Le grand alibi

Original title: Stage Fright

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

17K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:50

Film Noir Mystery Thriller

A struggling actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence after he's accused of murdering the husband of a high-society entertainer.A struggling actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence after he's accused of murdering the husband of a high-society entertainer.A struggling actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence after he's accused of murdering the husband of a high-society entertainer.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

17K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,888

1,666

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 5 wins & 1 nomination total

Commodore Gill
(as Alistair Sim)

Sybil Thorndike

Mrs. Gill

Kay Walsh

Nellie Goode

Miles Malleson

Mr. Fortesque
(as Miles Mallison)

Hector MacGregor

Freddie Williams

Joyce Grenfell

'Lovely Ducks'

André Morell

Inspector Byard
(as Andre Morell)

Patricia Hitchcock

Chubby Bannister

Ballard Berkeley

Sergeant Mellish

Robert Adair

Rough Individual
(uncredited)

Alfie Bass

Stage Hand With Microphone
(uncredited)

Hyma Beckley

Man in Pub
(uncredited)

Gordon Bell

2nd Chauffeur
(uncredited)

Gerald Case

Policeman
(uncredited)

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
In an extraordinary move for the normally controlling director, Sir Alfred Hitchcock allowed Marlene Dietrich an exceptional amount of creative control for this movie, particularly in how she chose to light her scenes. Hitchcock knew that Dietrich had learned a great deal of the art of cinematography from Josef von Sternberg and Günther Rittau and let her work with Cinematographer Wilkie Cooper to light and set her scenes the way that she wished.

Goofs
In the opening credits, Alastair Sim's name is misspelled as "Alistair Sim".

Quotes
Charlotte Inwood: He was an abominable man. Why do women marry abominable men?

Crazy credits
The opening credits depict a theatrical safety curtain being raised to reveal the opening shot of London.

Alternate versions
A French VHS released in the nineties contained two versions of the film: one dubbed, the other subtitled. Beside this difference numerous edits were made in the dubbed version. Many scenes were shortened such as the talk between Eve and her father outside the boathouse in the night, Eve's attempt to disguise herself as a maid... However, and more importantly, this version contained two longer scenes not present in any copy released on VHS or DVD so far.
The first one is an extension of the bar discussion scene between the maid and the other patrons, right before Eve asks Wilfred Smith "Don't you think she's talking too much?" The dialog is dubbed in French.
The second scene is a slightly but magnificent longer version of Marlene Dietrich singing "The Laziest Gal in Town". The complete song runs 4 minutes instead of 3.37 in the edited version. The cut occurs after the first "it's not 'cause I couldn't" in the lyrics.

Connections
Featured in Marlene (1984)

Soundtracks
The Laziest Gal in Town
(1950) (uncredited)
Written by Cole Porter
Performed by Marlene Dietrich and a male quartet

User reviews149

Featured review

7/10

A solid, entertaining Hitch flick

Often considered to be one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser known films, "Stage Fright" has unfortunately gotten a bad wrap. Even mediocre Hitchcock is better than most movies ever get, though. And this one is a solid, entertaining picture. With an eclectic cast one doesn't expect to see together, each diverse actor provides a little something for everyone. And with Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Todd and Michael Wilding how can you go wrong?

Wyman convincingly plays a drama student who gets involved over her head in a purely Hitchcockian case of murder. When her ex-lover Todd is suspected of killing Dietrich's husband, Wyman hides him and helps him allude the police. Meanwhile, Wyman disguises herself as Dietrich's maid to help find evidence to save Todd's freedom. Wyman falls into a dangerous trap, and danger surrounds her.

Disappointingly underdeveloped as it starts, "Stage Fright" eventually turns into a first-rate thriller. While Wyman has been better, Dietrich is hilariously catty and Todd is wickedly suspicious. This is undoubtedly a Hitchcock film all the way around, but adding a nice twist to the formula is a soaring, romantic soundtrack. A seriously satisfying film, "Stage Fright" hits most of the right notes.