A Blueprint for Murder (1953)

A Blueprint for Murder: Directed by Andrew L. Stone. With Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters, Gary Merrill, Catherine McLeod. Whitney Cameron suspects his sister-in-law has poisoned his brother and niece, but without proof how does he prevent the murder of his nephew?

“This is a slick Hollywood film from the 1950u0026#39;s made for entertainment purposes. Hollywood at its most confident and smooth, it is made to sell movie theater tickets and give you your moneyu0026#39;s worth. It delivers in that regard.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGood black and white photography and an a-picture gloss in all production values. Speaking of gloss- Mr. Cotton was one of the classiest of film acting gentlemen, and in this film Ms. Peters matches him in a performance that is not in any way b-list. She is first class all the way here.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll of the supporting performances are excellent. This is a straightforward movie mystery that does not mess with your head- what you see is what it is. I very much enjoyed the linear script that builds momentum into a swelling wave that reaches a crescendo right before everything is resolved. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA nocturne composed by Frederik Chopin in the 1830u0026#39;s matches the dark undertones at work throughout the film as it is applied in a background way as it should be rather than as a boffo film theme. I ordinarily would not recommend such structured classical music for a film but this one is melodic and was deliberately written by Chopin to be quietly dark, so it works.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIs u0026quot;A Blueprint for Murderu0026quot; just a glossy, slick Hollywood concoction? Yes but it is well edited and well made overall. It will provide you with entertainment from start to finish.”