A CRIME OF PASSION
Canada, 2003, 90 minutes, Colour.
Cynthia Gibb, Gordon Currie, Alexandra Kamp, Tom Butler, Jennifer Clement, Sebastien Spence.
Directed by Charles Wilkinson.
A Crime of Passion is based on a short story by Mary Higgins Clark. It is one of many television films based on Clark’s work produced around this period.
Cynthia Gibb as Frederico is an energetic lead, Gordon Currie as Alan, looking rather sinister (as he did in Left Behind 3), seems a fairly easy suspect, a shaky background, marrying for money, alleging that he was studying how to improve the vineyards that his wife owns. There is an early murder, the wife of Thomas (Tom Butler) who becomes entangled with a vampish con woman (Alexandra Kamp) who is also murdered.
The complications include the association of the vamp with a criminal, her plans, the investigations on Internet by Frederica’s friend, Dale (Sebastien Spence) and his rescuing her from an attempted murder.
In the old days, there was a joke that ‘the butler did it’. In fact, in this one, surprisingly, the maid did it, all of the murders.
1. The popularity of Mary Higgins Clark stories? The many film versions? The quality of this one?
2. The setting, the vineyards, the mansion, the police, the electronics shop, the cabin in the wilderness? The musical score?
3. The title, the potential for several characters to be the murderers? The passion of Lilian?
4. The opening party, Thomas and the clash with his wife, her wanting to go home? The celebration of the vineyard? Frederica and Alan and their success? Arabella and her coming on to Thomas? Thomas’s wife and her death?
5. The police investigations, interrogations, seeming accident? Thomas, the affair with Arabella, Frederica and her investigations through Dale, finding a record on Arabella, her accomplice? Her clashes with Arabella? Thomas and his hard reaction? His drinking, argument, her death? Interrogation? Thomas arrested?
6. Alan, not revealing his past, his marriage, alleging that he was out studying the vineyards, Frederica and her love for him, but her hard stances? Suspicious? His moving out? Asking Lilian to help at home?
7. Dale, past affection for Frederica, his shop, her asking his help, his investigations into Alan? His contact and the money to pay for the address of the accomplice, Frederica going by herself, the confrontation? His later going to her house for a robbery? Her being attacked, Dale having followed, rescuing her?
8. Lilian, her devotion, to Thomas, Frederica? Doing the work? The revelation of Thomas’s wife and the brooch, with Lilian? Her attempt to sedate Frederica? The flashbacks to her killing of Thomas’s wife, shooting Arabella, the affair with Thomas, believing his promise that she would be his wife?
9. Alan, the realisation of truth, hurrying to save Frederica? Frederica and her not being affected by the pills, the confrontation with Lilian, the chase throughout the storage space with the vats, onto the roof, limping, Lilian and her madness, falling to her death? Alan and Frederica having to trust him?
10. Happy ending, Thomas and his retirement, the acquisition of the vineyard, Dale coming as an expert, happy and profitable ending?
