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Frenzy (1972)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
4/06, 2/08, 2/17
4/06:
"From the Master of Shock...A Shocking Masterpiece!" is the tagline for Frenzy.
It's a brilliantly made Hitchcock picture that was, for the first time ever, slapped with an 'R' rating for nudity and
graphic scenes. Why is it such a better sex murder picture than Marnie? It's because Alfred Hitchcock stopped being
genteel and started to expose the dark seedy underworld of sex offenders with obscure fetishes. He also allows the viewers
to see how a serial killer operates: his modus operandi, how he lives, and the air of trust he creates. Behind this
façade is his senseless depravity.
Frenzy was created much earlier before the grisly killings were conducted by Ted Bundy who manifested certain traits
as seen in Robert Rusk. Incidentally, the term "serial killer" wouldn't be coined until Robert Ressler came up with it in 1974.
All in all, I don't know which is creepier in Frenzy: the sex murders or Oxford's wife's cooking.
2/08:
Downgrading my rating of Frenzy from '9' to '7', it's still a great Hitchcock picture.
However, the redundancy turns me off somewhat because the all-too-familiar repetitive formula hurts the film a lot for being
predictable. One gimmick, which is a poor move on Hitchcock's part, is the exotic-sounding but nauseating cuisines.
Mind you, a bit of diversion is a good thing, but it's done too much here.
Jon Finch, who plays Richard Blaney, does not get enough screen time, but Barry Foster is brilliant as the sex
maniac killer Robert Rusk. I must say the ending is rather uneventful and therefore disappointing. It's like
shaking a soda can violently and then opening it only to see fizz coming out instead of an explosion. Yet there's a lot to
like which has great cinematic techniques, nice camera shots, and a wonderful buildup of tension.
For many years since directing Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock hadn't been the same. Frenzy demonstrated he was back
in a big way. Sadly, it turned out to be the last great picture of his career before passing away in 1980.
All in all, Frenzy, although not Hitchcock's absolute best, is interesting food for thought.
2/17:
Frenzy is the most gruesome picture by Alfred Hitchcock and the only one to receive an 'R' rating of his oeuvre.
Hitchcock returned to England after being away in the States for over twenty years. Frenzy is his third
London picture since 1939 with the other two being Under Capricorn in 1949 and Stage Fright in 1950. The remake
of The Man Who Knew Too Much doesn't count.
Although Frenzy is formulaic and feels rushed toward the end, Hitchcock's old touch is certainly back which had been
long missing since 1963. Great performances are rendered by Barry Foster, Jon Finch, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Ann Massey, and Bernard
Cribbins. They are all outstanding, but it's Barry Foster, in a role that was meant for Michael Caine who turned it down after
calling the character "disgusting" which is a poor move on his part, who steals the film. Oddly, he went on to do
Dressed to Kill.
Technically brilliant for the shots, several instances should be recounted: the use of alleys to show
several important characters coming in and out at the same time, the long reverse tracking shot from Rusk's apartment, and the
moment when Babs turned around to see Rusk after she rushed out of the pub.
Genius is Anthony Shaffer's screenplay. Listening to the dialogue, it's easy to discern the quality of his writing.
By the way, the trailer is amusing and a must-see as Alfred Hitchcock has fun with the murders. He also
makes a couple of cameos separately early in the film which occur during the politician's speech and, right away, the
aftermath. Many critics called Frenzy the last great Hitchcock picture, but I disagree. Family Plot was such that.
All in all, no matter the negatives, Frenzy is a great Hitchcock picture that's worth watching.