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Frenzy (1972)
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Synopsis: FRENZY was Alfred Hitchcock's next-to-last film--and the first film he'd made in England in 20 years. It was based on an Arthur La Bern novel and focuses on many of the same motifs that Hitchcock had obsessively examined throughout his life's work: the wrong man theme, the doubling theme (in... FRENZY was Alfred Hitchcock's next-to-last film--and the first film he'd made in England in 20 years. It was based on an Arthur La Bern novel and focuses on many of the same motifs that Hitchcock had obsessively examined throughout his life's work: the wrong man theme, the doubling theme (in which one person acts out the repressed violence of another), and the general public's thirst for sex and violence. Hitchcock had made films featuring Jack the Ripper-type killers before, including THE LODGER in 1926, a silent movie about a series of murders in London and a mysterious man who appears to be guilty of the crimes. In FRENZY, Hitchcock goes mod with this blackly comic story about a sex criminal--the Necktie Killer--plaguing post-Carnaby London. An innocent man who is suspected by police as the murderer must fight to nab the real perpetrator and clear his name. Though lesser known, FRENZY marked a striking return to form for the famed director. It was also his first R-rated picture. Anthony Shaffer's script is excellent, and Jon Finch brings distinctive qualities to his role as the classic Hitchcock man-accused hero. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, Barry Foster, Anna Massey, Barbara Leigh-Hunt
Screenwriter: Anthony Shaffer
Producer: Alfred Hitchcock
Composer: Ron Goodwin
DVD Info
Release:
Aug 6, 2007
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono - English, French
Additional Release Material:
- Featurette - The Story of Frenzy
- Trailer - Theatrical Trailer
Text/Photo Galleries:
- Production Notes
- Photos/Stills - Production Photographs
Reviews
Rather than classic Hitchcock, Frenzy feels more like a lesser director's cookie-cutter 'Hitchcockian' knock-off.
This is the kind of thriller Hitchcock was making in the 1940s, filled with macabre details, incongruous humor, and the desperation of a man convicted of a crime he didn't commit.
One of Hitchcock's final movies is also one of his goriest -- his first R-rated feature -- and most dryly funny.
Its violence and gore might seem tame in the age of Bad Boys II, but Hitchcock ratchets up the creepiness.
Made in his early 70s, Frenzy feels like a fresh start for the master, with shocking bits of violence in addition to his usual top-shelf suspense.


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