Review of Frenzy

Introduction

A sex criminal known as the `Necktie Murderer` has police on high alert as he goes about his horrific business throughout the streets of London in typical Hitchcock fashion. Jon Finch, Alec McCowen and Barry Foster head this British cast in a thriller written by Anthony Shaffer (Sleuth and Wicker Man) and directed by the enigmatic Alfred Hitchcock in true chilling style.


Marking Alfred Hitchcock`s return to England after an absence of 20 years, `Frenzy`s` morbid blend of black humour and horror would be the first film from the Hitchcock stable to earn itself an adult (18) rating.
To be honest it`s easy to see why. Hitch wanted to see a more realistic approach in portraying violence on screen and as a consequence Frenzy is a stark contrast from the usual sanitised Hollywood style that people were used to seeing in his previous films.
One thing that didn`t change though was the reliance of black humour which this film is stamped all over with.

Filmed in London during the early 70`s, Frenzy seems gritty and dark up to the sleek Hollywood style that was typical of his most successful films. Frenzy is a real breakaway from the Hollywood system.
The actors chosen for this film were not especially well known, even less so out of Britain, which Hitchcock wanted so the audience wouldn`t presume who was the villain in the piece. Given this the acting of all principal parts are very good, especially Barry Foster who comes across as a mix of Mike Baldwin from Coronation Street and Michael Caine.

Frenzy although coming from a privileged background sadly never really lives up to its potential. The script is well written, directing is of course up to par and the acting is always believable. I can`t put my finger on it but it doesn`t quite work as well as the `classic` Hitchcock films of old. It`s maybe because we`re so used to seeing violence in films today that the shocking aspect doesn`t quite work or that there have been so many films of this type that everyone is so familiar with the plot. Either way it sadly lacks that spark that would lift it out of the ordinary.
It`s not a bad film by any means, it just doesn`t live up to the brilliance of Hitchcocks past triumphs, which is as we know no small feat.

Video

Presented in an anamorphic 1.78:1 ratio, Frenzy has a solid if unspectacular print. If your expecting a print similar to the amazingly restored North by Northwest DVD then you probably will be disappointed.
The film has a rather dirty and subdued look to it which shows here. Colours tend to be a little muddy with only the occasional splattering of bright colour to liven things up. The DVD recreates this quite accurately with suitably saturated colours and tones for the look of the film. Detail levels are pretty good with only the occasional soft shot and dust or dirt only show up rarely.
Grain is sometimes a problem with some shots seemingly prone to an overabundance and I did spot some minor compression artifacts in the background, although not too obvious.
Overall it`s a fairly decent print with no major problems to worry about.

Audio

Sound is presented in mono and like the film itself does its job but remains unspectacular. Dialogue and music is handled well with no distortion or hiss but of course remains un-dynamic and a little restrictive.

Features

Included is a very nice `making of` documentary with interviews and such like with the main cast which, although a little short, contains plenty of background information and anecdotes about the production and Hitchcock himself.
A stills gallery is included along with an hilarious trailer from Hitch himself. If you`ve seen any of his other trailers then you know your in for a real treat. They don`t make them like that anymore I`m afraid.
Rounding off the package is a 4 page booklet with facts and pictures from the film.

Conclusion

Frenzy is often overlooked when talking about `Hitchcock` films and while not being his most successful film, remains compulsive viewing for genre or Hitchcock fans alike.
A decent package with generally good Video/Audio quality but it`s not exactly going to set your system alight.