REHEARSAL FOR MURDER
US, 1982, 96 minutes, Colour.
Robert Preston, Lynn Redgrave, Patrick Macnee, Jeff Goldblum.
Directed by David Greene.
Rehearsal for Murder is a very enjoyable murder mystery. Robert Preston is a playwright whose fiancee, a leading film actress making her debut on stage, allegedly commits suicide after the opening night. A year later he has fragments of a play with various motivations for possible suspects in her murder. The bulk of the film is the dramatising of these excerpts - and the plausibility of motives and opportunity for murder.
The cast is strong and includes Lynn Redgrave as the murdered actress. Lawrence Pressman is the director, Patrick Macnee the leading actor, Jeff Goldblum is the romantic lead, Madolyn Smith is the romantic heroine and William Daniel is the producer. William Russ is an unemployed actor who is asked to impersonate the police officer arranged to trap the murderer.
The screenplay was written by the team of Levinson and Link, producers of may telemovies and television series as well as writers of the telemovie, The Storyteller, a film about violence on the television screen. The film was directed by David Greene.
1. Interesting and enjoyable murder mystery? Clues, twists? Surprises and the finale?
2. Telemovie style? New York setting? Theatre and apartments? The streets? The rooms in the theatre? The staging of the scenes? Special effects and editing? Musical score?
3. The title and its irony? The rehearsal after the murder? The possible suspects, the clues, plausibility of motive, the twists? The moment when the real culprit was suspected?
4. The focus on Alex and his successful career, coming to the theatre, his sending the manager home, the setting up of the rehearsal? The flashbacks to a year before, his anxiety about the play, about Monica's performance, the gossip columnist and the revelation about the marriage? The opening, his drinking at the bar, the applause? The introduction of the characters and their relationship with Alex? The party, Monica and the money, her entrance? The bad reviews? The phone call and its being cut off, his going and discovering that she was dead? The setting of the scene?
5. Alex and the set-up, the characters all arriving, the private discussion with Frank to watch the characters and prevent them leaving? The set-up of the rehearsal, their reactions, the fragments of the play? The brittle interaction of the characters, their suspicions, Karen wanting to leave? The acting out of the parts - and the dead Monica being in the re-enactments? The growing suspicions? Frank stopping Karen leaving? The furniture van and the setting up of the stage? The clash with David and Frank? Checking on the police? The information about the dead officer, Frank being exposed as an actor, Alex's explanation? The build-up to the final sequence, the torch - and Frank being unmasked? His breaking down and telling the truth about the blackmail, the accidental death, his pushing Monica out the window? The irony of the real police officer not being dead but hearing the evidence?
6. The sketch of each of the characters: as they appear, in reality? Their collaboration with Alex to trap Frank? David as the leading man, the scene in which he was vain, wanting to seduce Monica, her repudiation of him? Lloyd and his presence at the gallery, his jealousy, her telling him off? Leo and Karen and the plot about the tea being poisoned, to get Monica to miss her first night? Walter and the insurance if the leading actress was missing from the rest of the season? Plausible motives? The irony of the revelation that they were all wrong and the normality of the real characters?
7. Frank and his presence as an actor, the irony of his accepting the role of the policeman, his preventing Karen leaving? His throwing suspicion on the others? His unmasking? The re-enactment of what really happened?
8. A murder mystery enjoyable for shocks and twists? for highlighting characters and motivations?
