yelofneb-63037
***may thoroughly accidentally contain spoilers*** This is a very charming movie, whereby it's true charm is revealed at its best at the very end.I recommend it mostly because I believe that fervent movie fans who have not yet seen it will get a big kick out of following it through to the end. It's the kind of movie that English speakers everywhere apart from the U.S. of A. call a lark, a fun exercise for actors, wherever they're from, but an especially great viewing experience because from start to finish, the whole lark is a U.S. of A. breakout into the rest of the English speaking audience terrain. From the director, through the lead actors, to the brilliantly delivered bit parts, it's a crazy splash of fun that has its culmination in a cinematic equivalence of taking a personal bow, whereby the happy grins on each of those actors reveals that it was a pleasure for all of them to take part in a very unique American lark.Btw, the expression "lark" comes from the habit of the western European lark bird to rise high above the nest, whenever it's threatened, in order to lead the assailant astray with shrill crying. hence lark, as an expression to describe dissembling.
Leofwine_draca
THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER is an incredibly inventive murder mystery/thriller, made by John Huston and shot on his estate in Ireland. It's quite unlike any other film I've watched, the stark black-and-white shooting style accompanying the action quite nicely. It's one of those films where the mystery is deliciously ambiguous until around the halfway mark.I found the early scenes to be the best part of the film as you have no idea what's going to happen next. Evil Kirk Douglas proves a master of disguise as he goes around bumping people off and making it look like they were killed in accidents. George C. Scott is a delight as the amateur detective who gets drawn into the proceedings and Jacques Roux is even better as the warm-hearted Frenchman and Watson character.Eventually the story begins to make sense but it continues to engage anyway thanks to the strong performances. The latter half of the story gets bogged down a bit in the fox hunting scenes but it still picks up for a climax tying it all together nicely. One of the most interesting things about the production are the elaborate disguises worn by characters; the make-up which includes face masks and even false eyes is really something special. I found most of the celebrity cameos to be a bit of a distraction, but all of the winking and grinning at the end is irresistible.
Lechuguilla
The wealthy host of an English country estate named Adrian Messenger (John Merivale) presents his friend, Anthony Gethryn (George C. Scott) with a list of ten people he wants investigated. Gethryn finds that the list consists of people who either have already died an accidental death or are still living and who may soon die. The assumption is that someone wants all these people dead. Gethryn and his sidekick Le Borg (Jacques Roux) plow through the clues, and eventually solve the mystery.The script gives us an array of strange characters who may, or may not, be the murderer. And B&W lighting conveys an air of mystery. But the plot is contrived and contains too much filler in the form of repetitious and lengthy foxhunts.Scott plays his role well. Dana Wynter, in her stylish 1960s clothes, is annoyingly aloof and her performance is consistent with the stuffy English atmosphere the film presents throughout. I have always liked Herbert Marshall, and his performance here is terrific in a minor role.But then comes that final ten minutes. I don't mind gimmicks if they're not too intrusive or obnoxious. However, here the scriptwriter and director have so little confidence in their film project, they insert a huge gimmick, apparently hoping to distract viewers from what is clearly an inferior script.Unlike some viewers, I do not watch films to see movie stars. I watch to see an interesting story. When you have to break the fourth wall and announce the presence of well-known Hollywood celebrities as the main point of your film, that blatant show of stardom screams distraction in a most condescendingly fraudulent way. And it ruins just about everything that went before.
jonathankamiel
This film is really one of a kind and handled with such aplomb by Huston, taking elements of film noir and mixing it with off-beat comedy. Describing the film as unorthodox might be right but scary is way off the mark. It's not the sort of film that makes you feel uneasy. It's just strange. It's a straight laced murder mystery with some bizarre disguises and cameos. I think the most unsettling feature is the remarkable resemblance between most of Kirk Douglas' disguises and the Jigsaw Killer in the Saw movies. Maybe that was one source of inspiration for Saw's makers? And to top this all, you've got some of the greatest screen legends, the beautiful Dana Wynter and a superb Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack. What more could you ask for?
AD
