Murder by Death

They don't make movies this funny any more....now a guy getting it on with a pie is considered high comedy, but THIS is what truly funny is all about, then again, with so few of the actors in this being alive still, maybe it's not too surprising that current films mostly suck. Who else can be as funny as Peter Sellers? (certainly Steve Martin won't be) Who else can deliver a line as smoothly as David Niven? ("Saved only by the fact that I am INCREDIBLY well bred") Who could be as twisted as Capote? (THE COW, THE COW! Use your god damn personal pronouns and prepositions!) And of course, Alec Guiness being gone makes such a role unplayable by anyone acting these days!!! Great actors, at the height of their skills, a great script, great direction, and Maggie Smith at her hottest ("I want my Dickie! My husband.") Too bad they can't make movies this good anymore....

This is a hot chocolate and warm blanket movie. It's great fun, with a completely irrelevant plot that makes no sense except to bring together wonderful actors who obviously had a ball in the process.

David Niven is one of my favorite performers, and he is in his element here. He was "to the manor born" and brought class to every part he played, yet could say "Is someone in the kitchen with Dinner?" smoothly, with no hint of a smile. The fact that none of the actors is a comedian (except Peter Sellers) makes it all the funnier. Each character is understated and all the better for it.

Truman Capote often referred to what he considered his poor acting in this film, and publically apologized for previously denigrating the acting profession. Personally, I thought he was perfect for the overall feel of the movie. Since nothing fit, he was excellent. After all, how does one make sense of continuingly falling gargoyles, a wife who "choked herself to death", and the avoiding of decapitation by "being extremely well bred"?

This is a wonderful movie anyone can enjoy.

This movie is a wonderful example of what you can achieve when you combine a great script with a fantastic cast. It is one of the great comic ensemble films, ranking up there along with Its a Mad, Mad, Mad World and Clue. I have loved this film since I first saw it back in the 70s and still find it just as funny today. I had hoped for sometime that a special DVD would be released to mark this film and allow us to know more about how it was made and hear comments from the surviving cast. Sadly, the DVD does have a great interview with Neil Simon, but nothing else. I was also disappointed to see absent missing scenes, especially the one showing Sherlock Holmes showing up at the end. Still, it was great to retire my dogeared video tape.

Amazingly funny, witty and intriguing throughout. I loved Miss Marbles and the Maid provided the funniest moment in the entire film. I loved the ending, it didn't make sense but it was still awesome!!!

The characters were amazing, especially Milo Perrier and Jessica Marbles but I can't stop laughing about how amazing the character of Inspector Wang was. If you ever see this on TV, WATCH IT because it will leave you feeling so good about everything.

This is probably one of the best movies of the '70s and needs more recognition, because everything about it was funny and clever.

Lionel Twain was good but evil but confusing.....Aggh I don't know what to say about his character, but the butler creeped me out and cracked me up from the moment I saw him.

An all-star cast, superb dialogue, effective lighting and editing, great production design, and interesting costumes rev up the technical quality of this cinematic spoof of literary whodunits. An eccentric genius named Lionel Twain (Truman Capote) invites the world's five greatest fictional detectives to a dinner party, at which time someone will be murdered. The detective who solves the crime first gets $1 million.

Everything in this film, from the acting to the sound effects to the plot ... is deliciously exaggerated ... hence the humor. For example, mystery readers accept that Hercule Poirot and Charlie Chan are so observant as to spot the most obscure clue, which conveniently points to the solution of the puzzle. In "Murder By Death" writer Neil Simon exaggerates that gambit. A guest detective draws the most outlandish conclusion from the most irrelevant fact, which in turn is shot down by another guest detective who points out the flaws, and then proceeds to do exactly the same thing.

The dialogue is marvelous. In one scene the blind butler serves non-existent soup from an empty bowl, to which Miss Marbles (Elsa Lanchester) protests: "Murder by starvation, maybe that's his game". In another scene, Inspector Perrier (James Coco) reads from a list, and then concludes: "Everything here has been rented for tonight". Miss Marbles responds in a melodramatic voice: "You mean?" "Yes", answers Perrier momentously: "this entire murder has been -- catered".

And then there's the scene wherein Sam Diamond (Peter Falk) ruminates: "I don't get it; first they steal the body and leave the clothes; then they steal the clothes and bring the body back. Who would do a thing like that?" To which Dick Charleston (David Niven) responds in a serious tone: "Possibly some deranged dry cleaner".

The film's casting is wonderful. Truman Capote may not be much of an actor, but he brings to the film a personality that is appropriately eccentric. My only problem is that the amount of screen time for the cast is uneven ... too much for Peter Falk and Peter Sellers, and not enough for Elsa Lanchester, who arrives late.

"Murder By Death" is a wonderful film classic that still holds up thirty years after it was made. The film conveys no heavy-duty political or social "message", no great insight into the human condition. But when you're in the mood for lighthearted, escapist entertainment that provides some laughs, this film is a great choice.