Rehearsal for Murder (1982 TV Movie) User Reviews

Levinson/Link: The Rolls/Royce Writing Duo Of TV Mysteries

[Lechuguilla · 8/10 · 2 February 2005]

Whenever you see the names "Levinson" and "Link" in the writing credits, you can be assured of a well scripted, unique whodunit, with plot twists that would give Dame Agatha a run for her money.

" ... unusual form -- a mystery -- you take the audience by the hand and you lead them -- in the wrong direction." Those are the prophetic words of playwright Alex Dennison in this Levinson and Link play within a play, called "Rehearsal For Murder". Dennison (Robert Preston) reunites five show-biz friends, ostensibly to get feedback on his new mystery novel. The real reason for the reunion is to unmask the killer of Monica Welles, Dennison's fiancé, who was murdered a year earlier. Which of the five friends is the killer?

"Rehearsal For Murder" is a filmed stage play, which means that the emphasis is on the crafts of script and acting, both of which here are excellent, and production design which in this case is adequate. The multiple plot twists make the screenplay ingenious, if perhaps a little far-fetched. The entire cast gives a fine performance, though I must confess to a preference for Robert Preston, one of the most credible actors of all time.

There's no heavy duty "message" in this film, no special effects, no cinematic gimmicks. It's just an old-fashioned, entertaining murder mystery for viewers who like whodunits. I have long considered "Murder By Natural Causes" (1979) to be Levinson and Link's best work. But "Rehearsal For Murder" is not far behind.

Beautifully crafted mystery

[dwr246 · 8/10 · 31 October 2005]

Nice, old fashioned whodunit, made for TV, featuring a good story, solid acting, and an ingenious surprise ending.

Successful playwright, Alex Dennison gets a double whammy on the opening night of his latest play. First, the play is a flop. Second, his fiancée, Monica Welles (Lynn Redgrave), is found dead in the bushes outside of her townhouse. The police claim suicide, but Alex is skeptical. Monica may have been upset about the play, but she was hardly suicidal, especially since they were about to be married. And then there was the phone call she made to him the night her body was found - a phone call which was abruptly cut off. The police have nothing to go on, and close the case. But Alex still has his suspicions. A year goes by, and Alex writes a new play - a murder mystery. He invites his friends, all of whom were involved in his previous play with Monica, to a reading of the new script. And it seems that every scene reveals a motive for every actor. Will the play be the thing to catch the conscience of the killer?

This is a beautifully crafted mystery, full of misdirection and red herrings. Everyone has a motive, it seems, and yet the identity of the killer when it is revealed, comes as a complete surprise.

The acting was also top notch. Preston is in fine form in this production, absolutely convincing as the grieving playwright. Redgrave is charming as Monica, a character who can be warm, sweet, and lovable, or scheming, conniving, and nasty depending on the scene she is in. Patrick MacNee, Madolyn Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and William Daniels all offer their usual strong performances. And William Russ does a great job with a role that has several unexpected developments in it.

All in all, a beautiful diversion for an evening when you feel like watching a good mystery.

Intriguing little mystery

[gridoon2024 · 7/10 · 19 September 2020]

The writers, Richard Levinson and William Link, openly declare their intentions within their own dialogue: "In a murder mystery, you take the audience by the hand....and you lead them in the wrong direction. They trust you, and you betray them". And that's what they set out to do as well. Clever script, fine ensemble acting (with a pre-stardom Jeff Goldblum making a strong impression). The direction is a little flat and cramped (except for the transitions in & out of the enacted play), but in this case it seems to fit the theme. Do NOT get spoiled on this. *** out of 4.

The Play's The Thing

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 24 October 2014]

Robert Preston plays a Broadway playwright who is just about getting over the death of Lynn Redgrave almost a year earlier. She was an actress involved with Preston who wrote a play for her in which she opened to mixed reviews. That night she went off her building roof and her death was ruled a suicide. Preston's never believed it though.

So he's gathered several friends and acquaintances though which include Lawrence Pressman, David Greene, Jeff Goldblum, Madolyn Smith, and William Daniels to read scenes from a new play he's written. Seems as though Preston has the flotsam and jetsam of a plot of a murder mystery that everyone discovers rather quickly is the plot of the murder of Redgrave the year before. Her death was ruled a suicide, but Preston never believed it.

He's borrowed from no less than the greatest playwright of all Master William Shakespeare who had Hamlet use that device to confirm his suspicions about Uncle Claudius. Preston's suspicions are confirmed, but the murderer is the last one you'd suspect.

This is a pretty good cast of players and they're quite up to the dialog that a clever script provides. Nothing special here, but nicely served up.

Mixed Audiences

[tedg · 3 March 2015]

God I love this stuff.

What happens here: a playwright has a murdered wife. He assembles the suspects to read a new play, and this play concerns events that implicate each of them. Each of these suspects is placed under increasing pressure by what he seems to know until the climax where the murderer is revealed.

For background, consider two techniques. One is mentioned in the film: the play within the play of Hamlet, wherein the murderer sees his act played out and gives himself away. This is far more sophisticated, as we have many suspects, not one. And they each are forced to be actors in the play, not spectators. Moreover, they play themselves!

The second thing is the great innovation that Poirot brought to the genre. At the end of his stories, he gathers all the suspects, confronts each one with some damaging new insight and reveals the murderer. In this, we share the role of audience with the gathered suspects as they hear the solution. It is a way of folding us into the story, increasing our engagement.

I will not reveal the trick this film plays on us, other than to say that it is extraordinarily clever and turns these two dynamics inside out so that the effect of each is transferred to the other. Genius.

Have patience with it and you will be rewarded...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 20 November 2023]

... because the quality of the two halves is a bit uneven.

Playwright Alex Dennison (Robert Preston) is opening his Broadway play with his fiancée, Monica Welles (Lynn Redgrave), in the leading actress role. He wants it to be a success if only for her sake, and the audience loves the play, but the newspaper critics consider it a bust. After the play, Monica says she wants to be alone for the night, but later calls Alex and tells him to come right over. When Alex arrives, the police are there, with Monica apparently having jumped to her death from an upper story window. The authorities rule the death a suicide.

A year passes and Alex returns to the theatre scene with a rough draft of a new play. He wants to do a reading and invites five people who were part of or close to his last production, the one that failed and starred his fiancée. It soon becomes clear that this play is about the death of his fiancée, but in this play Monica is murdered. Alex states that Monica was murdered, and that this reading will reveal the culprit. When this comes to light all five decide to leave, saying that Alex has become obsessed, but there is a cop in the theatre who says he advises that they stay if only to humor Alex and put to rest his theory. And plus suspicion will fall on anybody who does leave. Complications ensue.

Now just about everything I wrote in the second paragraph above is not true, but it appears to be. The denouement is actually quite clever and, like I said, there is a pay-off if you stay until the end. Otherwise, give up on it midway and you'll just feel like your time has been wasted with some rather hammy and ham-fisted plot devices. I'd say the first half is about a 6/10, carried on the strength of the performers and the second half is about an 8/10.

This movie deserves to be on Broadway!

[CoolComix2 · 9/10 · 14 February 2007]

This has remained one of my favorite movies of all time. Written by Richard Levinson and William Link, the creators of "Columbo" and "Murder, She Wrote," the story takes place in an empty theater as playwright Alex Dennison stages an elaborate plan to reveal the truth behind his movie star fiancée's supposed suicide. Cast and crew from her first, and only stage play performance are gathered together a year after her death under the pretext of a reading of his new play. As the scenes are read, it becomes evident that Alex has an ulterior motive in inviting these people for this "rehearsal." When the group learns that Alex believes Monica was actually murdered, and that one of them is the prime suspect, it is only through various methods of duress that they reluctantly go along with his scheme. Very much like a stage play, each character is introduced, playing what seems to be a stock part: the ingénue yearning for stardom; the producer keeping his eye on the bottom line; the stage director trying to make a name for himself; the embittered ex-lover; the leading man with an eye for the ladies, and so on. At the center of the story, Robert Preston is perfect as the distinguished playwright who has suffered a tragic loss; determined to prove that the woman he loved was murdered. At times, you can't be certain that he hasn't simply gone over the edge in his grief.

Jeff Goldblum's face is the only one on the DVD cover, and although he was excellent playing the part of supporting actor Leo Gibbs, this movie truly is a shining example of ensemble performance, with great performances by William Daniels, Lawrence Pressman, Patrick Macnee, and Madolyn Smith. The only discordant note is Lynn Redgrave. Admittedly, playing a character that is only seen in flashbacks and manufactured scenes from a play, it is hard to get a sense of Monica Welles' true nature. Still, the movie was not so much about her, but rather about how others may have seen her from different perspectives, along with their possible motives.

There are many twists and turns, but the clues are there for anyone to see, especially in dialogue. The first and most notable one, is when Alex tells the group about his new play. "Unusual form, a mystery," Alex notes, "You take the audience by the hand, and you lead them... in the wrong direction. They trust you, and you betray them! All in the name of surprise." These words sum up the story perfectly and succinctly, and I'm glad I have the chance to give this movie a hearty recommendation.

How To Catch A Murderer

[boblipton · 6/10 · 24 December 2021]

Movie actress Lynn Redgrave has her Broadway debut in a new play by Robert Preston. It's a flop, but they are of good cheer, because they're in love. She sends him home, then calls him to come over. When he gets there, she is dead. The police call it suicide. He doesn't believe it, and a year later calls together his producer and several cast members in the theater, to rehearse a draft of a new play he is working on. It soon dawns on them that he is accusing each of them of murdering Miss Redgrave. They start to walk out, but there's Police detective Buck Young, willing to indulge Preston.

Given a cast that includes William Daniels, Patrick McNee, Lawrence Pressman, and even a 20-year-old Jeff Goldblum among the suspects, it's easy to be starstruck by this Levinson-Link TV movie, and wonder when Peter Falk will show up with just one more question. The fact that I figured it out about halfway through is no indictment on the various red herrings strewn on the path to truth; that's a frequent structural issue with this form of mystery; perhaps director David Greene didn't offer enough visual distraction along with the murder scenarios. Or perhaps as one of the character notes about far too many mysteries, the roles are underwritten and stereotyped.

One Superior Whodunnit

[theowinthrop · 10/10 · 27 February 2007]

Towards the end of his career, Robert Preston was extremely fortunate. He had demonstrated on Broadway that he was one of the top talents of his day, after having been buried in supporting parts for most of his career in Hollywood. "The Music Man", "The Lion In Winter, "I Do, I Do", "Mack And Mabel", "Ben Franklin In Paris" were just a few of his triumphs.

And suddenly he was desirable in Hollywood again. When Lucille Ball made her movie version of "Mame", Preston was Beauregard Burnside. Then he was used in two of Blake Edwards' best films, "S.O.B.", as a cynical Dr. Field-good type, and (best of all) as Toddy in "Victor/Victoria". But on television he did a series of television performances that showed his dramatic/leading man abilities. The two best were "Finnigan, Begin Again" (with Mary Tyler Moore and Sylvia Sidney) and "Rehearsal For Murder".

With a script by "Columbo" creators Richard Levinson and William Link, "Rehearsal For Murder" was about an unsolved slaying in the theater world. During the run of a Broadway production that starred his girlfriend Monica Welles (Lynn Redgrave), dramatist Alex Dennison (Preston) is shocked when she is apparently committed suicide by throwing herself from her window. The police make a thorough (or apparently thorough) investigation, only to find that it was suicide. Dennison won't believe it.

A year later, Dennison invites the cast of the show (Patrick Macnee, Madlyn Smith, Jeff Goldblum) and the play's producer (William Daniels) to the theater that Redgrave's last play was shown at. He presents them with scripts and they proceed to read their parts aloud. Each part illustrates a possible motive for the murder (Macnee made a play for her that she rejected - and he resented; Smith as understudy wanted to have Monica's role - and Goldblum, her boyfriend, might have assisted her; Daniels, not too certain that it would be a success, was looking into the insurance value of the life of his leading lady). Naturally they are discussing how each of them could not possibly be the killer - it must be one of the others. Unknown to them, a man is watching from the audience in the back. It is Laurence Pressman, who is a private detective - and has been invited by Preston to observe the suspects. But inevitably the somewhat bemused Pressman is dragged into the rehearsal. And then things take off.

Given the best of the Columbo episodes, one can see that "Rehersal For Murder" was carefully planned as the former were. The surprises keep popping up, until the final one in a darkened theater - when the identity of Redgrave's killer is revealed. And it is not a disappointing solution for a change. This "whodunnit" was the best suspense film that Robert Preston starred in (not appeared in - "This Gun For Hire" is probably that) in his career. And, as I said before, it helped complete that career with a string of dramatic successes for his reputation.

The greatest Broadway failure since "Moose Murders".

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 21 July 2022]

"All producers are actors", one of the characters says in this TV movie center around the death of a film actress making her Broadway debut, commiting suicide allegedly on opening night. Bad reviews guaranteed possible instant closure, although that is never confirmed. A year later, playwright Robert Preston, also engaged to the deceased (Lynn Redgrave), gets producer William Daniels and cast members Jeff Goodblum, Patrick Macnee, Madolyn Smith and Lawrence Pressman together on the assumption of a reading and it turns out to be an attempt to trap one of them into a confession of Redgrave's murder.

"Moose Murders" was a one performance flop, and it parallels the play here that opened and closed, even though it wasn't a mystery. Redgrave is seen in various flashbacks, and the viewer gets to know the complexities of the character, both through the romance she's having with Preston and the confrontations she had with the others involved. It's a great ensemble, a fun script, and a premise that would have been a great play as well, even though there had been similar plays and films about murder behind the ghost light going back decades. Still, it's professionally done, and keeps the audience guessing. Ironic to see Daniels (who played a musical John Addams on Broadway) and Preston (a musical Ben Franklin) together.

Easy to see where the movie is heading after 20 minutes

[ozdavid · 4/10 · 28 March 2012]

If you can't work out where this TV movie is going after the first 20 minutes , right at the start of the rehearsal , then you must have been asleep. Rather pedestrian movie , and spoiled for me because the outcome was always so very obvious.

The acting of most of those involved was reasonable , in the circumstances , but thought Robert Preston was rather dull and uninspired throughout.

One very annoying thing is that the very distinctive voice of William Daniels who was in this movie , is so linked as being the voice of the car KITT in Knight Rider that it really becomes distracting whenever he speaks.

A TV movie in a similar vein "One of my Wives is Missing" is far more interesting.

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

[sol-kay · 9/10 · 13 February 2004]

Alex Dennison, Robert Preston, A top Broadway playwright returns to the theater where his fiancée Monica Wells, Lynn Redgrave, acted in her first and last performance on Broadway just a year ago in the comedy play that Alex wrote for her "Chamber Music". Reflecting back to what became a tragic night Monica, a movie star, was acting in a play on Broadway for the first time in her career and was very apprehensive and nervous about how her performance on stage would be taken by the public as well as the Broadway critics.

When the play ended to the standing ovation of the theater audience the critical reviews coming in on "Chamber Music" were anything but overwhelming and at a party with everyone involved in the play later that night Monica seemed hurt and depressed. Alex trying to make Monica feel good tells her that no matter what the critics say, which weren't all that bad, about the play that she's not to let it get to her, that bad reviews are a part of life on Broadway, and that she'll always be tops with him. With the party over and everyone gone Monica alone with Alex asks him something the seemed to be a bit strange, if he loved her which of course Alex told her that he did. Later that night Alex gets a phone call from Monica that gets cut off in mid-sentence. Rushing to her apartment he finds that she jumped or fell from her bedroom window an was killed. Hurt and almost in shock Alex just couldn't believe that his Monica would have killed herself which led him to personally investigate her dead and what he found out he put into a play that he wrote with the murder suspects all playing major roles in it.

Using the theater as a backdrop to find out who killed Monica Wells and having the police Leut. MaElroy, William Russ who was in charge of the investigation of Monica's death helping him Alex gathered all the suspects together, who had no idea of what Alex had planned for them, to play their parts in the play which in the end revealed the one who killed Monica.

The movie "Rehearsal for Murder" is so well written with a script that builds to such a unexpected final that you'll immediately want to see the film over again. "Rehearsal for Murder" is so good that it makes movies with surprise endings like "The Usual Subjects" and "Se7en" look like high school plays in comparison. It's amazing watching the movie that every word every action and even every movement fit right into the story like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Who killed Monica? was it her co-star in the play David Mathews, Patrick Macnee, who's advances she turned down? Was it the director of the play LLoyd Andrews, Lawrence Pressman, who was in love with her and thought that Monica was also in love with him and felt betrayed by her when she became engaged to Alex? Was it the producer of the play Walter Lamb, William Daniels, who was to lose $600,000.00 of his own money if the play flopped and could only get his money back if Monica who he heavily insured died during it's run on Broadway? Was it Monica's understudy Karen Daniels, Madolyn Smith-Osborne, who would do anything to get top-billing in the play? or her lover and fellow actor Leo Gibbs, Jeff Goldblum, who would do anything to help her get it?

Powerhouse whodunit that for some reason has been forgotten all these years but after seeing "Rehearsal for Murder" you'll wonder, just like I did, why?

Rehearsal for Murder

[henry8-3 · 7/10 · 29 April 2021]

A year after his fiancée apparently committed suicide, top theatre director Preston gets a group of his friends together to rehearse a new play which bears a striking resemblance to the last day of his fiancée's life.

A cracking twisty turny whodunnit for those who enjoy Agatha Christie type mysteries. Granted the script is a bit limp, actors rather wooden, the filming unimaginative and overall this is a bit dated. Having said that the mystery itself holds up and I never saw the inevitable twists and turns coming, so worth it for that.

Disappointed by the plot, but Robert Preston is solid, as always

[kristimmkm · 5/10 · 18 March 2023]

After reading all the other reviews, i was really looking forward to this movie. We saved it for an uninterrupted block of time, made the good popcorn, changed into some toasty fleece and slippers.

Well, we saw it. I wish I could recommend it. No complaints on the casting; Robert Preston led a group of actors who played their parts perfectly well.

But a good whodunit is a cheat if the audience never sees the killer in the same frame with the victim, as least fleetingly. Misdirection and red herrings are staples of a murder mystery and not knowing who the killer was is the whole point, but in the end when all is revealed, the viewer has to be able to say, "Oh yeah, remember when that guy ...", and that never happened here. Unless the version I saw tonight on Youtube was edited in some way (and supposedly it was not), there was no tie-in to the crime throughout the movie, until the big reveal at the end. When the other reviewers on this page say, "You'll never guess who the killer was," that's because there was absolutely no clue during the movie that their paths had ever crossed before.

I hope I'm wrong and that section had been accidentally left out of the version I saw. I expected more from Levinson and Link.

A Real Murder Mystery

[whpratt1 · 10/10 · 11 May 2007]

This mystery takes on a new twist when Broadway playwright Alex Dewnnison, (Robert Preston), invites the cast and crew of his new play to a cold reading of the script. However, the participants don't know that their get together is a part of a plan to find out the criminal who killed his lover, Monica Wells, (Lynn Redgrave) and made her death look like a suicide by jumping out of a window in a high rise apartment dwelling. You will never be able to figure out just who the murderer is and this film will keep you glued to your seats. Robert Preston and Lynn Redgrave gave outstanding performances along with the entire cast of actors. Enjoy.

I defy anybody to guess, who the murderer is , until the final scene.

[MIKE-WILSON6 · 9/10 · 30 July 2001]

A superior T V movie, has Robert Preston as a playwright, trying to convince his friends, that his wife has been murdered,and not as the police think, that she committed suicide. He rents a theatre, then proceeds to put on a basics of a new play, in order to bring the killer to justice. Any film like this with such a good twist in the tail, is well worth watching.

Practice makes it perfect

[freetrhyme · 10/10 · 21 November 2006]

The title of this movie could not be more appropriate. A group of theater people is reassembled to recreate the last day of a famous actress.The story is superbly well-written and uses flashbacks to enhance the viewers perception of the narrative. As in most thrillers, everyone is a suspect. The idea, however of the main character to recreate his dead wife's last day of life was amazingly fresh, to say the very least.Bearing this in mind, we are left with all their potential suspects following the scripts of a 'play' that actually re-enacts a crime.There is one person who is not part of the original group of people who has to join them.The solution to this puzzle is not only stunning, but outstanding. The cast was well-chosen with sharp performances.Robert Preston and Madolyn Smith had brilliant moments during a very balanced movie for all the cast.

Another Pristine Preston Performance

[AirBourne_Bds · 8/10 · 8 October 2006]

Dostoevsky is claimed to once have said that if a gun is seen in the first act of a play then it must be shot with by the third...

This was very true of "Rehearsal For Murder" a made for TV film back in the early 80's with a veteran and sterling cast - including a very angular and fresh-faced Jeff Goldblum, pre-Fly.

The man who carried the show was the late, great, inimitable Robert Preston - while known known to have been in some westerns in the 50s, he shone in the original film of "The Music Man," as he did in "The Last Starfighter" and still to my view Robert Preston earned the Oscar in Blake Edwards' version of "Victor, Victoria" with Alex Karras, Dame Julie Andrews and James Garner (perhaps Karras getting Best Actor In Supporting Role).

I digress, yet Robert carried the show as the aggrieved and lovelorn playwright Alex Dennison, who was convinced his fiancée - played by Lynn Redgrave - was in fact murdered and not a suicide as most folk thought in the movie.

In what appears to be a roleplaying manhunt of a whodunit by Preston/Dennison, you are given the impression he already knows who did the deed - or does he? William "St Elsewhere" Daniels, Patrick "The Avengers" MacNee and ex-Wiseguy alumni William Russ all executed their parts with intricate precision in this mystery that will have you turning every which way until the very last minute and even then you may not see where the plot is heading...

A very well-written script from Richard Levinson & William Link - with a long combined history of writing for hit series like "Murder She Wrote," "Columbo," and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" then it's no mystery why this show if done as a book would be a sure-fire page-turner! http://tinyurl.com/3464k/

Rehearsal for Murder

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 9/10 · 20 July 2019]

9/10 - one of my all-time favorite TV movies and one of my all-time favorite mysteries

You Will Not Guess the Murderer!!

[kidboots · 10/10 · 22 July 2009]

As soon as I saw "Written by Richard Levinson and William Link - I knew this was going to be a top mystery thriller. Together Levinson and Link created "Columbo", one of televisions most endearing detectives. You think it is all going along smoothly - "I know exactly what is going to happen" - then you are turned on your head, although everything you have seen makes perfect sense. I agree with a previous reviewer - Robert Preston spent almost his entire career as a character actor, until he became a national treasure with "The Music Man". He was now a huge star and alternated between stage and screen. He was working with some great talent in this film, which won an Edgar for Levinson and Link in 1983 as Best Television Feature or Miniseries.

The film begins in a deserted thearte, a year after the supposed suicide of Monica Welles (Lyn Redgrave), an aspiring actress and fiancée of Alex Dennison (Robert Preston). Of course, he is convinced that it was murder and has summoned all the actors together (who were the last people to see Monica alive). They think they are there to read for Alex's new play but he thinks one of them is the murderer and is determined to expose them by an ingenious way.

Who was it??? - was it David Matthews (Patrick MacNee) Monica's leading man, whose advances she laughs off, Walter Lamb (William Daniells) who stands to lose $600,000 of his own money if the play is a flop and has insured Monica - he will get his money back if she dies during the run. Then there is Karen Daniels (Madolyn Smith) a young understudy, who would do anything to play the lead. Jeff Goldblum plays her lover but his is the least interesting character in the movie. As they go through their parts (Alex has written a play about the murder of a young stage actress making her Broadway debut) everyone seems to have a definite motive for murder.

By the end of the film everything has been turned upside-down and You Will Never Guess the Murderer!!!!

Highly, Highly Recommended.

Murder-mystery with a twist...

[Libretio · 8/10 · 28 January 2005]

REHEARSAL FOR MURDER

Aspect ratio: 1.33:1

Sound format: Mono

One year after his wife (Lynn Redgrave) died in mysterious circumstances, a grief-stricken playwright (Robert Preston) lures several prime suspects - all personal friends - to a lonely theatre where he proposes to unmask Redgrave's killer by reconstructing events on the night of her death...

Wonderful, old-fashioned murder mystery (written by Richard Levinson and William Link) which pulls an astonishing about-face during its final reel, though not before a number of talented thesps (including Patrick Macnee, William Daniels, Jeff Goldblum and Madolyn Smith) have acted up a storm as chief suspects in a tragic crime. Performances and dialogue are crisp and believable, plot-holes are neatly plugged, and the climactic 'reveal' will knock your socks off! Magical stuff, highly recommended, though viewers are advised to see it 'cold' for maximum effect. Directed by TV veteran David Greene (ROOTS, GUILTY CONSCIENCE, THE TRIAL OF LEE HARVEY OSWALD, etc.).

Great movie for acting workshops

[yonhope · 8/10 · 5 January 2008]

Robert Preston avoids overacting in this tight drama. It would have been easy for him to shout some of his dialog and overpower the simple but winding storyline. The cast is great. Each role brings forth the question of "What if this part were played by...???" I could imagine David Niven or Betty Davis in the lead roles or perhaps Clifton Webb and Gloria Swanson. They would all have been different in their performances, but it would be hard to be better than what is done by this group. Jeff Goldblum at first sounds like he will be out of place with these legends, but he holds his own and then some.

There are no explosions or swear words or nudity, so this won't be enjoyed by the under 13 crowd. A group of adults will like trying to figure out where this is going as it twists around from moment to moment. It does have some stretches of believability from time to time, but it sews everything right back up by the end.

I think some of today's filmmakers could do a new version of this if they were willing to stay away from the special effects table. This is basically a movie for the right cast who can deliver on a good script.

A very nice movie.

mystery supreme

[nzpedals · 9/10 · 26 September 2016]

Well, the title should tell us a lot without spoiling? There is a murder, and "rehearsal" suggests something happening first and then a result. Yep, we get all of that, and a whole lot more.

A playwright Alex Dennison (Preston) is putting on a new play. His new fiancé is a star, and is hoping for good reviews from the critics, but... alas, dies! It looks like suicide, but Alex is not sure, and has a particular suspect in mind.

A year later, he gets five people to come to a theatre to "rehearse" his new play. They read through the script of a few short scenes, each one of which seems to incriminate one of the people there, (The promoter, producer, director, a stand-in for the dead star, and her boyfriend (Goldblum).

Of course, he also has to have the main suspect there in order to get him/her to confess! And a cop to arrest in the very last scene.The use of the stage lights to heighten the atmosphere is clever and effective.

It's all very realistic, the scenes are believable partly because although they are just reading the script, the video shows what was happening the previous year (according to Preston). They all have motive and opportunity, so ... which one is it?

The tension builds, some of them are so upset they want OUT, now. So Alex "persuades" them to stay, of course. More drama ensues until the very end.

The acting is superb throughout and most of the story is easy to follow. This ought to be a classic of the mystery/crime genre. And so easy to produce? No outside scenes, cheap-as to make?

A wonderful mystery romp

[Wilsoncpu-605-474004 · 10/10 · 26 February 2022]

I have always loved this flick. In fact, I have a copy and watch it periodically for the sheer joy of watching the star-studded cast run through their paces.

We have the inimitable Robert Preston in fine form, Lynn Redgrave as his fiancée who died a year earlier (apparently by suicide), and a young Jeff Goldblum as an actor friend of the fiancée. Also playing notable parts are familiar faces like Lawrence Pressman, William Russ, and William Daniels.

It's a classic whodunit, with enough plot twists and fun bits to keep the audience entertained and guessing until the final scene. The cinematic version of comfort food, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

Where is Peter Falk?

[searchanddestroy-1 · 17 September 2017]

I was confused not to see lieutenant Columbo in this film, written by the Levinson Link piece of work, which, of course looks very lie a COLUMBO series episode, except the very short cop appearance. Besides, that's a real good time waster for perfect crime schemes lovers. And what a surprise to see Pat Mc Nee here. I have nothing more to tell about this feature.