The Last of Sheila (1973)

A year after Sheila is killed in a hit-and-run, her multi-millionaire husband invites a group of friends to spend a week on his yacht playing a scavenger hunt-style mystery game. The game turns out to be all too real and all too deadly.

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writers:

Anthony Perkins, Stephen Sondheim

Stars:

Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Benjamin	...	Tom
Dyan Cannon	...	Christine
James Coburn	...	Clinton Green
Joan Hackett	...	Lee
James Mason	...	Philip
Ian McShane	...	Anthony
Raquel Welch	...	Alice
Yvonne Romain	...	Sheila Green (as Yvonne Romaine)
Pierre Rosso	...	Vittorio
Serge Citon	...	Guido
Roberto Rossi	...	Captain
Elaine Geisinger	...	American Wife
Elliot Geisinger	...	American Husband
Jack Pugeat	...	Silver Salesman

Storyline

Sheila is killed in a hit-and-run car accident following a party one night. A year later her multi-millionaire husband, Clinton, invites a group of her friends to spend a week on a his yacht. He's a notorious practical joker and insists his guests play a mystery game where each has been assigned a crime for the others to discover. Each night a series of clues is planted in the local port and the team must solve the identity of the criminal-of-the-day. However, things get out of hand and soon there's a real crime to solve.

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Plot Keywords:

game | yacht | secret | hit and run | clue | 

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Taglines:

The Next Move Is Murder [USA Theatrical]

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

14 June 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

El fin de Sheila

Filming Locations:

Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.77 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filming the café scene was disrupted when an anti-Semitic terrorist group known as Black September informed police that a bomb had been placed near the set and would be detonated unless everyone left. With help from the local police, the actors and crew carried on bravely and finished shooting on schedule at 3 a.m. Raquel Welch was quoted saying, "I was glad when we finished, and that the threat seems to have been a hoax."

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Goofs

When Christine shuts the door to the bathroom after joining Clinton there, the lampshade on one of the nearby sconces falls off.

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Quotes

Lee: Who did this room? Parker Brothers?

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Connections

Features 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

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Soundtracks

"Friends"
Performed by Bette Midler

User Reviews

"I like any game where you don't have to move." ... "You don't have to for this one--if you're smart enough."

Superb, darkly comic whodunit with all the pieces right there for you to place. Wicked James Coburn is the cunning movie producer and game-lover inviting to his yacht the failed screenwriter (Richard Benjamin), his alcoholic wife (Joan Hackett, in a sympathetic performance), the catty agent (Dyan Cannon, more wired than ever before), the starlet (Raquel Welch, looking a little out-of-it), the starlet's husband (Ian McShane), and a director down-on-his-luck (James Mason, the calm-head who pays attention to the details). The only trouble with the film is that the first-half (involving a hilarious personality game) is SO good and clever that the murder-mystery second-half lets you down a bit. Still, these characters are a wonderfully tainted, self-absorbed lot and Dyan Cannon's breakdown after someone almost offs her is a wild bit of breakneck acting. I also admired Welch's scene at midnight on the top deck, talking about stealing a coat (she's very seductive and charming, though she continues to whisper her dialogue throughout the film and comes off as slightly dazed). The character conflicts and the reasoning behind who-does-what-to-whom doesn't bear a great deal of scrutiny (and even after several viewings, I'm still not clear on that business regarding the cabin keys); however, the film is extremely entertaining, a verbally exciting match-of-wits by a group of Hollywood hopefuls and burn-outs. ***1/2 from ****