Murder by Death
Robert Moore
Neil Simon
94 min.
Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker, Estelle Winwood, James Cromwell, Richard Narita
PG
What happens when you unite the five most prominent detectives in the world? If you’re Neil Simon, wry humor and outlandish situations. Murder by Death was a confluence of major comic talents, experienced thespians and a screenplay that weaves its way through a complex web of lies, suspense and a series of twist endings you may never expect.
Simon’s screenplay creates spoofs of five legendary fiction detectives from some of the top mystery and detective fiction writers in history.
Arriving in pairs, having been invited to the large estate of wealthy recluse, an assemblage of talents have been summoned to “Dinner and a Murder” by Lionel Twain, a diminutive crackpot played with relish by noted gossip meister and novelist Truman Capote.
Invited to dinner are Sidney Wang (Peter Sellers), a heavily stereotyped version of Charlie Chan, Earl Derr Biggers heroic Honolulu detective; Dick & Dora Charleston (David Niven & Maggie Smith), Dashiell Hammett’s mystery solving husband-wife team (immortalized in the big screen Thin Man series); Milo Perrier (James Coco), based on the self-centered Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot created by Agatha Christie; Sam Diamond (Peter Falk), Simon’s take on Hammett’s noir detective Sam Spade; and Jessica Marbles (Elsa Lanchester), a younger impersonation of Christie’s spinster detective Jane Marple.
They have sold millions of paperbacks and to prove they know nothing about crime solving, Twain sets up a mystery that he believes they will be unable to solve, even if it doesn’t go quite according to plan. He ends up the victim in his own scheme, stabbed in the back multiple times.
One of the key ingredients to success for any comedy is the talent of its cast. Assembled here in Murder by Death are some of the greatest actors of any generation. There are both Oscar winners (Niven and Smith) and Oscar nominees (Sellers, Falk, Lanchester and Alec Guinness) here and a handful of future nominees (Coco, Eileen Brennan and James Cromwell) as well. Only Sellers and Coco had been previously noted primarily for their comic work, the others were predominantly drama actors giving their funny bones a good flexing (though each had prior experience in the genre).
In addition to Dick & Dora, the other four detectives have cohorts or supporting characters who accompany them to the dinner. Wang’s adopted son Willie (Richard Narita) acts more as valet and manservant than he does as child; Perrier’s actual manservant Marcel (Cromwell) sits in the role of Poirot’s frequent companion and narrator Hastings; Diamond’s secretary Tess Skeffington (Brennan) does all of his legwork and knows more of the facts than he does; and Marbles has brought along her aging nurse Withers (Estelle Winwood) who is early on mistaken for the purportedly aged detective herself. Serving these fine guests are blind butler Bensonmum (Guinness) and the deaf mute Yetta (longtime character actress, comedienne and noted director Nancy Walker who was most easily recognizable in the 1980’s, when I was growing up, as the Palmolive spokeswoman Madge).
The eclectic assemblage tackles just about every social, political and economic stripe available, touching on a myriad collection of stereotypes that never feel overplayed. Simon is so adept at making the caricatures purposefully exaggerated in an effort to highlight the weaknesses and sometimes bigoted descriptions and portrayals of these characters both on screen and in literature.
Simon juggles a large ensemble with his script and there’s little doubt he understands how interpersonal dynamics direct such a narrative, but it’s up to director Robert Moore to effectively blend all of these stories and keep the story from veering off into utter confusion. His admirable job, light on the directorial flourishes, but no less exceptional, is further supported by the cast who have to make such a daunting task easier with their vast and rich experience.
Written over three decades ago, Murder by Death doesn’t feel antiquated. Many of the jokes are still as fresh today as they were then basing themselves on common elements of mainstream popular culture of the past. While some of the hardboiled, film noiresque portions might need a touch of explaining to younger audiences, anyone who grew up on or has developed an admiration for the characters in the source material or the films based on their adventures, will find something completely amusing, engaging and ultimately unparalleled in this film.
September 28, 2011
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