On M List of Movie Reviews

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Murder by Death (1976)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 1/15

MurdD
1/15: Murder by Death is terrific fun at the hands of Neil Simon.

I love how he pays homage to various famed movie detectives. The impressions are clever and funny, too. Sidney Wang is Charlie Chan of the eponymous movie franchise. Sam Diamond is Sam Spade of The Maltese Falcon. Milo Perrier is Hercule Poirot of Murder on the Orient Express, among others. Jessica Marbles is Miss Marple of Agatha Christie's works. Along with their dog, Dick and Dora Charleston are Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man.

You have to see the aforementioned films first in order to appreciate the humorous subtleties. Although I don't like Peter Sellers, his impression of Charlie Chan is the funniest of them all. He's hilarious, has great lines, and is constantly omitting articles to Truman Capote(!)'s dismay.

Mocking the authors of detective novels, Truman Capote gripes about how characters appear from nowhere in the last five pages, surprise endings are conceived, and important clues are hidden from the readers, making it impossible for them to solve the mystery. It's really true. Henceforth, the ending is funny because the tables are turned around against them. Even funnier is the blind butler and the deaf mute maid's antics who are respectively played by Alec Guinness and Nancy Walker.

All in all, Murder by Death is a treat for lovers of the detective genre.