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Neil Simon wrote this 1976 spoof in which virtually every famous fictional detective of the 1930s and 1940s congregate at the home of a mysterious fellow (Truman Capote) to try and solve the mystery of who's trying to kill them all. Simon's jokes are mostly obvious, and the film's real appeal is the clever concept matched with fine--sometimes legendary--actors. Peter Falk plays a very Bogart-like Sam Spade equivalent, James Coco is a Hercule Poirot wannabe, Peter Sellers does a Charlie Chan bit, David Niven and Maggie Smith are reflections of Nick and Nora.... You get the picture. Light-hearted and silly, this is cotton-candy comedy for the cast as well as viewers. --Tom Keogh
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Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles: Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Subtitles: Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a classic parody of most dark-haunted-castle, Agatha Christie-type murder mysteries. You can see in this film that they took no pains in adding all the stereotypical elements that come with your typical murder weekend- a gothic castle, rain, lightening, a strangely spooky suit of armour, etc. Throw in a couple of great all time detectives, a mad host and some pretty shocking-yet-amusing jump shots and you have yourself a good film. At times I found it very surreal but as a comedy, it cannot fail. I first watched it when I was 9 or 10 (oh so definitely the best age to have watched it) and thought it was pretty cool that Columbo had his own feature film (but wondered why he had a different name). But after watching it again a few years later and a couple of notches wiser, you really get to appreciate the originality of the film, its twists and turns, and its truly truly great cast. I cannot understand why so few people I know have never seen it though. Don't be one of them.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
A rich millionaire invites the greatest living detectives to his castle (complete with fog, lightning and rain etc) for dinner - and a murder. The surviving detective who figures it out is promised one million dollars.
OK, so it is not the plot or the inherently stagey nature of the movie that is classic - but the mixing of such a fine ensemble cast. A brilliant cast play similes of literatures great detectives - Peter Falk playing Bogart's Sam Spade crossed with Columbo (Sam Diamond in the movie), David Niven playing The Thin Man, Peter Sellers playing Charlie Chan (Wang in the movie), and Agatha Christies Poirot and Marples give rise to the hysterically monikered Milo Perrier and Miss Marbles. Add to that the iconic Truman Capote as the millionaire, and Alec Guinness as the blind butler as well as various sidekicks, and you have possibly the biggest set of scenery chewers crammed into one dining room.
The jokes are thick and fast, always farcical, but never straying too far into slapstick. Any misses are quickly forgiven as the next joke comes along.
Predictably perhaps the ending is not entirely satisfactory - a simple but clever ending would have been more effective than the over elaborate series of revelations which don't quite tie up. But lets face it, when you're having this much fun, who cares.
The 91 minute running time makes this a satisfactorily tight little movie that is ideal for a rainy Sunday evening...
OK, so it is not the plot or the inherently stagey nature of the movie that is classic - but the mixing of such a fine ensemble cast. A brilliant cast play similes of literatures great detectives - Peter Falk playing Bogart's Sam Spade crossed with Columbo (Sam Diamond in the movie), David Niven playing The Thin Man, Peter Sellers playing Charlie Chan (Wang in the movie), and Agatha Christies Poirot and Marples give rise to the hysterically monikered Milo Perrier and Miss Marbles. Add to that the iconic Truman Capote as the millionaire, and Alec Guinness as the blind butler as well as various sidekicks, and you have possibly the biggest set of scenery chewers crammed into one dining room.
The jokes are thick and fast, always farcical, but never straying too far into slapstick. Any misses are quickly forgiven as the next joke comes along.
Predictably perhaps the ending is not entirely satisfactory - a simple but clever ending would have been more effective than the over elaborate series of revelations which don't quite tie up. But lets face it, when you're having this much fun, who cares.
The 91 minute running time makes this a satisfactorily tight little movie that is ideal for a rainy Sunday evening...
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The title says it all, Murder by Death. This film will make anyone laugh and fall in love with the all star cast including Maggie Smith, Peter Sellers, David Niven, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness and Nancy Walker. From the opening scene to the very last scene when you discover that the murderer is actually...... this film is pure comedy. The DVD's special interview with Neil Simon is also an added bonus, telling us that the cast wasn't really the cast he wanted. With Peter Sellers' one liners, the relationship between the blind butler and deaf, mute maid, Maggie Smith's comedic timing and Truman Capote's evil voice this film is one of 1976's classics.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
So Funny
I remember seeing this film when I was young, and I was rolling around in fits of laughter. It was still just as funny to watch it years later. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bubbles
review murder by death
My dvd was delivered right on time, no problems and in good order, as always. Thank you for your good service!!
Published 7 months ago by René Van den Langenbergh
class film
very very funny film,,with an absolute first class cast,,,my fav line is where alec guinness(the butler)walks past a windon with david niven and maggie smith,,and you hear a lion... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. D. White
Murder by Noir.
"Murder by Death" is filled to the brim with film noir and the comedy is derived from reliving these legends of the silver screen. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Abhishek Mondal
One to Watch !
For fans of Neil Simon's work, this is a MUST see. Witty and well-observed, this film should be billed as a classic and watched with subdued reverence. Read more
Published 12 months ago by zuzu
Murder By Death
Purchased thia movie as an extra for myself after christmas. I have always loved these kind of wacky movies and seen this one several times on tv. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Ms. E. Clark
The best parody ever!
If you've ever had a sense of humour, this is the ultimate comedy movie. A cast full of world-class international stars who play their roles to perfection. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Alex
On Murder by death
A grotesque 1976 movie about death. The actors in the movie are just perfect, each one (all included) keeps a distinct (and strong) personality. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Vittorio De Alfaro
very very funny
If you love a good comedy this will be the one for you!!! Peter Sellers etc at their best!!! its a must
Published 24 months ago by jojo wordsworth
Awesome
Love this film, its brilliant.
Saw it years ago but couldn't remember what it was called so glad I found out what it was and bought it. Read more
Saw it years ago but couldn't remember what it was called so glad I found out what it was and bought it. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2010 by Amy Dobson
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