On M List of Movie Reviews

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Midnight Lace (1960)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 7/26

7/26: If you love Ross Hunter's films, you can't go wrong with Midnight Lace.

It's just like Portrait in Black. Instead of Lana Turner and Anthony Quinn, the stars are Doris Day and Rex Harrison but with the same classic touch and elegance. I love the cast as well which includes Myrna Loy, John Williams, Roddy McDowell, and John Gavin of Psycho fame.

At first, because of Doris Day, the dialogue feels airy and the situation unbelievable, but she's a pro in moving things along to reach for the desired effect and has a great scene that caused her to break down for real. The last thirty minutes is so thrilling that it's easy to mistake the direction by Alfred Hitchcock. Suspects line up one by one over time, setting up for a legitimate guessing game.

Of course, the show must have a Hitchcock regular to spice things up: John Williams. He's always fun to watch as the inspector. For the longest time, I had my suspicions about who was doing it to Doris Day after being spoiled by a particular film: Dial M for Murder. However, I didn't anticipate a coconspirator who came out of nowhere toward the end.

All in all, because of Midnight Lace, Doris Day refused to star in another thriller, staying true to her word until retirement in 1968, but what a performance.

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