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:

Stephen Sondheim, Anthony Perkins

Stars:

Richard Benjamin, James Coburn, James Mason

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
Robert 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 | death | hit and run | friend | 

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Taglines:

The games people play can lead . . . to murder! [Video]

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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:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For this film scriptwriters Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim won the 1974 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay from the Mystery Writers of America.

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Goofs

In the crucial photograph of the six guests, they are lined up closer to the boat than they were when we saw the picture taken earlier, and at a different angle.

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Quotes

Philip: Nothing makes any - sense. Something Clinton said, keeps rattling around in the back of my head, if I could remember it.

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Connections

References Love Story (1970)

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Soundtracks

Friends
Written by Mark Klingman and Buzzy Linhart
Performed by Bette Midler

User Reviews

A classy puzzle

This is not a movie for those who like their fare to be obvious. Coming from the pens of Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, it is a witty, erudite little puzzle that expects you to pay attention and work with it. It's also a delightfully acerbic look at the Industry and those who work in it.

The cast in the main rises to the challenge Coburn is in fine form as the manipulative Clinton; the late Joan Hackett reminds you, what we lost as an actress in the part of Lee and James Mason, exudes charm as Phillip. Raquel Welch is perhaps at sea a bit in some of the scenes compared to Ian McShane as her husband and the wonderful Dyan Cannon and Richard Benjamin. Herbert Ross directs what is a complex story with a deft touch right up to the denoument - which is brilliant and has a great pay-off line.

The dvd version has a commentary with Cannon, Benjamin and Welch. However, Welch sounds as though she recorded alone and really doesn't offer much insight into the whole project except for comments about her wardrobe and the fact that she didn't understand the plot, but that was ok as she says because her character had little understanding of what was going on either.