10 Lesser Known Film Noirs You Need To See
2. Stage Fright (1950)
Many of Sir Alfred Hitchcock's films could qualify as being film noirs. However, this example often slips through the net.
Jane Wyman appears as student actress, Eve Gill who has a crush on fellow actor, Jonathan Cooper (Richard Todd). Unfortunately, Cooper is in love with sultry actress and singer, Charlotte Inwood, portrayed by Marlene Dietrich. Cooper tries to protect Charlotte after she murders her husband, but unwittingly implicates himself in the murder before asking Eve and her enigmatic father (Alistair Sim) for assistance. Eve sets out to prove Cooper's innocence but, to do so, she must deceive the world class actress, Charlotte Inwood.
Even though it was filmed in post-war London, Hitchcock imbued Stage Fright with a sense of unreality that draws audiences in and makes the final resolution to the story all the more shocking. Although it received mixed-to-negative reviews upon its initial release, it is actually a classic example of the many twists and turns that appear in film noir.
It also benefits from some necessary comic relief provided by Jane Wyman, Alistair Sim, and Joyce Grenfell.