Frenzy

Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film follows a man wrongly accused of a series of murders in London. The real killer is his friend. The police follow the wrong trail. The film marks the director's return to England; the narrative uses humour and horror in the same scene. It is adapted from a novel. With the ratings rules relaxed, the director shot explicit material for the first time at this level. In one killing the camera deliberately withdraws. Who it's for: those studying the history of cinema. Who it's not for: viewers who cannot take a long, directly shown rape and strangling; that section is extremely disturbing.