DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954) Movie Poster, Vintage Original, Australian One Sheet
Size AU One Sheet (27" x 40")
DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954) Movie Poster, Vintage, Original, Australian One Sheet, Starring Grace Kelly, Ray Milland and Robert Cummings, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock is in Fine+Condition. Movie Poster and...
DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954) Movie Poster, Vintage, Original, Australian One Sheet, Starring Grace Kelly, Ray Milland and Robert Cummings, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock is in Fine+Condition.
Movie Poster and Condition.
Condition: This original, unrestored Daybill Movie Poster presents in Fine+ condition, with some pin holes and pin hole tears in corners, small paper loss top middle edge. A very rare one sheet. This highly collectible Australian One Sheet from the film’s original cinema release is a scarce survivor from the golden age of 1950s thrillers. Despite the noted imperfections, it displays beautifully and retains strong colours and striking imagery typical of mid-century theatrical artwork. Folded as issued, it reflects authentic cinema use and remains an outstanding example of a vintage original movie poster. This poster is currently stored folded and will be shipped in an acid free archival polyproplene bag with acid free archival backing board, ensuring long-term preservation for serious collectors of Alfred Hitchcock memorabilia.
Movie Synopsis
Released in 1954, Dial M for Murder stands as one of director Alfred Hitchcock’s most elegantly constructed thrillers. Adapted from Frederick Knott’s successful stage play, which he also wrote for the screen, the film showcases Hitchcock’s mastery of suspense within a largely confined setting. What could have remained a simple chamber piece instead becomes a gripping study of manipulation, betrayal and meticulously planned crime.
The story centres on former tennis professional Tony Wendice, played with suave menace by Ray Milland. Discovering that his wealthy wife Margot, portrayed by the luminous Grace Kelly, has been unfaithful, Tony devises an elaborate plan to murder her and inherit her fortune. He blackmails an old acquaintance into carrying out the crime, carefully constructing what he believes is the perfect alibi. However, when the plan unravels unexpectedly, Tony must improvise, leading to an escalating web of deception.
Robert Cummings co-stars as American crime writer Mark Halliday, whose affection for Margot adds further tension to the unfolding drama. Meanwhile, John Williams delivers a memorable performance as Chief Inspector Hubbard, whose methodical investigation slowly dismantles Tony’s seemingly flawless scheme. The interplay between characters is razor sharp, driven by Knott’s precise dialogue and Hitchcock’s assured direction.
Although primarily set within the Wendice London apartment, the film never feels static. Hitchcock experiments with depth and perspective, originally shooting the movie in 3D to heighten the sense of claustrophobia and imminent danger. The famous scissors attack sequence remains one of cinema’s most shocking and expertly staged moments, demonstrating Hitchcock’s unparalleled ability to generate suspense from everyday objects.
Grace Kelly’s performance further cemented her status as a Hollywood icon, marking her first collaboration with Hitchcock before they reunited for Rear Window and To Catch a Thief. The film’s meticulous plotting, moral ambiguity and escalating tension exemplify why Hitchcock earned the title “Master of Suspense.” Today, Dial M for Murder is regarded as a quintessential 1950s crime thriller and a masterclass in cinematic storytelling.
This rare Australian One Sheet movie poster captures the stark drama and psychological intensity of the film’s original release. For collectors of classic cinema, Hitchcock films or investment-grade vintage posters, it represents a significant and increasingly hard-to-find piece of film history.
To find out more about DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954) click here to go to IMDB.com.
Special Notes.
Images may have a small 'MPA' digital watermark and this does not appear on the poster. Posters are being held by magnets in the corners to take photographs, so you may see some magnet and shadows from the magnets in these areas. The magnets are not included in the sale of the item.
Postage, Insurance & Your Country Taxes
Postage costs are quoted for this item, include insurance up to AUD$100, but if you reside outside of Australia, the price does not include any import taxes/fees that you may be required to pay when the item reaches your borders. Please check with your local authorities for any additional taxes or fees. If you would like full insurance coverage for your purchase, please message me and I would be happy to quote the additional cost (estimate is AUD$2.50 p/AUD$100 or 2.5% of the item value, up to a maximum item value of AUD$5,000).
FAQ
At Movie Posters Australia, the love and conservation of movie posters comes first, and we like to share this passion. Our commitment to quality means we will provide high quality memorabilia to our customers. Posters are carefully chosen and authenticated to ensure originality and value. We want our customers to trust MPA, so we always try to be as open and transparent as we can, provide detailed condition information and images, to ensure customers are comfortable and confident in their purchase.
While the industry does have a few condition rating standards, there is no movie poster condition rating system that has become the accepted standard world wide. This unfortunately makes condition terms vary from movie poster dealer to movie poster dealer. Terms like Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, seem to be universal to most condition rating standards, but most standards still lack definition about what and how many flaws/defects/damage defines a specific condition level. For more information on how Movie Posters Australia grades the condition of its movie posters, daybills, lobby cards and other ephemera please see out Movie Poster Condition and Grading page.
In the early days of cinema, posters were primarily hand-drawn and printed in various sizes, often tailored to fit the available space in theaters or promotional areas. In the United States, the "One Sheet" size (some times called '1 Sheet' or '1SH' approximately 27" x 41", became the standard during the 1930s. This size was manageable for theater display and suited the needs of a growing film industry.
Different countries developed their own poster sizes and styles, which also changed sometimes over the decades, and were influenced by local preferences and practical considerations, like available paper sheet sizes and how many posters could be printed on one sheet.
In Australia, the most popular size, the Daybill, has evolved over the decades. Australian Daybills sizes in chronological order are:
- Long Daybills (15" x 40"), from 1920's to pre-WW2 or pre-1941, were printed two to a sheet, longer than current Daybill versions. There were size variances in width from 14.5" to 15" and in height from 39.5" to 40".
- War Time Daybill (10" x 30"), during WW2, for a short time to conserve paper during a war time shortage, four Daybills were printed on one sheet. Information from Press Sheets also referred to these War-Time sizes as "New Size Daybills".
- Post-War Daybill (13" x 30"), this 13" x 30" Post-War size carried through until the 1980's, but also varied in size from 13"-14" x 29.75"-30.25".
- Post-80's Daybill (33cm x 66cm, or 13" x 26"), over a few years in the late 80's, the size changed again to a metric 33cm x 66cm, although these have also varied from 32-33cm x 64.5-66cm. New sizes from the late 80's were created, sometimes called a Mini Daybill or Mini Poster, in 9" x 12", 11" x 17" and 13" x 20".
In the UK, the somewhat unique 'Quad' poster, measuring 30" x 40", became popular, offering a larger landscape format that allowed for more elaborate designs.
In Japan, movie poster sizes were smaller, such as the "B2" (20" x 28"), which suited the more compact living environment of larger cities, smaller advertising spaces, and unique aesthetic sensibilities.
The 1970s and 1980s, witnessed the rise of the "six-sheet" (81" x 81") format, reflecting a trend towards larger and more visually impactful advertising.
Overall, the variation in movie poster sizes across different countries and decades highlights the interplay between technological printing advancements, paper resource availability, paper sheet size changes, cultural preferences, and the evolving nature of movie marketing.
At Movie Posters Australia we tag each poster we sell with a 'size' and 'condition' description at the very top of the page for our customers to easily see. There may however be some slight variations to sizes by up one inch due to variations in production and guillotine methods by printers over the decades.