Murder by Death

Tags

1970's, Alec Guinness, Comedy, David Niven, Eileen Brennan, Elsa Lanchester, Estelle Winwood, James Coco, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, Murder by Death, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Nancy Walker, Neil Simon, Peter Falk, Peter Sellers, Richard Narita, Robert Moore, Truman Capote

A hilarious spoof of the murder mystery genre that lampoons nearly every cliche there is, Murder by Death benefits from a sensational ensemble cast and a real feeling of delightful mischief shot through its veins. 

The eccentric millionaire Lionel Twain( Truman Capote) is hosting a weekend at his secluded house. Assembled are Chinese Inspector Sidney Wang( Peter Sellers) accompanied by his adopted son Willie(Richard Narita), who he always informs people is Japanese. High society detective duo and husband and wife Dick(David Niven) and Dora(Maggie Smith) Charleston are there, as is prancing Belgian detective Milo Perrier(James Coco)and his much abused chauffeur Marcel(James Cromwell). Also in attendance is hard boiled gumshoe Sam Diamond(Peter Falk) and his loyal but overlooked secretary Tess Skeffington( Eileen Brennan), followed lastly by jolly English sleuth Jessica Marbles(Elsa Lanchester)and her Nurse(Estelle Winwood), who ironically is in need of more care than her patient. After the guests have gathered and met dry-witted blind butler Bensonmum(Alec Guinness) and deaf-mute cook Yetta(Nancy Walker) , the events begin to take form. Twain believes he is the best on the subject of solving crimes and has gathered this group to pose a challenge. He informs his guests that at midnight a murder will occur. Whoever solves this crime will receive $1 million dollars, if no one does their reputations will be in tatters and Twain will have his vain satisfaction. To ensure no one leaves, Twain seals the house off  Sure enough, a murder occurs and thinks get more complex as the hours continue. A discovery that the house has revolving rooms and that the servants are far from what they seem to be adds another layer of mystery. The worried yet mightily curious group resolve to get to the bottom of this. But the case proves to be very twisty for these detectives in their search for the answer, complete with a house that is most unusual and plenty of clues hanging in the air.

Murder by Death has Robert Moore in the directors seat and his  direction is unobtrusive yet very satisfying, allowing the funny moments to really flow and be seen. Penned by the talented Neil Simon, Murder by Death hits the right spot of spoofing the mystery genre and having a ball in revelling in the many cliches that abound. The main group of characters are all fashioned after famous literary and cinematic detectives of whom humour is derived from spoofing their well known personalities. I had a ball seeing the similarities and allusions to the great detective characters of fiction infused with comedic overtones.  The film is undoubtedly silly and yet that is partly the point and Simon definitely seems to enjoy this fact, while layering on red herrings and confounding suspense as to what is transpiring and what is truly real. The dialogue comes quick and fast, like delightful bullets of energy and tongue in cheek humour in the best way that Simon can. Plus you’ll be laughing so much at the film you can overlook parts that are dated and wouldn’t be acceptable now( most prominently the use of yellow face for Mr. Wang.) There’s an argument  that the character is actually supposed to subvert the trope but it’s still problematic in my eyes and will no doubt be a bone of contention for many. Set design is in need of much praise; showing the big country house as akin to a funhouse with rooms that move on their own accord and things ready to jump out. The music score as provided by Dave Grusin has an unending sense of fun too it as if topping its musical hat in a jaunty manner that suits the film down to the ground. 

A star-studded cast is the cherry on top of an already impressive cake. It’s a thrill when an ensemble cast is used and nearly everyone is given something to do. Front and centre, and giving one heck of a performance is Peter Falk. Channeling Humphrey Bogart, Falk plays the tough-talking, rough and tumble detective who says it like it is and doesn’t give a damn what you think. The part is injected with wise-cracking humour at which Peter Falk is mightily skilled at. If you can overlook the problematic yellow face make up sported by Peter Sellers , his performance is quite good and he comes out with some comic one liners of the highest order. As aforementioned some think his portrayal is in fact lampooning the ridiculous cliched nature of the character, but its still something that is up for the viewer to decide. Truman Capote, best known for his writing, is well employed as the mastermind behind the most unusual events going on. With his slightly sneering and camp mannerisms, he is certainly memorable as the instigator of mystery. David Niven and Maggie Smith play off each other wonderfully as the high society couple with exquisite, upper crust manners and dry, cynical humour. Both professionals are a joy in this film and I very much enjoyed whenever they were on screen as they are such a hoot. Eileen Brennan, of raspy voice and good comic yet sympathetic timing, is well cast as the downtrodden, overlooked secretary who clearly has the hots for Diamond but can never seem to catch a break with him, despite her many attempts to instigate something. James Coco has a ball as the arrogant, know it all who is vain beyond belief and argumentative to the last, while Alec Guinness contributes a deep vein of droll humour as the blind butler who might be more than he seems. Nancy Walker does what she can with a small role, she definitely gets a big laugh once murder is committed. Elsa Lanchester and Estelle Winwood are an inspired and ironic duo, with the former summoning up all her gusto and the latter slowly revealing a witty side, despite everyone thinking her character is simply senile. Keep an eye out for a very young James Cromwell as the put upon chauffeur of Perrier, he really shows comedic chops in this movie. Richard Narita is sadly left to flounder with not much in the way of a part, though he manages some moments of humour. 

So if you’re in the mood for a good comedy spoof of the mystery genre, Murder by Death is a glorious and hilarious place to start because of its rapid fire wit and quality laden cast of great stars. 

Bell, Book and Candle

Tags

1950's, Bell Book and Candle, Elsa Lanchester, Ernie Kovacs, Fantasy, Hermione Gingold, Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Kim Novak, Richard Quine, Romantic Comedy

Film Title

Bell, Book and Candle

Director

Richard Quine

Starring

• Kim Novak as Gillian ‘Gil’ Holroyd
• James Stewart as Shep Henderson
• Jack Lemmon as Nicky Holroyd
• Ernie Kovacs as Sidney Redlitch
• Elsa Lanchester as Aunt Queenie Holroyd
• Hermione Gingold as Bianca De Pass

A delightful and funny romantic comedy with supernatural fantasy added to it, Bell, Book and Candle may be a trifle dated in the context of today, yet with a game cast, lovely lighting and magic it makes the most of a fluffy yet enchanting premise.

It’s Christmas time in Greenwich Village and we pick up with Gillian( mainly known to many as Gil) Holroyd, who works in a gallery of African art. Secretly, she is a witch, but keeps the information to herself and goes about her days, usually conversing with her dotty Aunt Queenie, who is also a witch and her rebellious brother Nicky, who is a warlock. Yet while she doesn’t mind working and for the most part being an independent free spirit, she has grown restless and wants someone to love. The trouble is love for a witch is something that will make them forfeit her powers if she were ever to truly feel genuine love for another. She takes a shine to publisher Shep Henderson, one of her neighbours who she meets for the first time on Christmas Eve. Knowing that love seems out of the question due to her magical ties, she politely talks with the nice Shep. Yet, it’s when she hears that he is about to marry a former college enemy of hers, that an idea formulates in her mind to have some fun. With her magical cat Pyewacket and her mystical powers, she casts a spell on the unsuspecting Shep that causes him to jilt his fiancée and fall in love with her, despite not knowing what has caused him to do so. Pleased with this, Gil revels in the fact that her powers could let her do something like this. Meanwhile, Gil’s brother Nicky, who is always up to some trouble, begins to help the author Sidney, who has written a book on alleged witchcraft and is curious to write another. This in turn could lead to the exposure of Gil and her Aunt, so more magic becomes involved and at play. Gil, after a while and even though she only did it to spite her rival, begins to sincerely fall in love with Shep which leads her to a conflict of interests. But can the free-spirited Gil really give up all of her magic for the love of Shep? And just how long will it be before Shep twigs that something supernatural is at work?

On the directing front, Richard Quine injects Bell, Book and Candle with a light air that creates amusement and romance in equal fashion. He may from time to time indulge in some scenes that go on for longer that needed, but for a lot of the film, he gives it a bit more substance than what is often found in most romantic comedies out there, even today. He excels at displaying touching undertones to it, best embodied by the decision that Gil must make regarding the loss of her powers for actual love. And the inclusion of the supernatural, with spells and potions ever-present, is a neat one that emphasizes the charm and imagination the film can bring to viewers. Now it must be said that as Bell, Book and Candle is a film that was made in the 1950’s, some of the attitudes are going to be of that time and will seem strange today. Chief among these is the similarities between Gil losing her powers if she loves and the fact that during the 50’s once a woman was engaged or married, she would have to stop working and be a housewife. One can definitely see the parallels throughout, but thankfully this doesn’t do too much to demerit the film’s quality and story it tells. And then again, what film from decades ago hasn’t aged in its attitudes and execution? The script is witty and full of hijinks as there is something funny to be found in Shep making all these big decisions and not quite realising that there is a magical reason for them. On the side of visuals, some inventive angles coupled with eye-popping colours are stunning to behold and contribute to the playful vibe of the film and the eccentric situations that the characters find themselves in due to magic and spell casting. The costumes in the film, especially the ones worn by Kim Novak, are exquisite and delightfully highlight her character’s individualism. A lively and twinkling score gives a breezy and likable quality to the film, while also providing some spooky moments that are always welcome for someone like me.

The cast of Bell, Book and Candle all look like they are having a ball which adds to the audience’s enjoyment of this supernatural romance. Kim Novak excels at having an otherworldly quality that is ideal for the role of Gil, who is someone you wouldn’t miss in a crowd. Novak, while looking stunning and alluring in the role, convincingly showcases Gil’s meddling, playful nature akin to a cat and desire to be loved that she didn’t expect to have. With added moments of touching emotion, Novak’s work is a triumph that is funny and moving. James Stewart has the right touches of bewilderment and rationalism for his character, who amusingly becomes infatuated by the enchanting Gil without being aware that something out of the ordinary is going on. He shares a tentative and sparkling chemistry with Novak, that gives the film a big plus in the romance and humour department.A sparkly eyed Jack Lemmon is an utter hoot in the part of the mischievous Nicky, whose tricks and Hocus Pocus are never far behind him. Some of the facial expressions that he has and sense of fun he brings are hard to miss when he’s on screen. Playing well off him is Ernie Kovacs as the alcohol swigging author who is often disgraced due to his belief in witchcraft, even when its lying right in front of him and he’s aided by the troublesome warlock Nicky. Elsa Lanchester and Hermione Gingold are delightfully amusing and dotty as two older witches, though I would have liked to have seen more of them within the film. Still, both actresses light up the screen when they are present.

So while the odd slip here and there is present, and the dated attitudes can be a bit distracting, Bell, Book and Candle triumphs as a piece of imaginative and well acted romantic comedy, sprinkled with amusing and sometimes spooky sides of supernatural fantasy.