a failed marriage, being fired from his job, and having a problem with impulse control. He drinks a bit. The actor was handsome, dark and moody, and perfectly cast for this not very likable main character. He is sarcastic, quick and usually in a state of unrest, disaffection or outright anger. When he is drunk, he becomes a mean drunk, mad at the world. Well done, on all counts. Ad a point of trivia, he was the first choice in the original Alien, but bowed out due to bronchitis, an illness which caused him to miss an opportunity of a lifetime.

Alec McCowen as Chief Inspector Oxford. This is the guy who will carry the burden of ignoring the obvious and finding the murderer. Excellent actor, with some stage presence, and quite a bit of classical stage work under his belt.

Barry Foster as Robert Rusk- a grocer, and our hero's only "friend". This guy is a perfect choice for the character, who we discover by degrees is an "odd duck". The actor had done a similar film in 1968, and uses at Hitch's direction, a blend of humor, psychosis and affability to make this character work. Interestingly, he, too, is not a likable character. But he is obsessive to a fault, and smarmy as well. The word "lovely" will reverberate in your mind, after you have watched this film.

Billie Whiteclaw as Hetty Porter. This actress had some history with Barry Foster in other movies, and her role, as a wife of one of the former hero's squadron, is an interesting one. She is the negative harridan, who does not in the least believe our hero, and believes him to be guilty without a doubt. She is a fore-runner to today's modern woman, aggressively defending against the cads of the world. Her husband, an adorable man, is milk toast. The character was uncompromising and detailed.

Anna Massey as Babs Milligan. A fine actress from a well-known acting family (Raymond Massey), this chick comes close to being the female lead. She is an ideal girlfriend, believing in her man, against all odds, and what seems to be incriminating evidence. She is pretty, has a great body, (or what we see of it) and plays the part well.

Barbara Leigh-Hunt as Brenda Blaney, our hero's ex wife. Her part is short lived (ahem, that is meant as a tongue in cheek remark) but critical to understanding our villain. She has dumped our hero, but still has kindness and generosity, an altogether admirable modern woman, who was making a good living without her ex, thank you. She is petite and pretty and blonde, and her murder scene is one of the most distressing I have seen in a while.

Bernard Cribbins as Felix Forsythe-side kick to the inspector. Helps with exposition and has a few good moments.

Vivien Merchant as Mrs. Oxford. She has a voice remarkably similar to Glenda the Good witch in the "Wizard of Oz", and her performance is utterly delightful.

Elsie Randolph as Gladys, the hoptel clerk, who had worked with Hitch in his 1932 film Rich and Strange ad plays a worldly hotel clerk, with some very fine moments in this movie.

Jean Marsh as Monica Barling-the old maid secretary, with a photographic memory. Heretofore a glamorous star, the actress is transformed into a believable old spinster, whose job is her life.



Final Recommendation

Isn't it funny how we look for the well known faces to validate movie experiences, especially classics, like this one? You won't find many actors you will recognize in this flick. But you will find some excellent performances, a suspense flick that should grip your interest, and Hitchcock humor as well. It is neither as momentous or as memorable as some of the better known flicks of the master, but it bears the unmistakable stamp of Alfred Hitchcock. It is definitely worth a look.