FRENZY
(1972)Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Universal
FRENZY
(1972)Having not directed a film in England in over 20 years, Alfred Hitchcock returned to his homeland to make this dark yet humorous thriller set among the modern working class citizens of London. After decades of big budget Hollywood productions, Hitch exchanged the perfectly groomed leading men, glamorous blond bombshells, and chroma key backdrops for a more realistic, gritty approach, giving us his best film (also his second to last) since THE BIRDS.
This was the first Hitchcock film to be Rated R, and the audience is made aware of this in the first few minutes. A crowd of bystanders (including the obligatory Hitch cameo standing out like a sore thumb) discovers the nude body of a young woman strangled with a necktie in the Thames River. London is now in a panic as there's a modern day "Jack the Ripper" on the loose. In the meantime, Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) is a down on his luck barman who just lost his job. With barely a cent in his pocket, he pays a visit to his wealthy ex-wife Brenda (Barbara Leigh-Hunt), now a successful matchmaker.
Brenda's secretary (Jean Marsh) witnesses the once happy couple arguing, and she later sees Blaney leave the office right before Brenda is discovered strangled. Blaney is now suspected of murder and after cleverly evading the police for a while, the innocent man is taken in and charged as guilty. Hitch throws in the familiar "wrong man" technique here, and the real culprit is the redheaded Bob Rusk (Barry Foster), a friendly chap who runs a neighborhood fruit stand. Rusk acts like Blaney's friend, but after killing his girlfriend Babs (Anna Massey) he sets up Blaney so that the police can make the grab. Even though Blaney is in custody and sentenced for life, he takes desperate measures to try and escape and get revenge on Rusk.
Although the basic story outline is familiar territory, Hitch directs with the gusto of a man half is age, adding inventive technique and style, an ample dose of violence (without going overboard of course), and even glimpses of female nudity (courtesy of body doubles). I guess referring to Hitch as brilliant would be cliché to the max, but there are scenes in FRENZY that are just simply brilliant. For example, the shot that follows the killer and his next victim up a flight of stairs, and into an apartment door as he utters "you're my type of woman" to her. The door shuts, the camera then tracks back down the stairs and out across the busy street as he does his thing. There's also the shot that shows Brenda's secretary going up to the office, returning from lunch only to find her boss dead. The camera stays stationary outside, allowing two female bystanders to walk by in conjunction with the secretary's scream from inside the building. And there's more where that came from!
Hitch made a wise decision in casting rather unknown actors in the starring roles. Jon Finch (veteran of several Hammer horrors and Polanski's MACBETH) is excellent as Blaney. He's a sloppy loser; unliked and not very warm, but you still manage to take to him and rally for his proven innocence. Barry Foster (who impressed Hitch with his part in THE TWISTED NERVE) is perfect as the charming, yet homicidal Rusk, the film's serial killer. There's an ingenious sequence where Rusk accompanies the body of a victim in the back of a potato truck, since he realizes his pin (bearing the initial "R") is still clinched in her fingers. His adventure to retrieve the object of incriminating evidence is classic Hitchcock, and Foster pulls the darkly perverse scene off extremely well. Alec McCowen is also splendid as Chief Inspector Oxford who tells his wife (Vivien Merchant) the trials and tribulations of his day as she serves him grotesque "gourmet" meals which he spits out when her back is turned.
Universal is presenting FRENZY on DVD for the first time as part of their "Alfred Hitchcock Collection," and the results are superb. Using a new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, the film looks better than it ever did before with radiant colors and excellent detail, and the composition appears perfect. Recently, I was lucky enough to see a new 35mm print of FRENZY on the big screen, and this DVD adequately captures the beauty of that stunning presentation, preserving it forever. The mono sound is excellent, and is available in English and French. English and Spanish subtitles are also available.
Universal has served up a nice array of extras, including a brand new documentary titled "The Story of Frenzy," which features interviews with stars Jon Finch, Barry Foster and Anna Massey, screenwriter Anthony Shaffer and others. This is a marvelous documentation of the film's production, and it's really a treat to see the actors (who all got along swell with Hitch) discuss how they got their roles and how they approached them. The documentary is also accompanied by rare behind the scenes footage showing the elder director at the helm of a much younger cast and crew.
Other supplements include the trailer, with Hitch's amusing onscreen narration that has him finding a girl's body in a potato sack and floating on the Thames, among other things. There's also a nice gallery of production photos that contain shots from three "unscripted" scenes, one of which shows Blaney having a celebration meal with the inspector and his wife! Rounding out the extras are talent bios and production notes. (George R. Reis)