Mon 27 Mar 2017
Archived Movie Review: MURDER BY DEATH (1976).
Posted by Steve under Films: Comedy/Musicals , Mystery movies , Reviews[5] Comments
MURDER BY DEATH. Columbia Pictures, 1976. Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco (Milo Perrier), Peter Falk (Sam Diamond), Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester (Jessica Marbles), David Niven (Dick Charleston), Peter Sellers (Sidney Wang), Maggie Smith (Dora Charleston), Nancy Walker, Estelle Winwood. Title drawings by Charles Addams. Screenplay: Neil Simon. Director: Robert Moore.
It was a dark and stormy night. Five of the world’s greatest detectives have been summoned, and collectively they’re given a million dollar challenge: solve a murder about to happen, or face the fact that their host, Mr. Lionel Twain, is actually the world’s greatest criminologist.
For about 20 minutes this is an absolutely devastating parody of Sam Spade, Charlie Chan, Nick & Nora Charles, Miss Marple and M. Hercule Poirot, full of puns, one-liners and sight gags — about one a minute as a conservative estimate. Guinness as the blind butler, Bensonmum, is nothing but terrific.
It’s tough to maintain a pace like this, however, as bits and pieces do not a story make, and the last hour simply runs out of witty things to say. The cinematic version of the traditional detective story is an awfully easy target to play around with, but in my opinion, Neil Simon, giving it all he had, wound up and missed.
March 27th, 2017 at 9:50 am
Steve – You are so-o-o-o right. Personally, I think more attention should have been given to the pacing—not impossible given all the talent involved.
My favorite scene: when Lionel Twain excoriates his “guests” with a rousing, pitch-perfect diatribe against bad detective story writing. Every time I see it I almost feel like applauding.
March 27th, 2017 at 5:25 pm
Truman didn’t work at all IMHO. Overall, a major disappointment to me at the time and one I’d never bother to watch again.
March 27th, 2017 at 5:37 pm
Another movie watched and totally forgotten by me, other than what this review brings back. I didn’t say one way or the other, so I can’t tell you what I thought of Truman Capote’s performance. What I can tell you right now is that I don’t think of him as a movie star, and it’s a surprise to me that he was in this film.
Mike’s description of his favorite scene piques my interest, though, and if I ever have the chance, I’d watch this movie again. Being forewarned, though, I’d also be willing to pull out after 20 minutes this time, if the going gets tough.
Or even earlier, if need be.
March 27th, 2017 at 6:26 pm
I didn’t like “Murder by Death” at the time either.
It is interesting to see that I’m not alone!
Truman Capote is a gifted fiction writer, especially of short stories and novellas: see “Children On Their Birthdays”, “The Headless Hawk”, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, “A Christmas Memory”. But he can’t act and his performance is mainly stunt casting.
I liked Neil Simon’s follow-up parody “The Cheap Detective” more.
March 27th, 2017 at 8:17 pm
A miss, but Estelle Winwood is wonderful.