Murder by Death

Director: Robert Moore

Overview

"The '70s detective spoof Murder by Death arrives on DVD for the first time on Columbia TriStar. This two-sided disc offers both widescreen and full-screen versions with mono soundtracks in either English or Spanish. Subtitles are available in Spanish, Po

Product Details

Release Date:	03/24/2009
UPC:	0043396079342
Original Release:	1976
Rating:	PG
Source:	Sony Pictures
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural, Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	1:34:00
Sales rank:	12,083

Special Features

Exclusive interview: A conversation with Neil Simon; Theatrical trailers; Talent files; Production notes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Peter Falk	Sam Diamond
Eileen Brennan	Tess Skeffington
David Niven	Dick Charleston
Maggie Smith	Dora Charleston
Alec Guinness	Bensonmum
Truman Capote	Lionel Twain
James Coco	Insp. Milo Perrier
Peter Sellers	Insp. Sidney Wang
Elsa Lanchester	Miss Jessica Marbles
Nancy Walker	Yetta the Maid
Estelle Winwood	Miss Withers
James Cromwell	Marcel the Chauffeur
Richard Narita	Willie Wang
Myron	Myron the Dog
Fay Wray	Screaming Door Bell
Dog: Myron	Actor
Dave Grusin	Composer

Technical Credits

Neil Simon

Neil Simon	Screenwriter
Augie Lohman	Special Effects
Ray Stark	Producer
Jerry Jost	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Joseph Kite	Sound Effects
Tex Rudloff	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Frank Warner	Sound Effects
Jennifer Shull	Casting
Raymond Stark	Producer

Scene Index

Side #1 -- Widescreen
0. Scene Selections
1. Start [2:44]
2. The Invitations [2:06]
3. Dick & Dora Charleston [1:09]
4. Sidney Wang [2:24]
5. Milo Perrier [1:02]
6. Sam Diamond [2:01]
7. The Bridge Test [1:07]
8. 22 Twain [2:01]
9. Wang Meets Bensonmum [4:12]
10. The Charlestons Arrive [4:13]
11. Yetta [1:59]
12. Bensonmum & Perrier [2:57]
13. "I Don't Kiss." [6:09]
14. Before-Dinner Drinks [2:49]
15. Miss Jessica Marbles [1:40]
16. Wine Test [5:54]
17. Lionel Twain [5:44]
18. Chain of Fools [2:02]
19. Examining Bensonmum [3:49]
20. Filled With Empty People [3:55]
21. The Naked & the Dead [3:34]
22. Two of Everything [2:51]
23. Twain Murdered! [3:08]
24. Theories & Motives [8:15]
25. Murder by Death [4:20]
26. The Room Gets Shorter [1:32]
27. The Crime Is Solved? [5:46]
28. Simple & Direct Solution [4:56]
Side #2 -- Full Screen
0. Scene Selections
1. Start [2:44]
2. The Invitations [2:06]
3. Dick & Dora Charleston [1:09]
4. Sidney Wang [2:24]
5. Milo Perrier [1:02]
6. Sam Diamond [2:01]
7. The Bridge Test [1:07]
8. 22 Twain [2:01]
9. Wang Meets Bensonmum [4:12]
10. The Charlestons Arrive [4:13]
11. Yetta [1:59]
12. Bensonmum & Perrier [2:57]
13. "I Don't Kiss." [6:09]
14. Before-Dinner Drinks [2:49]
15. Miss Jessica Marbles [1:40]
16. Wine Test [5:54]
17. Lionel Twain [5:44]
18. Chain of Fools [2:02]
19. Examining Bensonmum [3:49]
20. Filled With Empty People [3:55]
21. The Naked & the Dead [3:34]
22. Two of Everything [2:51]
23. Twain Murdered! [3:08]
24. Theories & Motives [8:15]
25. Murder by Death [4:20]
26. The Room Gets Shorter [1:32]
27. The Crime Is Solved? [5:46]
28. Simple & Direct Solution [4:56]

Menu

Side #1 -- Widescreen
Play Movie
Audio Set-Up
English (Mono)
Spanish - Español
Subtitles
English
Spanish - Español
Portuguese - Português
Chinese
Korean
Thai
Subtitles Off
Special Features
Exclusive Interview: "A Conversation With Neil Simon"
Talent Files
Robert Moore (Director)
Neil Simon (Screenwriter)
Truman Capote
Peter Falk
Peter Sellers
David Niven
Maggie Smith
Alec Guinness
Theatrical Trailers
Murder by Death
The Cheap Detective
Side #2 -- Full Screen
Play Movie
Audio Set-Up
English (Mono)
Spanish - Español
Subtitles
English
Spanish - Español
Portuguese - Português
Chinese
Korean
Thai
Subtitles Off
Special Features
Exclusive Interview: "A Conversation With Neil Simon"
Talent Files
Robert Moore (Director)
Neil Simon (Screenwriter)
Truman Capote
Peter Falk
Peter Sellers
David Niven
Maggie Smith
Alec Guinness
Theatrical Trailers
Murder by Death
The Cheap Detective

Editorial Reviews

Murder by Death belongs on any list of the most overlooked comedies of the last few decades. A spoof on the mystery genre written by Neil Simon, the story involves caricatures of every prominent literary detective portrayed by a who's who of acting talent. Charlie Chan (Peter Sellers), Hercule Poirot (James Coco), Sam Spade (Peter Falk), Nick Charles (David Niven), and Miss Marple (Elsa Lanchester) all get the royal treatment, and the elaborate setup involves a recluse, played by Truman Capote, challenging them to a battle of wits. The jokes come like cannon fire and nearly every line of dialogue is a one-liner. Simon throws enough mystery elements into the script to keep things interesting, most exemplified by the blind butler played to perfection by Alec Guinness. One of the singular pleasures of this film is watching actors not ordinarily associated with laugh-out-loud comedy handle the material with tremendous amount of aplomb, particularly Niven, Guinness, and Maggie Smith as Niven's wife, who has perhaps the most sarcastic and funny part in the film. Capote is miscast, but the very fact of that makes his role even funnier. The mystery setup goes absolutely nowhere and there are shots of what could be assumed to be clues for the audience that are just red herrings. The whole thing is centered on the characters and the portrayals. Falk does a tremendous Humphrey Bogart impersonation and Sellers gives what has to be one of his more restrained performances, but hilariously funny, nonetheless. If there's one drawback it's that things may move too fast for a present-day audience. It seems more complicated than it really is, but Murder by Death is a good place to find consistent laughs.