The Last of Sheila (1973) User Reviews

Games Of The Very Rich

[Lechuguilla · 8/10 · 7 May 2008]

Exotic locales on the French Riviera form a beautiful setting for this highly complex whodunit story about six Hollywood movie insiders who agree to participate in a reality-based game to celebrate the life and tragic death of Sheila, another Hollywood insider, whom they all knew.

The game's host, Sheila's multi-millionaire husband Clinton Green (James Coburn), has devised six pretend pieces of gossip; the idea is for the participants to guess everybody's secret. As one participant says: "That's the thing about secrets; we all know stuff about each other; we just don't know the same stuff; how did (Clinton) find out? Sheila, probably." The game winner gets top billing in Clinton's forthcoming movie: "The Last Of Sheila".

The script's underlying premise is ingenious, and the story is quite well executed. The plot has more twists and turns than a corkscrew. Every scene is important in some way. The identity of the killer is not at all easy to discern. Indeed, my guess was wrong.

The film has an ensemble cast, and they all give convincing performances. I especially liked James Mason and Dyan Cannon. Color cinematography is topnotch, and includes some difficult camera shots of and on a luxury yacht. My only complaint about this film is its relative lack of suspense. I could have wished for more spooky chills. For a murder mystery, the tone is just a tad too playful.

Inadequate suspense aside, this is a terrific movie that will appeal to mystery lovers especially. It's got some classy characters and dialogue, great visuals, fine performances, and a riveting plot.

A classy puzzle

[rickglasgow · 10/10 · 8 May 2004]

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.

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

[moonspinner55 · 9/10 · 14 January 2001]

Superb, darkly and wickedly comic whodunit from screenwriters Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, with all the pieces right there for you to place. Cunning James Coburn is the movie producer and game-aficionado who invites 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 bit dazed), 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 Last of Sheila" is that the first-half, involving a hilarious personality game, is so clever, we want more of it; the murder-mystery second-volley is an acting showpiece, but not quite as engaging. Still, these characters are a wonderfully tainted, self-absorbed lot, and Cannon's mini-breakdown after someone almost offs her is a wild bit of hysterical showing off. 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 fails to make the strong impression each of her co-stars do). 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 picture is extremely entertaining, a verbally exciting match-of-wits by a group of Hollywood hopefuls and burn-outs. ***1/2 from ****

Deliciously dark humour blends well with mystery

[aromatic-2 · 10/10 · 7 March 2000]

Great performances, marvelous dialogue and a deliciously dark sense of humour makes this one loads of fun for repeated viewings. The ensemble cast works very well together, and the brain candy never stops. And the payoff is well worth waiting for. Never has a song punctuated the final scene so well.

Best Who Dun It I Ever Saw

[irishcoffee630 · 10/10 · 13 July 2003]

I can not speak more highly of this movie as it has to be the best film who-dun-it ever conceived. James Coburn invites a group of Hollywood has been types on his yacht in the south of France to find out who killed his gossip columnist wife Sheila, a year before at a wild party. He sets up murder puzzle games, one every night, to find the culprit and to entertain the guests, but the games get out of control and real murders begin. The clues in this movie are really unique as you the viewer play along to find out the murderer. I have seen this film 3X and am still in awe that I missed so many clues....right before my eyes. Never guessed the killer either and I am a mystery buff and usually can. The cast is great.There are so many funny and bitchy lines in this movie they come from every direction. My favorite line: James Mason (a TV commercial director filming a dog food commercial) talking to his wife on phone "I am sorry dear but I must hang up a cast member is peeing on my leg." And he doesn't mean one of the pooches! Beautifully filmed and an all around A++++ film.

Very entertaining.

[philiponel · 9/10 · 13 November 2000]

This very fun movie made me so nostalgic for the 70's. Excellent who-dunnit. Dyan Cannon is perfect as the brassy, free-wheeling wild blonde; I don't know why she was not more famous--good actress, excellent comedienne, beautiful. For the first time ever, Richard Benjamin actually acts. James Mason is wonderful. Many very very funny moments. Raquel Welch is terrible--all she can do is be pretty. James Coburn as the captain who plans the crafty game onboard ship is a wonderful diabolical schemer. Too bad Tony Perkins and Steven Sondheim didn't write some more sreenplays. I loved this to death.

Classic 70s!

[glgioia · 11 March 2003]

This is a perfect example of mature entertainment for its day, made in the deep dark days of the mid 1970s when the F word was rarely heard in cinema not shown in Times Square. Saw this one in the drive-in; yes the drive-in when I was a wee lad with my folks. I don't understand why it isn't better known, but most people I'm sure have never heard of it. It's a good one. Macabre, clever murder mystery with a cast you can sink your teeth into. The clothes, lingo and attitudes are so pathetically 70s; I sometimes find it hard to believe I'm actually this old when I watch something like this. Most of the action takes place on a yacht anchored off of the Italian Riviera, and to me it has always had twisted adult Gilligan's Island feel to it all. The scenes in the monastery are good old fashioned creepy. Find me a director who can do any of this now, without showing bare tetons or dismembered alien corpses, and I'll eat my bellbottoms.

murder mystery doesn't get any better than this!!!!

[darrenjarjar · 20 June 2004]

"the last of sheila" an amazing collaboration of two of entertainments finest .. anthony perkins ("psycho") and stephen sondheim (composer) this witty and very tongue in cheek homage to both the murder mystery genre and the cut throat world of movie making. the films looking a little dated but holds up even now as being one of (if not THE best) who done its ever filmed. a very clever story this one, with many plot twists and red hearings. keeps you guessing the whole time your watching and gives an amazing climax with some very unexpected conclusions (though on later viewings its hard to see how these clues were missed) filmed entirely on location in the south of France (including the studio stuff) and with a stellar cast of characters most notably Joan Hackett (a personal favourite in the acting cannon) this intelligent piece of filmaking will prove a very entertaining experience. the plot is clever, the script is genius, i wouldn't like to give too much of the story away, as you may not of seen this film. basically the story goes as follows: Clinton Green (Hollywood film producer) has invited 6 guests to join him aboard his luxury yacht in the south of France, a year after his wife was killed in a hit and run accident back in Hollywood. the guest include Joan Hackett as "Lee" wife of screenwriter "Tom" Richard Benjamin. English director "Philip" James Mason, actress "Alice" Raquel Welch and husband/manager "Anthony" Ian Mcshane and last but not least Dyan Cannon as Hollywood agent to the stars "Christine". all have been a big part of Clintons life and that of sheila his dead wife. Clinton a master game player has been planning some fun evenings for his 6 guests and its not long before the fun begins but someone is using the game to their own advantage and its not long before a death takes place...... if you've never seen this movie, then i strongly advise you to check it out next time its shown on TV or rent it on DVD or video. the cast is to die for ,plot is fantastic and the locations are a joy to see. Herbert Ross who has directed this amazing movie is also responsible for steel magnolias another movie favourite of mine. He is both stylish and very creative in his approach to directing and i believe "THE LAST OF SHEILA" to be one of his finest achievements.

Letter perfect...

[majikstl · 10/10 · 24 February 2005]

THE LAST OF SHEILA is a brilliantly clever little thriller that tries and succeeds beautifully in combining the best of both the bitchy Hollywood self-satire and the traditional whodunit. Written by the unexpected pairing of actor Anthony Perkins and composer Stephen Sondheim, the two apparently indulged their love of game playing while mining their obvious firsthand knowledge of backstage backstabbing too. The resulting film is cleverly glib in an ALL ABOUT EVE way, yet unfolds in a complex fashion that clearly shows us that the collaboration between Perkins and Sondheim was more than just a merry whim.

On the one hand, the film is an insightful, if cheerfully mean-spirited look at jet-setting Hollywood types for whom the social and the professional are as hopelessly intertwined as the noodles on a plate of spaghetti. SHEILA is about game playing, both as a social diversion and as means of manipulating and controlling other people's professional lives.

Even without the subsequent bloodletting, the film has a wonderful set up for smart, psychological entertainment. A film producer, played with marvelous malice by James Coburn, plans to celebrate the anniversary of his wife's untimely death by inviting a band of B-list Hollywood talent aboard his Mediterranean yacht for a week of parlor games which indulges both his desire to play master puppeteer and his need to find egos to crush. The ingredients of "The Sheila Greene Memorial Gossip Game" are simple: six players with six dirty little secrets to discover and the result is an elaborate port-hopping game of Clue.

Of course, somewhere along the line, someone rewrites the rules, gore results and the survivors are left to play murderous musical chairs in the proverbial drawing room. To say more would be strictly tabu. Suffice it to say that the film is one that warrants repeated viewing, even after -- especially after -- the revelation of who is the killer. For one thing the cast of suspects and/or victims has been nicely selected. There are Alice and Anthony (Raquel Welch and Ian McShane) as "a not untalented young actress" and her hustler husband, Philip (a world-weary James Mason) as a has-been director, Christine (a boisterous Dyan Cannon) as an ambitious agent and Tom and Lee (Richard Benjamin and Joan Hackett) as a hack writer and his socialite wife. But more than a wonderful cast, the film is generously packed with clues and strategic red herrings that demand repeated investigations by the discriminating viewer. Between the crisp and stylish direction of pro Herbert Ross and Sondheim and Perkins mischievous script, virtually every line of dialogue and visual reference is designed to help the viewer play detective. So, in the spirit of the movie -- and taking a clue from the film's title -- I have cleverly (I hope) hidden within this review the identity of the killer.

Fascinating Murder Mystery

[rlamybarlow · 10/10 · 17 March 2002]

Very 70's film, but a very, very clever murder puzzle mystery. Familiar cast of faces, and lots of clues, games, questions, and red herrings. Like James Coburn says in the movie, you will be able to figure it out if you just stay put.

Fashions by Joel Schumacher too!!

An excellent choice for murder mystery fans.

one of the most clever movies I've ever seen

[raykeller · 10/10 · 29 September 2002]

I have loved this movie from the first time I saw it at the age of 13! A wealthy producer, whose wife Sheila was killed a year earlier by a hit and run driver, invites a writer and his rich wife, a director, an agent, an actress and her hot-tempered manager/husband for a week of a scavenger-hunt mystery based off his yacht in several ports-of-call in the French Mediterranean. All of the invited guests were also at his house for a party the night Sheila was killed. As the game unfolds, one of the players realizes there is more to the game than just a game... and the game takes a lethal turn. Clever twists and clues abound, right from the opening title sequence that actually help you figure out what's happening. This movie demands multiple viewings, because once you've seen and digested it, the next time you see it you'll knock yourself on the forehead and ask yourself, "That is SO obvious, why didn't I see it before?!" The all-star cast turns in terrific performances, most notably Dyan Cannon as the over-sexed Hollywood agent (an Oscar nomination should have come her way on this one). A few minor inconsistencies don't detract from the overall effect of this dazzlingly brilliant piece of work. Written by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim and the late Anthony Perkins, this was inspired by Perkins' real-life love of scavenger hunts, which usually took place in NYC and were fairly similar in style to the one portrayed in the film. An absolute must see!

How has this gem remained hidden?

[mr composer · 10/10 · 18 January 2002]

I had never heard of this movie when my wife just randomly chose it to rent at a video store. The first viewing of this was mainly curiosity as to how Stephen Sondheim (famed Broadway composer/lyricist) and Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates) would fare at a screenplay for a mystery. After one viewing, I thought it was pretty good. Upon repeated viewings, I realized that this is among the top who-dunits that I've ever seen. The Mediterranean location is wonderful. The all-star cast is superb, but the screenplay really is top-notch. You become so interested in the characters, and the script is just full of wit. Chances are that you'll be surprised at who the murderer is. However, when you watch the movie again, you'll want to kick yourself for not guessing sooner. There are no fast ones. All the clues to solve the murder are right in front of you. But like I said, you'll be too interested in the characters to notice on the first viewing.

My co-favorite whodunit: It'll have you playing along

[estabansmythe · 10/10 · 25 June 2011]

"The Last of Sheila" is my favorite whodunit (along with the 1945 version of "And Then There were None").

It is definitely one of the most involving & intricate whodunits I've seen.

And to think it was all devised by old New York pals Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim - brilliant! Witty, sarcastic, sadistic, funny ... brilliant! And brought to the screen in such lively fashion by Broadway vet Herb Ross, who keeps it moving at a crackerjack pace.

The casting is terrific! Only Raquel Welch comes off as a tad superficial & unsure of herself.

I confess that I've been a fan of James Coburn since I was a little kid, and my God, was he ever in his element as a fun-loving yet cutting & mean-spirited producer on a very serious mission.

The bottom line is this: if you enjoy whodunits, then "The Last of Sheila" should be on your list of must-see movies. You'll love it!

Unholy Hollywood

[Irie212 · 8/10 · 14 November 2010]

When it was released in 1973, "The Last of Sheila" hit me like a shot of Johnny Walker red (the preferred snort of the Hollywood heiress played by Joan Hackett). Then, a few months ago, it turned up streaming on Netflix. I watched it again and enjoyed it so thoroughly that I chose it several months later to watch with a house guest– a friend who knows so little about movies that, during "Dial M for Murder," he asked, "Who's that actress?" He enjoyed it, too, enough to discuss it afterward–- something I applaud even though I agree with this pithy bit of dialog spat out by a magnificent James Coburn: "We don't want this topic to degenerate to the discussion phase."

"Sheila" is a murder mystery that begins with Sheila herself getting killed in a hit-and-run. That happens before the opening credits. Then her marvelously malevolent widower, a movie producer (James Coburn), sets out to nail the killer. He invites six Hollywood friends for a Mediterranean cruise on his yacht. Once on board, he involves them in an elaborate game to play as an amusement. They don't know it, but the real point of the game is diabolical: to find out who killed Sheila, because Coburn knows that one of them ran her down. It happened during a party that they all attended, and they all had motives. Indeed, the point of the movie, in a way, is that everyone in heartless Hollywood has a motive to kill everyone else.

Upon arrival at the yacht, he hands each of the six a card on which is written "You are a…" followed by a personal secret, something "not too light": Shoplifter, Homosexual, Ex-Convict, Informer, Little Child Molester, and Alcoholic. (S,H,E,I,L,A— though the players don't notice that because they haven't yet seen each other's cards).

The game involves everyone finding out the others' assigned secrets, and first up is the Shoplifter. Each player is given the same clue– a key with "Sterling 18K" stamped on it– to find out who has the Shoplifter card. With that clue they are ferried to shore to find the answer. Without giving too much away, I can say that the Shoplifter card was assigned to James Mason, but one of the women characters was actually arrested some years earlier for shoplifting a fur coat. She therefore realizes that something more than a harmless game is afoot. The card she holds, Homosexual, is obviously someone else's real secret.

Before it's all over, three characters are dead, courtesy of two others, and there are two additional murder attempts, perpetrated by separate players with separate motives.

The screenplay is altogether unique, co-authored as it is by two very famous men, neither of whom wrote any other screenplays, alone or together: Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins. The plot is entirely consistent with the friends' fondness for elaborate game-playing. Their dialog is brisk, witty, and delightfully vicious. Except for the predictably wooden work of Richard Benjamin, the performances are sparkling. Dyan Cannon grabs her juicy part with both hands, while Raquel Welch delivers her juicy parts in a bikini. Ultimately, though, the movie belongs to the two Jameses, Coburn and Mason. Mason's character– who shares many traits with Humbert Humbert, including the most obvious– is an aging director who ultimately unravels the mystery.

Saying more means revealing more, and Sheila's tangled web is best woven before a viewer's eyes without advance knowledge. The only thing I will add is that the film was shot on location on French Riviera. The principal murder takes place in a wonderfully gloomy old site which, I suspect, is the fortified monastery of Ile Saint-Honorat, near Cannes. Gamesmanship is evident even in that choice: a suitable spot for an unholy picture about Hollywood.

A Personal Reflection On "The Last Of Sheila"

[Citymars · 7/10 · 19 June 2002]

In 1973, at age 17, I walked into a movie multiplex (three theaters under one roof) in a neighboring city with little more on my mind than to kill a couple of hours before an appointment. I'd never heard of "The Last of Sheila" and therefore had no preconceived notions about it, but the starting time was right. I then had the rare and happy experience of seeing a movie I knew absolutely nothing about -- and loving it.

I subsequently dragged my friends to see it and was even inspired to host a "game" of my own (similar to the movie's central event) in my small home town. Granted, central Illinois is not as glamorous as the south of France, but we made do.

So the other night (many miles away and nearly 30 years later) when I saw the videotape at the neighborhood rental store I was almost reluctant to rent it and risk ruining a good memory. Would the movie hold up?

I have to say that while no longer quite so passionate about "The Last of Sheila" (or anything, for that matter), I'd still recommend it.

"The Last of Sheila" is, first of all, wonderfully of its period. The cast includes Richard Benjamin (Portnoy's Complaint), Dyan Cannon (The Love Machine), James Coburn (In Like Flint), Joan Hackett (Support Your Local Sheriff), James Mason (The Mackintosh Man), Ian McShane (Pussycat, Pussycat I Love You), and Raquel Welch (Myra Breckinridge). Add an early Bette Midler hit song and you have a quintessential early 1970's experience!

The screenplay is by film actor Anthony Perkins and musical theater lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim. Combine the sophisticated intricacy of Sondheim's song lyrics with Perkins' long association with macabre cinema and you have the tone of "Sheila": witty, complex, dark and ironic.

I remember a magazine article from the time about Sondheim's passion for games and how it influenced the screenplay. This movie is like a game the viewer can play -- but don't expect to win. This is a fun, fast moving murder mystery with lots of clues and lots of red herrings, and its perhaps best just to sit back and pay attention to the scenery and bon mots.

One can forgive some lapses (personally, I cringe when Raquel opens her mouth) as overall the film is so interesting.

Conversely, I have to put in a plug for the lovely and vulnerable Joan Hackett, who is virtually unknown today but who is one of my favorite actresses from the era. If you've never seen her work, I recommend this film as well as "Will Penny" and "Support Your Local Sheriff." As Leonard Maltin says "Hackett had a special quality - along the lines of a Jean Arthur or Margaret Sullavan - that was simultaneously truthful and enchanting."

Citymars (6/19/02)

Who did what?

[treeline1 · 28 September 2013]

James Coburn stars as a movie bigwig who hosts six pals for a week on his yacht in the south of France. He loves intricate puzzles and has planned a clever game that will identify the killer of his late wife.

A famous cast is the highlight of this film and while it oozes glamour and Hollywood in-jokes, my mind wandered and it took three tries to finish watching it. Coburn is robust and charismatic and also convincingly sadistic. Dyan Cannon is good as an airhead agent but her never-ending, raucous guffaws are tiresome. Ian McShane and Raquel Welch are good as minor characters. Joan Hackett, Richard Benjamin, and James Mason have the most screen time; they are all excellent in well-developed roles and a pleasure to watch.

In my opinion, the game that the guests are playing is too convoluted and pointless to follow; there are constant red herrings and it doesn't amount to much in the end. One of the stars leaves halfway through and is greatly missed. Plot holes abound and it's hard to identify with any of the characters or the story.

This film is recommended for those who like complex puzzles and clues. I thought it was just okay.

A Rare American Movie That Respects Viewer Thinking Ability

[JOHNBATES-1 · 27 February 2002]

And there certainly aren't many - thinking American movies, that is. It must have taken some financial courage to make this one.

I saw this film at a drive-in when it was first released. While gulping mouthfuls of baked chicken, cheese bread and beer, I was dumbfounded to realize this was an honest-to-goodness quality, thinking movie made by my fellow Americans. I felt so proud tears almost started to come.

The film is a real delight with humor, intelligence and a solid murder mystery to figure out - 'if you're smart enough'.

A Marginally Enthusiastic Thumbs Up

[jzappa · 8/10 · 3 July 2010]

The Last of Sheila, a star-packed murder mystery written by Broadway legends, really doesn't start or even progress with much momentum at all, but when the true wheels of the actual murder puzzle start turning, it pulls a lot of palpable tension and sharp dialogue out of nowhere and does the job. It doesn't help that first half that I was tempted to turn it off, but the fact that the intrigue ratcheted up at the precise moment when I was going to is what saved it by a hair's breadth. And I'm glad I stuck it out. It proved itself worthwhile.

The movie comes out of a fine heritage of murder puzzles from such as Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith. In fact, it's a little rare to see this material showing up first as a movie. It feels like the sort of story that would start life as a play. Bringing seven people together and then doing the old "one of the people sitting here amongst us is a murderer" schtick is inherently stagy. Nevertheless, it functions well as a movie, perhaps since the screenplay has as much to do with characters as with crime. The movie was written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, and they flaunt an apparent sense of showbiz manners and dialogue. They've also play Name That Tune with us: We can enjoy speculating who the bitchy agent was motivated by, or the director on the skids, or the centerfold, each played respectively by Dyan Cannon, James Mason and Raquel Welch, two out of three of whom kept me watching purely just to watch.

I like the concept of a murder mystery set among showbiz types because Hollywood is often thought to be shy about death and shrink from it. Genuine sorrow seems quite rare. The movie opens as a watchful-waiting stratagem concerning Coburn and the killer, which is latently intriguing though it rambles too far away from the point of tension and plays more like a '60s romp than an expository double-blind. Yet it makes a striking hairpin halfway through. And it actually is a game to them; they don't spend time mourning when somebody dies, just clean up the blood and tally one more loser against their competition for a win. And yet it's barely started until just two of these characters spend a great deal of time deliberately hammering out the true significance of the clues, a scene so tight, well-acted, well-written and loaded with sharp wit that it makes the whole package worth it.

A better part of the performances are pointed and mercenary, and very good, particularly James Mason with his typical cultured obstinacy. Dyan Cannon as the agent. Joan Hackett is beautiful and tender, and Richard Benjamin treads a fine line between voice of reason and a screenwriter trying to think in formulas. Coburn is always entertaining owing to his sheer presence and it's interesting watching an Ian McShane so much younger than anyone my age is aware he ever was. Welch is quite wooden by comparison, but as I said before

riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma

[hughman55 · 10/10 · 20 March 2017]

If you begin watching this you'll be excused for thinking that it is a light piece of 70's fluff. But if you hang in to the end, and pay close attention along the way, you will come to realize that it is so much more. This fluffy little Bonn Bonn of a film becomes quite the riddle; as well as a commentary on Hollywood cynicism and the inevitability of rising to one's level of one's own incompetence. The closing shot says it all. There is also some heavy hitting in the acting category from Richard Benjamin, Diane Cannon, and best of all, the never failing James Mason. I, at first, wondered what an actor of James Mason caliber was even doing a film like this. Money? Sure. Everyone needs money. Oh, but no, he's actually necessary for this story. Richard Benjamin plays a complex character in an understated way that manages to stay within the perimeter of a tricky kind of film. Diane Cannon steals every scene without trying. A lot of talent here, a GREAT screenplay, and a surprise ending that will leave you equally bewildered and surprised.

Thanks to TCM we get to revisit these films or find them for the first time. Some age well. Some not so much. A good mystery will never let you down and this is a good mystery. And then below the mystery is another layer that the film has been commenting on since its first frame that just comes down like a sledge hammer at the end. I think it would be fair to say that this film was remade later as, and just as effectively as, "The Player" with Tim Robbins. "The Last of Sheila" is every bit as good with some interesting retro 70's sociology such as; being a "homosexual" is the same as being from Mars. There's a lot here to enjoy. You won't be disappointed.

Pedestrian Puzzler

[kenjha · 5/10 · 20 October 2008]

A movie mogul invites a group of Hollywood-types to his yacht for a week of fun and games, with the motive of outing the person who killed his wife a year earlier. Nothing interesting happens during the first half of the film. Then there's a murder and things perk up a bit, but it's too little too late. The script by Perkins and Sondheim is meant to be clever but is too contrived for its own good. The all-star cast is impressive, with Mason turning in the most notable performance. Welch looks fabulous, Cannon seems to be high on something, and Coburn is all teeth. Veteran director Ross does not help matters with his gimmicky camera work.

You don't have to move for this game, if you're smart enough..

[Chase_Witherspoon · 9/10 · 3 November 2010]

Top notch yet obscure mystery concerning a group of friends assembled by the eccentric James Coburn to stay aboard his luxury yacht to ostensibly play an elaborate treasure hunt on nearby islands. But the fun and games turn into a bizarre and brutal murder club when a plot to uncover the killer of Coburn's wife is revealed. Everyone's a suspect, and through a process of elimination, the pieces of the game begin to implicate certain members of the group, as skeletons are bared and recriminations over the death of Coburn's wife Sheila (Yvonne Romaine, seen in flashback only) taunt the group.

Benjamin is essentially the lead player, with great support from Hackett and Mason in particular. Raquel Welch looks great in her skimpy attire, ditto Dyan Cannon and Ian McShane isn't necessarily dwarfed by his co-stars. Kudos all round. Several red herrings and cul-de-sacs maintain the suspense, and the ingenious wrap up resolves all loose ends fittingly in a satisfying conclusion. An early theme song by Better Midler ("Friends") is also memorable. Interesting that this was co-authored by Anthony Perkins; another superb achievement in his impressive film repertoire.

The careful dialogue and cinematography, timing and distinctive characterisations concoct an elaborate web of deceit that should keep the most avid arm-chair detective guessing until the end. Indeed Coburn teases us in the first act when Mason says he likes any game in which he doesn't have to move, to which Coburn responds with a Cheshire-grin "you don't have to for this one, if you're smart enough". While it remains little known (surprising when you consider the names attached), it's well worth tracking down for those who enjoy a neatly crafted mystery.

The Red Wig

[tedg · 14 July 2010]

This really does have significant spoilers. See the movie first.

For many people, this would be a mild amusement.

As I am interested in the tools for imagination accessible to me, I am interested in narrative structure in film. That means that the evolution and elaborations of the noir-mystery family tree is essential to me. Sometimes I watch a film that plays with or advances some concept in this family and find its only value is noting where it fits in the streams that I use.

But this film is actually good as a mystery, as an engaging amusement.

It is a film about film people, assembling to make a film that we discover is the film we see. It is a mystery in which the traditional detective roles are reversed. Usually we would have a lone detective with a closed, captive set of suspects, here on a yacht. Here, the suspects are all turned into detectives to solve a murder of a year previously; the device for this is a game designed by the owner of the yacht, the husband of the murdered woman and the producer of the film-to-be-made.

While they talk of something to be staged and photographed, and we watch something staged and photographed, the central clue is a photograph that has been carefully staged.

It was written by an actor, based on real mystery games he conducted in his own home, then translated to screen with James Coburn playing the role of the writer. The murderer as it turns out is the writer.

Within this remarkably imaginative structure are all sorts of clever elaborations of the genre. The Christie-Sayers model has one major upset of presumptions and one minor upset through an unrelated disclosure. Here, we have several:

— the game to uncover the murder of Sheila turns out to not have been so. It was "rewritten" by the writer to be so. (Much is made of the fact that he is at a point in his career where writing is impossible and only rewriting occurs.) Later in the game he rewrites the evidence at the scene.

— the confessed murderer of the gamemaker — which happens during the film — turns out to have been mistaken, but this is discovered too late for her.

— the murder (of the gamemaker) is not because of anything intended in the game, nor related to the prior murder, but to a completely independent crime committed long before.

— our special redhead, played in this case by a ditsy Raquel Welch, is the likely suspect. It is revealed that her "secret" was that she stole a garment. The murder occurs on a day in the game focused on her, and the gamemaker (Coburn) when murdered is dressed in a priest's getup, but with a redhead wig and makeup. A major twist comes when we discover that our writer — who is a ventriloquist (we see his puppets) — in rewriting the murder scene has used the corpse of the gamemaker as priest as redheaded whore as dummy.

— the whole thing is unraveled at the end not by a conventional detective, but by the director of the upcoming film who is carefully working out the story he is to film. In the end, the murderer is not arrested as usual, but made to be complicit in the creation of the film we see. Watching a second time, you can see his discomfort in this repeated fold of him re-enacting the story.

Very, very clever. A whole lot of fun, and if you allow it to, it stretches those folding muscles.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

One of the best murder mysteries I have ever seen.

[Cort74 · 23 April 2004]

An ingenious premise of wealthy Hollywood-types coming together on holiday to play a game created by a wealthy producer. But soon some of them start to realize that the game is a sadistic tool to play on their hidden secrets. This leads to murder. You must pay close attention, because the plot twists come out of nowhere and will leave you slapping your head `why didn't I see that coming.'

It's like Clinton says at the very beginning, you can figure it all out, `.If you're smart enough.'

The ending can be a bit of a disappointment, because it feels like justice isn't being served. But I think that was a statement on the shallowness of Hollywood in the late seventies. It's the idea that not having your name on a marquee is far more life altering than going to jail for murder.

Game Playing at its Best

[reedyb · 10/10 · 17 September 2001]

Screenwriters Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim were great lovers of game playing and this movie shows it all. Excellent characters and just plain fun acting and twists. And a great song, Friends, by Bette Midler, only adds to the irony and fun. boy does this sound hokey, but the movie is really great. Deserves a DVD with Herbert Ross commentary.

A Sinister Puppeteer

[JamesHitchcock · 5/10 · 22 February 2013]

The script for "The Last of Sheila" was written by two men who were both better known for other things, Stephen Sondheim who is best known as a composer, and the actor Anthony Perkins, best remembered as Norman Bates in "Psycho". The film opens with a young woman named Sheila Greene being killed in a hit-and-run accident. A year later her husband Clinton, a wealthy movie producer, invites six friends, all connected with the film industry, to join him on a pleasure cruise off the French Riviera aboard his luxury yacht, the "Sheila". Once the cruise is under way, Clinton informs his guests of the game that he has organised for their entertainment. Each of the six is given a card containing what Clinton calls "a pretend piece of gossip"- e.g. "you are an informer", "you are a homosexual", etc. Each guest must keep his or her "piece of gossip" a secret from the others; the idea behind the game is that, every evening, the guests are given a clue then have to take part in a treasure-hunt type game to find out who holds the card relating to that evening's "gossip".

After the first evening, however, it begins to appear the gossip contained on each card may not be "pretend" at all but rather the revelation of an actual secret; that evening's card read "you are a shoplifter" and it is revealed that one of the guests, an actress named Alice Wood, was indeed once arrested for shoplifting. Some of the guests begin to suspect that Clinton may be playing a cruel game with them and that his real purpose may be to expose the person responsible for the death of his wife. (He refers to the game as "The Sheila Greene Memorial Gossip Game"). It therefore does not come as any great surprise when Clinton is found murdered on the second evening.

"The Last of Sheila" is really a film of two halves. The first half seems like a stylish, elegant and unusual mystery, which keeps us wondering just why Clinton is playing such a sadistic game with his guests and what the outcome will be. The trouble is that by far the most interesting character is James Coburn's Clinton, a sinister puppeteer pulling the strings of the others. When Clinton is killed about halfway through, the puppets' strings are cut and they have to try and stand on their own feet. From this point on the film turns into an Agatha Christie-type whodunit, albeit one without a Miss Marple or Poirot-type detective; the guests have to solve the mystery for themselves. (One might ask why they do not simply call in the police; the answer is that if they did that there would not be much of a film).

Apart from Coburn, in the sort of cool-but-sinister role I have come to associate with him, none of the cast make much of an impression. Of the female members, only Joan Hackett has much to do; Raquel Welch and Dyan Cannon just seem to be there to lend some glamour, in accordance with the seventies rule that you could not set a film on a yacht without having a couple of girls in bikinis to brighten up the scene. (Welch appears not to have enjoyed making this film very much; at the time there were press reports of frequent clashes between her and the director Herbert Ross and her co-star James Mason). The other male members of the cast, Richard Benjamin, Mason, and Ian McShane, all seem too relaxed about the situation they find themselves in, even though it is a situation which could end with at least one of them going to the guillotine. (France still had the death penalty in 1973).

Perkins and Sondheim won the 1974 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. I can only think that there was little competition for the award. (I must admit that I cannot think of any really good mystery films from 1973). What starts off as something potentially fresh and original ends up as something over- familiar and hackneyed. 5/10