Murder! Page #5

Synopsis: The police find the actress, Diana Baring, near the body of her friend. All the circumstantial proofs seems to point to her and, at the end of the trial, she is condemned. Sir John Menier, a jury member, suspects Diana's boyfriend, who works as an acrobat wearing a dresses.
Director(s): Alfred Hitchcock
Production: LionsGate Entertainment
 
IMDB:
6.4
Rotten Tomatoes:
93%
TV-PG
Year:
1930
92 min
577 Views


the cause? Drink?

She hardly ever

touched anything.

And who did? Think

it over, mr. Markham.

Then there was the pain

in her head.

Was she examined

by a doctor?

Might he not have found

traces of a blow

if he'd examined her?

But no, he didn't.

He assumed

like everyone else

that she was guilty

because she

didn't deny it.

And there was no

private investigation,

no inquiry,

think it over,

mr. Markham.

I feel the most

terrible responsibility.

I was one

of the 12 people

who decided the fate

of this poor girl.

I found myself

caught up

with the machine that--

that makes

these things...

Ah, mrs. Markham,

so good of you to come

with your husband

this morning.

Oh, I was

quite glad,

glad as a breath

of fresh air.

Oh. What a charming

place you have up here,

sir John.

And Piccadilly,

with all

the shops so near.

You'll, um...

You'll stay

to lunch, of course.

I find it difficult

sometimes to wait

to a reasonable hour

for my luncheon.

I feel

the same way myself.

That I can do

without my little

tidbits

in the morning...

Oh, Javier, a cocktail

at once, please,

and serve lunch.

He's engaged us

to see him.

Joint.

No.

Yes. I find mr. Markham

is free to join me.

So...Please.

So I thought

he could, um...

Oh, we can settle

all that later,

can't we? Yes, please.

Thank you.

Oh, thank you.

Oh, one moment, please.

In the meantime, success

to our researches.

Your husband and I have

been discussing

the Baring case.

And we feel that

if the murder

were approached

from another angle,

it--oh, sorry.

We shall be able

to arrive

at a different result.

What? And get Diana

off you mean?

But she can't

get away from that poker.

If you don't share

our convictions

that miss Baring

is not guilty--

well, I mean to say

Diana Baring

was such

a nice girl.

I never thought

for one moment

she could've done

a thing like that.

Didn't

I always say, Ted,

never could've thought

it for one moment?

Oh, sir John, have you

found anything out?

Are you going to take it

up yourself?

Oh, we would be so glad

to help,

wouldn't we, Ted?

Shall we now?

I really don't know

where to begin

this thing,

do you, Markham?

Well, uh...

Well, yes, sir John.

Oh, I see. Uh...

Yes. I wish I knew

where to begin.

Here.

Yes, can I help

you there?

Sir John didn't know

where to begin, Ted.

No, no. Let's

hear it, mrs. Markham.

See, I'm completely

in the dark.

If your husband

could show the way,

I shall be more

than grateful.

Go on.

What is it, Markham?

Well, sir John...

I should say

the best place

would be the back

of the town

where the murder

was committed.

Yes. Do you think

you could spare me

a day or two

of your time?

Why, yes, of course

we could, sir.

See, if I might suggest

that we could

go over the ground

and you could show me

one or two places

connected

with the murder.

But, you mean, it

might have been

someone else

altogether,

who killed

Edna Druce?

It might've been

somebody from outside.

How do you make

that out?

Well, I don't know.

Miss Mitcham

didn't do it.

And miss Diana didn't.

So it must've been

somebody from outside.

If it was,

they'd have to get in.

And they'd have

to get out again.

Heh. That's clever.

Well, all

I can say is...

The first thing

we got to do

is to find out

who saw somebody,

apart from Druce,

anywhere near there

at half-past one

that morning.

Well, Ted, for start,

there's that chap

we thought was

the policeman

coming around

the corner.

Oh, that was nothing.

I shall like

to hear something

about this policeman.

Well, you see,

sir John,

it was like this...

Only after

the murder,

when the knocking

woke us up,

I was over

by the window

and I popped my head

out of the window

to see who it was making

all that noise.

And I saw the policeman

coming around

the corner.

So I said to Ted,

I said,

hey, it's the police.

And then I took

my eyes off him

to tell Ted here...

And when I looked again,

there was

no one in sight.

And then Ted said,

yes, you're right.

Here he comes.

And when

I looked again,

it was a different

policeman altogether.

What had become

of the first one?

He must have turned

the corner and come back.

Is that the corner

down there?

Yes, that's it, sir.

You're sure it

wasn't the same man?

We only took our eyes off

of him about 2 seconds.

Uh...Is there anymore

here do you think, sir?

I shouldn't

think so.

My god, that's Druce.

He must be crazy.

Yeah, we better get down.

You are not going in my house.

Take him away, please.

He's done this before.

Please, promise to stop it.

Yes, that's

all right.

Now come along,

Druce.

My wife's...

But you're much

better at home.

Come on.

Come on now.

Oh, this is terrible

for me this business is.

I shall have to move.

I'm sure I shall.

Yes. Well, uh...

mrs. Mitcham,

we'd like

to show

this gentleman

around.

That is, if you

don't mind.

May I?

Oh. Yes, sir.

Of course.

Yes. Certainly.

Will you come in?

Well, sir John,

that's where

they found the body.

Right in front

of the hearth there.

And, uh...

Miss Baring was sitting

just about there.

Oh, by the way, did you ever

get your poker back, miss--

oh, I can't bear

to talk about it,

especially with

poor miss Baring

being where she is.

Why, you might as well

convict Cleopatra.

You think anybody

could've got in

from the back

of the house?

You see just beyond

the backyard

there's an alleyway,

and just

beyond there

there's the theatre.

And look, sir,

the dressing rooms

are at the back.

Yes, it would

take quite an athlete

to get in that way.

I don't see how

anyone could

get in here

with this aspidistra

filling up

the window.

Anyway, without

upsetting it,

and look

at the size of it.

Yes. It's a fine plant.

Unless, of course, it was

somebody who knew the room.

But miss Baring did not

have any visitors,

only mrs. Markham

every now and again,

and mr. Fane and

mr. Stewart to tea

and mister--

what's his name--

the little man with

the squeaky voice.

Oh, Tom Druid.

Yes. Yes, that's him.

Squeaky voice,

that reminds me.

In your evidence,

miss Mitcham,

you said you had heard

angry women's voices.

Yes, sir, I did. Will

you swear to that?

Oh, yes, sir. You can't

mistake a woman's voice.

You know, I had

known a contralto--

oh, yes, but this

was high, quite high.

Miss Mitcham.

Miss Mitcham.

Oh, my god, miss Mitcham.

Where are you?

The kitchen chimney's

on fire, miss Mitcham!

That's alice.

One moment, miss Mitcham.

Excuse me, sir.

I can't stop just now.

That Alice

of mine has set

the kitchen chimney

on fire.

Didn't you hear

her calling?

No, no, no.

That was me.

Or did I...

You know, Markham,

I never know.

I played a trick

on you, miss Mitcham.

Now, the high voice

you heard that night

may not have been a woman's.

You've just admitted it.

No. I have not

admitted anything.

And I don't hold to

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Clemence Dane

Clemence Dane was the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton (21 February 1888 – 28 March 1965), an English novelist and playwright. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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