Filmography
May. 2nd, 2007 12:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_lady_lilyMurder by Death
I can't remember how this found its way onto the Netflix list, but I'm jolly glad it did. It has a cast of comedic stars, including Truman Capote, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Peter Sellers and Peter Falk, and although in some places it's very silly, there are some really funny bits which redeem it from being three-star 1970s cheese. You can see why it became so popular.
The plot is that the five most famous detectives in the world, all without an unsolved crime, are invited to a mansion by one Lionel Twain (Capote), who intends to reveal to the world that he is, in fact, the world's preeminent criminologist. The five detectives are, of course, spoofs of famous literary figures - Inspector Milo Perrier is Poirot, Sam Diamond is Sam Spade, Miss Jessica Marbles is Miss Marples, Inspector Sidney Wang is Charlie Chan, and Dick and Dora Charleston are Nora and Nick Charles, from the 'Thin Man' films which were apparently very popular at the time and I had to look up the reference. Incidentally, the Wikipedia article catalogues the elements of the spoof far better than I could.
Actually, that's a good place to begin, because this was one pairing that worked marvellously, Maggie Smith and David Niven. I can not think why it hasn't been repeated. Apparently they're a high society couple who solve crimes for fun, and it's quite clear that they're terribly keen on having sex. And Maggie Smith is very pretty. And there are some great lines, such as when they discover a scorpion creeping up their bed-sheets and just sit there going 'and what do we do now? Ah, yes'. And, when they first see the blind butler, 'Up there, Dora, look - a blind butler.' 'Don't let him park the car, Dickie.' Oh, they were great value, this pair, and since I think they were my two favourite actors in the whole piece, I was delighted they gave such a good performance. Especially since I didn't get any of their in-jokes. Oh yes - and the wonderful line 'Just as I thought: another test that could have cost us our lives, saved only by the fact that I am ENORMOUSLY well-bred.'
Then, of course, there's the inevitable revelation that all of the detectives weren't just invited for fun, but they all had some grudge against Twain. Including Sam Diamond's having been picked up in a gay bar. ' I was working on a case! Working.' 'Every night for six months?' Which picks up into another plot element, which is how all the detectives are always trying to outsmart each other with their clever detective know-how at every turn, deducing bits and pieces and so forth continually, to the extent of Wang nearly dropping Dickie Charleston in it - 'And you Mr. Charleston, did not approve of Mrs. Charleston dying her hair blond?' 'What do you mean?' 'Mrs. Charleston's hair red. You have blond hairs on shoulder. This means she has dyed red hair blond, then back again to red, or else you have been... So sorry, Wang is wrong.'
The one somewhat grating element, unfortunately, is Sellers, who plays Wang. Yes, if you're going to riff on a Chinese detective, you're going to have some racial stereotypes and you need to play on them. Unfortunately, for the first half hour it is not sufficiently clear just how tounge in cheek and self-critical the film is actually being with its presentation of Wang, and thus it comes over a bit like Sellers essentially doing a funny voice and getting to wear a very elaborate Chinese outfit without really becoming clear there's anything more to the character than a cheap dig. Thankfully, it soon does become clear that the filmmakers have tried to be more intelligent than that, but the constant 'Chinese' diction ('must sleep on it. Will know in morning when wake up'), which admittedly is constantly attacked by the host, does get a bit irritating for the viewer too.
I've never seen Truman Capote himself on screen. He was quite good. A good maniacal silly person, although it's very much a cameo as Twain himself ends up being the murder victim.
The conclusion of the film is just bizaare. Mask pulls off mask pulls off mask, to the point of utterly confusing the viewer. Which, presumably, is the point. Four stars, mainly because of Maggie Smith/David Niven and some very funny lines in a very silly film.
I can't remember how this found its way onto the Netflix list, but I'm jolly glad it did. It has a cast of comedic stars, including Truman Capote, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Peter Sellers and Peter Falk, and although in some places it's very silly, there are some really funny bits which redeem it from being three-star 1970s cheese. You can see why it became so popular.
The plot is that the five most famous detectives in the world, all without an unsolved crime, are invited to a mansion by one Lionel Twain (Capote), who intends to reveal to the world that he is, in fact, the world's preeminent criminologist. The five detectives are, of course, spoofs of famous literary figures - Inspector Milo Perrier is Poirot, Sam Diamond is Sam Spade, Miss Jessica Marbles is Miss Marples, Inspector Sidney Wang is Charlie Chan, and Dick and Dora Charleston are Nora and Nick Charles, from the 'Thin Man' films which were apparently very popular at the time and I had to look up the reference. Incidentally, the Wikipedia article catalogues the elements of the spoof far better than I could.
Actually, that's a good place to begin, because this was one pairing that worked marvellously, Maggie Smith and David Niven. I can not think why it hasn't been repeated. Apparently they're a high society couple who solve crimes for fun, and it's quite clear that they're terribly keen on having sex. And Maggie Smith is very pretty. And there are some great lines, such as when they discover a scorpion creeping up their bed-sheets and just sit there going 'and what do we do now? Ah, yes'. And, when they first see the blind butler, 'Up there, Dora, look - a blind butler.' 'Don't let him park the car, Dickie.' Oh, they were great value, this pair, and since I think they were my two favourite actors in the whole piece, I was delighted they gave such a good performance. Especially since I didn't get any of their in-jokes. Oh yes - and the wonderful line 'Just as I thought: another test that could have cost us our lives, saved only by the fact that I am ENORMOUSLY well-bred.'
Then, of course, there's the inevitable revelation that all of the detectives weren't just invited for fun, but they all had some grudge against Twain. Including Sam Diamond's having been picked up in a gay bar. ' I was working on a case! Working.' 'Every night for six months?' Which picks up into another plot element, which is how all the detectives are always trying to outsmart each other with their clever detective know-how at every turn, deducing bits and pieces and so forth continually, to the extent of Wang nearly dropping Dickie Charleston in it - 'And you Mr. Charleston, did not approve of Mrs. Charleston dying her hair blond?' 'What do you mean?' 'Mrs. Charleston's hair red. You have blond hairs on shoulder. This means she has dyed red hair blond, then back again to red, or else you have been... So sorry, Wang is wrong.'
The one somewhat grating element, unfortunately, is Sellers, who plays Wang. Yes, if you're going to riff on a Chinese detective, you're going to have some racial stereotypes and you need to play on them. Unfortunately, for the first half hour it is not sufficiently clear just how tounge in cheek and self-critical the film is actually being with its presentation of Wang, and thus it comes over a bit like Sellers essentially doing a funny voice and getting to wear a very elaborate Chinese outfit without really becoming clear there's anything more to the character than a cheap dig. Thankfully, it soon does become clear that the filmmakers have tried to be more intelligent than that, but the constant 'Chinese' diction ('must sleep on it. Will know in morning when wake up'), which admittedly is constantly attacked by the host, does get a bit irritating for the viewer too.
I've never seen Truman Capote himself on screen. He was quite good. A good maniacal silly person, although it's very much a cameo as Twain himself ends up being the murder victim.
The conclusion of the film is just bizaare. Mask pulls off mask pulls off mask, to the point of utterly confusing the viewer. Which, presumably, is the point. Four stars, mainly because of Maggie Smith/David Niven and some very funny lines in a very silly film.
