MURDER BY DEATH
US, 1976, 95 minutes, Colour.
Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker, Estelle Winwood, Elsa Lanchester.
Directed by Robert Moore.
Neil Simon is master of witty lines and seeing humour in most conventional situations and relationships. Here he keeps his wit but indulges happily in some outlandish parody of the murder mystery genre and its practitioners, especially Agatha Christie (Poirot and Miss Marple - Marbles!) and Dashiell Hammett (Thin Man, Wife and Dog and Sam Spade - Diamond!) plus Charlie Chan (alias Peter Sellers) for good measure and a very murderable Truman Capote. Familiarity with the conventions will help the laughter enormously, especially the outlandish confession sequence (outstripping the Orient Express equivalent) and the resolution sequence with its multiple solutions and culprit unmaskings to end all unmaskings. Excellent froth.
1. The enjoyment value of the film, the stars, the satire and parody, the comedy?
2. The purpose of making this film: homage to 'the detectives' and 'the detective story' and their conventions, satire and parody? The satisfactory blend of both?
3. The nature of the homage, acknowledgement of audience interest, entertainment value, the genre and the conventions, victim, suspects, detectives, clues and sleuthing? Audience involvement in a mystery, its clues and solution? The characters involved? The Agatha Christle and Dashiell Hammett characters? Imitation and homage?
4. The nature of the parody: the implausibility of the initial situation and invitation, the murderous threats, the house and its set-up, the blind butler, the clues, the detective types, the funny situations?
5. The importance of the setting: the parody of the invitation, the dinner, the house and everything that belonged to it, the screaming doorbell, the lights, the murder attempts, the gadgets and the poke at electronics?
6. The importance of the assembly, the various encounters with the detectives, the house and the disappearance from the rooms, the dinner, the appearance of the host? Most of the action taking place in the room, sharing clues, the motivation of the money to solve the mystery?
7. The effect of the murder and the fact that the host had predicted his murder? The humour and the far-fetched nature of the revelation of connections of all with the victim? The satire in the various threats of death in the bedrooms? The humour in the ways of survival? The various solutions as proposed, the various unmaskings and the literal satire on the unmasking of the villain?
8. The fact that Truman Capote was the host, his attempt at murder, eccentricity? The significance of his death, the fact that the cook did it?
9. The comedy with the butler: Alec Guinness' style, the humour on his blindness, the suave English style, the lack of communication with the cook, his murder and disappearance, his role in the solution and the fact that he was only a mask? Alec Guinness' comedy in mimicking the various suspects he was presented as?
10. The role of the cook, and the revelation of her survival?
11. The satire on Hercule Poirot? His assistant? His fastidiousness, food, involvement with the clues, with the victim? He and his companion being crushed? What characteristics of Poirot were being satirized?
12. The satire on Miss Marple and her nurse? A robust Miss Marple, the nurse and her flirting?
13. The satire on Charlie Chan in the person of Sidney Wang? Peter Sellers' style of comedy? His son? The threat of death with the snake and their survival?
14. The parody of 'The Thin man' and his wife? Dick and Dora and their elegant style? The dog? The threat of death and Dora's possible death?
15. The satire on the American detective, Sam Spade & the Humphrey Bogart style? Tess Skeffington the faithful assistant? Her style and her having all the facts at hand etc.? The satire on the masculinity of the American detective? Peter Falk's style of comedy?
16. The film as a piece of entertaining froth? But a piece of Americana? Poking fun also at audience expectations?
