'Stage Fright (1950)' certainly isn't one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest films, but I like it – quite a lot, in fact. From 1949-1950, the Master of Suspense took a temporary break from Hollywood film-making and produced two UK productions, the first being 'Under Capricorn (1949),' a fascinating but relatively unengaging melodrama with superb camera-work. The second, a return to his standard narrative form after two noticeably experimental pictures, was an adaptation of the story "Man Running" by Selwyn Jepson. With a wonderful British supporting cast, centred around Hollywood stars Jane Wyman and Marlene Dietrich, the film has a distinctly British feel to it, and not just because of the actors and setting. Hitchcock's whimsical sense of humour, evident in a great many of his pictures, is allowed to permeate the traditional drama/romance storyline, and the film would certainly have felt comfortable alongside the Ealing comedies of the late 1940s and early 1950s, many of which employed darkly comedic overtones.<br /><br />There's something about Jane Wyman that immediately caught my eye while watching this film. Behind her rosy cheeks, timid eyes and soft voice, there's a certain innocence and vulnerability about her demeanour that really drew my sympathy. Her character, Eve Gill, is basically a petty schoolgirl, driven by silly but unwavering aspirations to uncover the truth, and her delicate personality is punctuated by moments of stubbornness, and, indeed, some occasional bravery. I've never really taken to actress Marlene Dietrich, and I find her distinct European accent and stunted line-delivery to be rather distracting; however, she does passably well as Charlotte Inwood, demonstrating an arrogant disposition that forms a strong contrast with the mild personality of Wyman's character. As far as the male actors are concerned, strong performances are given by Richard Todd as the wrongly-accused boyfriend {for some reason or another, the Irish actor reminded me of Joaquin Phoenix}, Michael Wilding as the honest and romantic detective with whom Eve inevitably falls in love, and Alastair Sim is a lot of fun as our leading lady's loving and playful father.<br /><br />In comparing Alfred Hitchcock's films with those of his contemporaries, it's interesting to note how the director made stunning, dynamic use of the camera. Both 'Rope (1948)' and 'Under Capricorn (1949)' had made pioneering use of long-takes, sweeping the camera across the room with astonishing style and grace. For the first time, Hitchcock {and cinematographer Wilkie Cooper} integrated these techniques into a more traditional film-making style, and multiple sequences play out in a single take; my favourite shot follows Cooper (Richard Todd) through Charlotte's front door, and smoothly rises with him as he ascends the staircase. Another interesting element to the film, which met with much criticism upon its release, is the ingenious use of a false flashback, as Cooper's recount of past events is revealed to be little more than an elaborate lie. As the anecdote was explicitly treated as Cooper's own version of events, I see little "dishonesty" in Hitchcock's clever manipulation of the audience, and the final twist certainly succeeded in taking me by surprise – though I probably should have noticed something amiss when the romance between Eve and Smith began to develop.