94-516: Murder by Death is a 1976 American comedy mystery film directed by Robert Moore and written by Neil Simon . The film stars Eileen Brennan , Truman Capote , James Coco , Peter Falk , Alec Guinness , Elsa Lanchester , David Niven , Peter Sellers , Maggie Smith , Nancy Walker , and Estelle Winwood . The plot is a broad parody or spoof of the traditional country-house whodunit , familiar to mystery fiction fans of classics such as Agatha Christie 's And Then There Were None . The cast
188-693: A BAFTA , a Golden Globe and a Tony Award . In 1959, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the arts. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement in 1980 and the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award in 1989. Guinness began his stage career in 1934. Two years later, at the age of 22, he played the role of Osric in Hamlet in
282-546: A Scottish army captain named Stiven, whose behaviour was often erratic or even violent. Guinness first worked writing advertising copy. His first job in the theatre was on his 20th birthday (2 April 1934), while he was a student at the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art , in the play Libel , which opened at the old King's Theatre, Hammersmith, and then transferred to the West End 's Playhouse , where his status
376-451: A cigarette and laughs maniacally while rings of tobacco smoke fill the screen. The story takes place in and around the isolated country home populated by eccentric multi-millionaire Lionel Twain ( Truman Capote ), his blind butler Jamessir Bensonmum ( Alec Guinness ), and a deaf-mute cook named Yetta ( Nancy Walker ). "Lionel Twain" is a pun on " Lionel Train ". The participants are all pastiches of famous fictional detectives: The film
470-481: A director new to me, is no George Cukor —and that splendid veteran is the only person can wins of who could turn this type of clever charade into something more than a series of actorly turns." Romola Costantino wrote in The Sun-Herald that the "picture reinforces a trust that top performers don't let you down. An amazing performer in authorship, is playwright Neil Simon, who has brought enough laughter into
564-452: A film's atmosphere, character, and story, and therefore, the labels "drama" and "comedy" are too broad to be considered a genre. Instead, his taxonomy argues that comedy is a type of film that contains at least a dozen different sub-types. A number of hybrid genres have emerged, such as action comedy and romantic comedy . The first comedy film was L'Arroseur Arrosé (1895), directed and produced by film pioneer Louis Lumière . Less than
658-472: A joke and what isn't. It is burlesque, and very broad burlesque at that, but with a sure touch to it: the terrible jokes are put in because they are terrible (not because some hack thinks they are really amusing). The gaping holes in the plot are part of the silly fun and give you bonus giggles afterwards when you ponder the grand illogic of it all. Dave Lanken of the Montreal Gazette wrote that
752-483: A mainstream audience. The success of the American television show Saturday Night Live drove decades of cinema with racier content allowed on television drawing on the program's stars and characters, with bigger successes including Wayne's World , Mean Girls , Ghostbusters and Animal House . Parody and joke-based films continue to find audiences. While comedic films are among the most popular with audiences at
846-509: A minute long, it shows a boy playing a prank on a gardener. The most notable comedy actors of the silent film era (1895–1927) were Charlie Chaplin , Harold Lloyd , and Buster Keaton , though they were able to make the transition into “ talkies ” after the 1920s. Film-makers in the 1960s skillfully employed the use of comedy film to make social statements by building their narratives around sensitive cultural, political or social issues. Such films include Dr Strangelove, or How I Learned to Love
940-606: A more negative view of the film in The Toronto Star , saying that "Murder by Death seems to me to offer three or four good laughs and half a dozen chuckles. True enough, that’s a lot better than no laughs at all. But it’s still a deplorably thin cargo of mirth in a 93-minute entertainment from the pen of the erstwhile merry fellow who gave the world Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple . Not to mention his new smash-hit on Broadway, California Suite ." Arthur Thirkell of
1034-540: A murder case. A mouthwatering' idea. And its result in some perfectly delicious comedy, based on the pleasure of watching not only Simon's satirical version of the characters interact, but also of watching the stars who play them interact." Don Morrison wrote in The Minneapolis Star : "Murder by Death" is one of those rare things—a completely silly prank movie that also happens to be funny. Very funny. Really very funny. Most often, when an all-star cast
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#17327868997271128-421: A murky note. However, it's quite possible one wouldn’t notice such a substantial flaw for all the puns and comedy afoot. There are a few clues to add to spice up the plot. [...] The screenplay is an original from Simon, a favorite of folks who like their laughs quick and obvious. It’s among the better of his works and serves as the basis for a delightful film." Richard Dyer of The Boston Globe wrote that "none of
1222-672: A poll of British exhibitors identified Guinness as the top box office attraction in British films and fifth in international films, based on box office returns. Guinness was idolised by Peter Sellers —who himself became famous for inhabiting a variety of characters in a film—with Sellers's first major film role starring alongside his idol in The Ladykillers . Guinness's other notable film roles of this period included The Swan (1956) with Grace Kelly , in her penultimate film role; The Horse's Mouth (1958), in which Guinness played
1316-598: A promotion to Temporary Lieutenant the following year. Guinness then commanded a Landing Craft Infantry at the Allied invasion of Sicily , and later ferried supplies and agents to the Yugoslav partisans in the eastern Mediterranean theatre. During the war, Guinness was granted leave to appear in the Broadway production of Terence Rattigan 's stage play Flare Path , about RAF Bomber Command , with Guinness playing
1410-536: A public lavatory in Chelsea , after dining with the Guinnesses at St. Peter's Square." This suggestion was not made until April 2001, eight months after his death, when a BBC Showbiz article related that new books claimed that Guinness was bisexual , that he had kept his sexuality private from the public eye and that only his closest friends and family members knew about his sexual orientation. While serving in
1504-436: A relative or associate, is invited to "dinner and a murder" by the mysterious Lionel Twain. Having lured his guests to his mansion managed by a blind butler named Jamessir Bensonmum, who is later joined by a deaf, mute, and illiterate cook named Yetta, Twain joins his guests at dinner. He presses a button which seals off the house. Twain announces that he is the greatest criminologist in the world. To prove his claim, he challenges
1598-690: A road-show production of Robert Ardrey 's Thunder Rock . At the Old Vic, Guinness worked with many actors and actresses who became his friends and frequent co-stars in the future, including Gielgud, Ralph Richardson , Peggy Ashcroft , Anthony Quayle , and Jack Hawkins . An early influence was film star Stan Laurel , whom Guinness admired. Guinness continued playing Shakespearean roles throughout his career. In 1937, he played Aumerle in Richard II and Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice under
1692-614: A separate genre, but rather, provides a better understanding of the film. Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe ; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the British Film Institute listing of 1999 of the 100 most important British films of the 20th century, he was the single most noted actor, represented across nine films — six in starring roles and three in supporting roles — including five directed by David Lean and four from Ealing Studios . He won an Academy Award ,
1786-473: A slow one, surprisingly so when you'd have said knockabout speed was called for." Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film three stars out of four and wrote that "after getting off to a shaky start, the picture quickly hits a speedball comedy pace it doesn't lose until the unsatisfactory unravelling of the mystery." Gary Arnold of The Washington Post stated that "this burlesque whodunit
1880-475: A super all-star cast," adding, "It's the sort of film one could see more than once and pick up on comedy bits unnoticed at first. Dave Grusin's music is another highlight." Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times found the film "amusing" but added, "Why it is only amusing, and not hilarious, madcap, riotous, rip-roaring, or richly romping, I don't entirely know. It's a short movie (94 minutes) but
1974-596: Is a deliciously old-fashioned feeling about the movie 'Murder By Death,' from the moment the first old car falters its way through fog and mist and a voice that belongs to Humphrey Bogart comes out of Peter Falk." Stanley Eichelbaum of the San Francisco Examiner said that "there's so much enjoyable nonsense in "Murder By Death," which opens today at the Cinema 21, I suppose it doesn't matter that Neil Simon's spoof of Hollywood and British detective mysteries
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#17327868997272068-528: Is a professional footballer. A biography claimed that Guinness was arrested and fined 10 guineas (£10.50) for a homosexual act in a public lavatory in Liverpool in 1946. Piers Paul Read, who wrote his authorised biography, did not believe it happened. Another biography suggests: "The rumour is possibly a conflation of stories about Alec's ' cottaging ' and the arrest of John Gielgud, in October 1953, in
2162-460: Is a thin, somewhat labored invention. Before it begins to sag and run out of steam, it's a delightful lark, and, even with shortcomings, the funniest, looniest film of the year." Edward L. Blank of The Pittsburgh Press said "it surpasses ' Barefoot in the Park ' and ' The Odd Couple ' to become his funniest film. In a screenplay calculated to be as absurd as possible, not all the gags work. A running gimmick involving identical rooms never amuses, and
2256-506: Is an ensemble of British and American actors playing send-ups of well-known fictional sleuths, including Hercule Poirot , Miss Marple , Charlie Chan , Nick and Nora Charles , and Sam Spade . It also features a rare acting performance by author Truman Capote . The film was presented at the Venice International Film Festival on September 5, 1976. A group of five renowned detectives, each accompanied by
2350-451: Is an unfortunate choice for Twain, looking more pained than menacing—as if the whole experience had been about as pleasurable as sitting in a dentist's chair. But then what amateur actor wouldn't panic in the presence of this wonderful cast? The special joy of "Murder by Death" lies in savoring the individual performances, so rare is it to see truly stylish acting on the screen these days." Dale Stevens of The Cincinnati Post said that "there
2444-451: Is assembled to put the spoof on a famous set of characters, the writers and directors seem to think comic results will be automatic and don't bother to give the biggies anything solidly funny to say or do. Such humor as is fabricated for the occasion generally overshoots satire, tries to settle for burlesque and winds up as sophomoric travesty. In this case, with Neil Simon writing the script, comedy isn't taken for granted. Simon knows what's
2538-436: Is derived from classical comedy in theatre . Some of the earliest silent films were slapstick comedies , which often relied on visual depictions, such as sight gags and pratfalls, so they could be enjoyed without requiring sound. To provide drama and excitement to silent movies, live music was played in sync with the action on the screen, on pianos, organs, and other instruments. When sound films became more prevalent during
2632-403: Is probably too static and thinly contrived to generate a lasting sense of pleasure, but it's the kind of skillfully obvious, mock-innocent spoof that seems good fun while it lasts, and the fun is enhanced by the most adept and attractive comedy cast in recent memory." John Simon wrote, "Murder by Death is not a movie to write or read about, but to be seen and modestly enjoyed". Kathleen Carroll of
2726-415: Is why I call Murder by Death a throwaway. You will chuckle for most of the hour and a half then forget it." Comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor . These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending , with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the oldest genres in film, and it
2820-730: The Daily Mirror in the UK called the film "a clever, fun-filled parody of five well-known fictional detectives Charlie Chan, The Thin Man, Miss Marple, Sam Spade and Hercule Poirot. Mr. Simon has altered the names, but retained the flavour of each tec's individual style and dialogue. The result is a movie that will tickle the fancy of Agatha Christie and Dashiell Hammett fans and get chuckles from those usually cynically disposed towards corny, contrived sleuthing in fog-shrouded mansions." Eric Shorter of The Daily Telegraph said that "the pleasure lies in
2914-526: The New York Daily News wrote that the characters are "the impish inventions of writer Neil Simon, who, in caricaturing this Round Table meeting of the world's greatest fictional detectives, displays his usual killer's instinct for sharp, savvy comedy. His 'Murder by Death' is not without flaws, however: there are lapses in taste, and some of his gags are just awful; the production has a routine Movie-of-the-Week look to it; and poor Truman Capote
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3008-803: The Academy Award for Best Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor ; Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia (1962); General Yevgraf Zhivago in Doctor Zhivago (1965); and Professor Godbole in A Passage to India (1984). In 1970, Guinness played Jacob Marley 's ghost in Ronald Neame 's Scrooge . He also portrayed Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas 's original Star Wars trilogy , which brought him further recognition; for
3102-560: The BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award for lifetime achievement in 1989. For his theatre work, he received an Evening Standard Award for his performance as T. E. Lawrence in Ross and a Tony Award for his Broadway turn as Dylan Thomas in Dylan . Guinness received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1559 Vine Street on 8 February 1960. Guinness was appointed a Commander of the Order of
3196-556: The British Film Institute 's 50 greatest British films of the 20th century : 3rd ( Lawrence of Arabia ), 5th ( Great Expectations ), 11th ( The Bridge on the River Kwai ), 27th ( Doctor Zhivago ) and 46th ( Oliver Twist ). Guinness's role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy, beginning in 1977 with Star Wars , brought him worldwide recognition to a new generation, as well as Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. In letters to his friends, Guinness described
3290-534: The Royal Mail in their "Remarkable Lives" issue. Guinness married the artist, playwright and actress Merula Silvia Salaman (1914–2000) in 1938; in 1940, they had a son, Matthew Guinness , who later became an actor. From the 1950s the family lived at Kettlebrook Meadows, near Steep Marsh in Hampshire. The house itself was designed by Merula's brother Eusty Salaman. His great-grandson Nesta Guinness-Walker
3384-573: The Royal Navy , Guinness had planned to become an Anglican priest . In 1954, while he was filming Father Brown in Burgundy , Guinness, who was in costume as a Catholic priest, was mistaken for a real priest by a local child. Guinness was far from fluent in French, and the child apparently did not notice that Guinness did not understand him but took his hand and chattered while the two strolled;
3478-833: The West End and joined the Old Vic . He continued to play Shakespearean roles throughout his career. He was one of the greatest British actors who, along with Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud , made the transition from theatre to films after the Second World War . Guinness served in the Royal Naval Reserve during the war and commanded a landing craft during the invasion of Sicily and Elba . Guinness made his name in six Ealing Comedies , starting in 1949 with both A Run for Your Money and Kind Hearts and Coronets — in which he played nine different characters — going on to lead roles in 1951 with The Man in
3572-440: The 1920s, comedy films grew in popularity, as laughter could result from both burlesque situations but also from humorous dialogue . Comedy, compared with other film genres , places more focus on individual star actors, with many former stand-up comics transitioning to the film industry due to their popularity. In The Screenwriters Taxonomy (2017), Eric R. Williams contends that film genres are fundamentally based upon
3666-593: The Bomb , Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? and The Graduate . In America, the sexual revolution drove an appetite for comedies that celebrated and parodied changing social morals, including Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Fanny Hill . In Britain, a camp sensibility lay behind the successful Carry On films , while in America subversive independent film-maker John Waters made camp films for college audiences with his drag queen friends that eventually found
3760-534: The British Empire (CBE) in the 1955 Birthday Honours , was knighted by Elizabeth II in the 1959 New Year Honours , and was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in the 1994 Birthday Honours for services to drama. In 1991, he received an honorary doctorate from Cambridge University . In 2014, Guinness was among the ten people commemorated on a UK postage stamp issued by
3854-858: The Isle of Wight as a barmaid at the Royal Yacht Squadron clubhouse at the time of the Cowes Regatta in 1913, which was attended by several members of the Guinness family including Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh , and his sons Ernest and Walter . Members of the Guinness family claimed a "distinct resemblance" between Alec and one or other of the Guinnesses at Cowes that year; Honor Guinness , who made Alec's acquaintance in 1950 and invited him to tea with "his cousin", later visiting Alec's family with photo albums and diaries to point out
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3948-662: The Old Vic, he played Eric Birling in J. B. Priestley 's An Inspector Calls at the New Theatre in October 1946. He played the Uninvited Guest in the Broadway production of T. S. Eliot 's The Cocktail Party (1950, revived at the Edinburgh Festival in 1968). He played Hamlet under his own direction at the New Theatre in the West End in 1951. Invited by his friend Tyrone Guthrie to join
4042-663: The White Suit and The Lavender Hill Mob — which he received his first Academy Award nomination — then in 1955 with The Ladykillers , and culminating in 1957 with Barnacle Bill . Guinness collaborated six times with director David Lean: Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (1946); Fagin in Oliver Twist (1948); Col. Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), for which he won both
4136-545: The acting, or rather the impersonations, of legendary sleuths such as Charlie Chan (Peter Sellers), Humphrey Bogart (Peter Falk), Miss Marple (Elsa Landbester), and so on, rather than in the relentless verbal gagging of Mr Simon or his teasing of thriller conventions." Alexander Walker of the London Evening Standard said that "the high risk that critics run in reviewing Nell Simon screenplays Is an addiction to reviewing every Joke, which means taking down
4230-513: The best fictional master-minds, and a series of red-herring solutions to the mind-boggling whodunit mystery. Backing up Simon's brilliance is an unbeatable cast of stylish actors whose names guarantee entertainment. [...] Absurdity is very amusing when it is topped off with this kind of elegance." Colin Bennett of The Age wrote that "by the end, after automatic daggers and shrinking rooms, scorpions and poisoned wine, and unmasked plastic corpses,
4324-719: The box office, there is an 'historical bias against a close and serious consideration of comedy' when it comes to critical reception and conferring of awards, such as at the Academy Awards . Film writer Cailian Savage observes "Comedies have won Oscars, although they’ve usually been comedy-dramas, involved very depressing scenes, or appealed to stone-hearted drama lovers in some other way, such as Shakespeare in Love ." According to Williams' taxonomy , all film descriptions should contain their type (comedy or drama) combined with one (or more) sub-genres. This combination does not create
4418-409: The butler of being one of Twain's former associates. At first, the butler plays the part of each person with whom he is identified, but then he pulls off a mask to reveal Lionel Twain himself, alive. Twain disparages the detectives—and metafictionally , the authors who created them—for the way their adventures have been handled. He points out such authorial misdeeds as introducing crucial characters at
4512-638: The character. He received another nomination for best actor for his role in Monsignor Quixote in 1987. One of Guinness's last appearances was in the BBC drama Eskimo Day (1996). Guinness won the Academy Award for Best Actor and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in 1957 for his role in The Bridge on the River Kwai after having been unsuccessfully nominated for an Oscar in 1952 for his performance in The Lavender Hill Mob . He
4606-477: The child then waved and trotted off. The confidence and affection the clerical attire appeared to inspire in the boy left a deep impression on the actor. When their son was ill with polio at the age of 11, Guinness began visiting a church to pray. A few years later, in 1956, Guinness converted to the Catholic Church . His wife, who was of paternal Sephardi Jewish descent, followed suit in 1957 while he
4700-471: The cliches of detective fiction in his script for this film. In doing this he's turned a neat trick, making it suspenseful as well as funny. It's a gem of its genre." Susan Stark of the Detroit Free Press said that "the idea behind 'Murder by Death,' Neil Simon's first comedy written expressly for the screen, is to bring together the legendary sleuths for the purpose of having them collaborate on
4794-531: The comedy with wild plot mechanics—none of which it would be fair to divulge here—the situations start to feel strained and repetitive. Much of the humor is recovered in the last scene or two, but I still left with the feeling that 'Murder by Death' falls short of its great potential." Corbin Patrick of The Indianapolis Star wrote that "Simon, hitherto known chiefly for Broadway comedy hits including 'Plaza Suite' and 'The Odd Couple,' makes highly amusing fun of all
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#17327868997274888-635: The detectives failed, they failed brilliantly and have made him love them all again. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes , Murder by Death holds a rating of 63% from 24 reviews. Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote that the film had one of Simon's "nicest, breeziest screenplays," with James Coco "very, very funny as the somewhat prissy take-off on Hercule Poirot" and David Niven and Maggie Smith "marvelous as Dick and Dora Charleston, though they haven't enough to do." Arthur D. Murphy of Variety called it "a very good silly-funny Neil Simon satirical comedy, with
4982-670: The direction of John Gielgud. He starred in a 1938 production of Hamlet which won him acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. He also appeared as Romeo in a production of Romeo and Juliet (1939), Malvolio in Twelfth Night , and as Exeter in Henry V in 1937, both opposite Laurence Olivier, and Ferdinand in The Tempest , opposite Gielgud as Prospero . In 1939, he adapted Charles Dickens 's novel Great Expectations for
5076-400: The director to 2.25% (Lucas received one-fifth of the overall box office takings, which would take Guinness's share of the overall box office to 0.45%). This made him very wealthy in his later life. Upon his first viewing of the film, Guinness wrote in his diary, "It's a pretty staggering film as spectacle and technically brilliant. Exciting, very noisy, and warm-hearted. The battle scenes at
5170-508: The end go on for five minutes too long, I feel, and some of the dialogue is excruciating and much of it is lost in noise, but it remains a vivid experience." Guinness soon became unhappy with being identified with the part and expressed dismay at the fan following that the Star Wars trilogy attracted. In the DVD commentary of the original Star Wars , Lucas says that Guinness was not happy with
5264-412: The film as "fairy-tale rubbish" but the film's sense of moral good – and the studio's doubling of his initial salary offer – appealed to him and he agreed to take the part of Kenobi on the condition that he would not have to do any publicity to promote the film. He initially negotiated a deal for 2% of the film's royalties paid to the director, George Lucas , who, upon the warm reception of the film with
5358-420: The film has "a delightful cast, and the results of letting such a bunch of hams ham it up is delightful, too. Director Robert Moore, who previously directed several of Neil Simon's Broadway hits, makes his film debut here and keeps everything rolling nicely." Barbara Thomas of The Atlanta Journal remarked that "the movie often doesn't make much sense and the trick on the identity of the real Lionel Twain ends on
5452-541: The film: A novelization based on Neil Simon's script was written by H. R. F. Keating and published in the United States by Warner Books ( ISBN 978-0446881616 ) and by Star Books in the United Kingdom. The novelization contains the deleted Tess Skeffington and Willie Wang scenes, as well as a totally different ending in which Bensonmum is revealed to be still alive and Twain admits that although
5546-492: The filming. Guinness was quoted as saying that the royalties he obtained from working on the films gave him "no complaints; let me leave it by saying I can live for the rest of my life in the reasonably modest way I am now used to, that I have no debts and I can afford to refuse work that doesn't appeal to me." In his autobiography, Blessings in Disguise , Guinness tells an imaginary interviewer "Blessed be Star Wars ", regarding
5640-405: The guests to solve a murder that will occur at midnight; a reward of $ 1 million will be presented to the winner. Before midnight, the butler is found dead. Twain disappears, only to re-appear immediately after midnight, stabbed twelve times in the back with a butcher knife . The cook is also discovered to have been an animated mannequin , now packed in a storage crate. The party spends the rest of
5734-538: The income it provided. Guinness appeared in the film's sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), as a force ghost apparition to the trilogy's main character Luke Skywalker . In 2003, Obi-Wan Kenobi as portrayed by Guinness was selected as the 37th-greatest hero in cinema history by the American Film Institute . Digitally altered archival audio of Guinness's voice
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#17327868997275828-477: The last minute for the traditional "twist in the tale" (something the assembled detectives had been doing a few minutes earlier) and withholding clues and information to make it impossible for the reader to solve the mystery. Each of the detectives departs the house empty-handed, none of them having won the $ 1 million. When asked whether there had been a murder, Wang replies, "Yes: killed good weekend." Alone, Twain pulls off yet another mask to reveal Yetta, who lights
5922-574: The morning". Guinness died on the night of 5 August 2000 at King Edward VII's Hospital in Midhurst , West Sussex . He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2000, and with liver cancer two days before he died. His wife, who died two months later on 18 October 2000, also had liver cancer. His funeral was held at St. Laurence Catholic Church in Petersfield, Hampshire , and he
6016-432: The night investigating and bickering. They are manipulated by a mysterious behind-the-scenes force, confused by red herrings , and baffled by the "mechanical marvel" that is Twain's house. They ultimately find their own lives threatened. Each sleuth presents his or her theory on the case, pointing out the others' past connections to Twain and their possible motives for murdering him. When they retire to their guest rooms for
6110-435: The night, the guests are each confronted by things that threaten to kill them: a deadly snake, a venomous scorpion , a descending ceiling, poison gas, and a bomb. They all survive, and in the morning, they gather in the office, where they find the butler waiting, very much alive and not blind. Each detective presents a different piece of evidence with which they each independently solved the mystery, and in each case, they accuse
6204-538: The original 1977 film , he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 50th Academy Awards . Guinness's later life was closely associated with his definitive depiction of the leading role of George Smiley in the two BBC television series of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People by John le Carré . Guinness was born Alec Guinness de Cuffe at 155 Lauderdale Mansions South , Lauderdale Road , in Maida Vale , London. His mother's maiden name
6298-451: The other guests are leaving; they ask directions from Sidney Wang, who chooses not to warn them and tells Willie, "Let idiots find out for themselves." Author Ron Haydock states that an early draft of Neil Simon's script featured Holmes and Watson actually solving the mystery, but their roles were reduced to a cameo appearance and finally deleted, as the lead actors felt they were being "upstaged". There were three other scenes deleted from
6392-920: The part of drunken painter Gulley Jimson, and for which he also wrote the screenplay, which was nominated for an Academy Award ; the lead in Carol Reed 's Our Man in Havana (1959); Marcus Aurelius in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964); Lieutenant General Yevgraf Andreyevich Zhivago in Doctor Zhivago (1965), The Quiller Memorandum (1966); Marley's Ghost in Scrooge (1970); Charles I in Cromwell (1970); Pope Innocent III in Franco Zeffirelli 's Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972); and
6486-409: The picture ends in a fizzle of senseless surprises. (Don't bother trying to sort it out; Simon's inspiration obviously petered out five minutes too soon.) Most of it works, though, and what does is hilarious." Giles M. Fowler of The Kansas City Times wrote that "somewhere about midway, the movie sags a bit as the emphasis shifts from broad character to even broader action. When Simon tries to zip up
6580-476: The plot and incident, in fact, is important in this movie: they exist as opportunities to give big-name actors a lot of showy opportunities. Director Roger [ sic ] Moore made his name by creating the superb ensemble playing in the original stage production of "The Boys in the Band," but there is little ensemble here just a series of star turns. Falk's broad Bogart burlesque has its moments, but Niven and Smith consistently fare best because they appreciate
6674-439: The premiere season of the Stratford Festival of Canada , Guinness lived for a brief time in Stratford, Ontario . On 13 July 1953, Guinness spoke the first lines of the first play produced by the festival, Shakespeare's Richard III : "Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by this sun of York." Guinness won a Tony Award for his Broadway performance as Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in Dylan . He next played
6768-470: The press and film critics, and as a gesture of good-will for the positive amendments and suggestions Guinness proposed to the screenplay for the film, offered Guinness an additional 0.5%, bringing his share to 2.5%. When Guinness enquired about the share with the film's producer Gary Kurtz , and asked for a written agreement so as to codify his earnings, Kurtz revised Lucas's offering down by 0.25%, bringing Guinness's final, agreed-upon share of royalties paid to
6862-631: The role of Flight Lieutenant Teddy Graham. Guinness returned to the Old Vic in 1946 and stayed until 1948, playing Abel Drugger in Ben Jonson 's The Alchemist , the Fool in King Lear opposite Laurence Olivier in the title role, DeGuiche in Cyrano de Bergerac opposite Ralph Richardson in the title role, and finally starring in an Old Vic production as Shakespeare's Richard II . After leaving
6956-460: The script rewrite in which Obi-Wan is killed. Guinness said in a 1999 interview that it was actually his idea to kill off Obi-Wan, persuading Lucas that it would make him a stronger character and that Lucas agreed to the idea. Guinness stated in the interview, "What I didn't tell Lucas was that I just couldn't go on speaking those bloody awful, banal lines. I'd had enough of the mumbo jumbo." He went on to say that he "shrivelled up" every time Star Wars
7050-495: The similarities she perceived, believed either her uncle Ernest or his brother Walter ("a celebrated seducer") was Alec's father, while her cousin Lindy considered Alec to closely resemble her father, Loel . From 1875, under English law , when the birth of an illegitimate child was registered, the father's name could be entered on the certificate only if he were present and gave his consent. Guinness himself believed that his father
7144-606: The stage, playing Herbert Pocket. The play was a success. One of its viewers was a young British film editor, David Lean , who later had Guinness reprise his role in Lean's 1946 film adaptation of the play. Guinness served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in the Second World War, initially as a seaman in 1941, before receiving a commission as a temporary Sub-lieutenant on 30 April 1942 and
7238-483: The title character's half-brother, Bolshevik leader Yevgraf, in Doctor Zhivago and Indian mystic Professor Godbole in A Passage to India . He was also offered a role in Lean's Ryan's Daughter (1970) but declined. At that time, Guinness "mistrusted" Lean and considered the formerly close relationship to be strained—although he recalled, at Lean's funeral, that the famed director had been "charming and affable". Guinness appeared in five Lean films that were ranked in
7332-774: The title role in Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973), which he considered his best film performance, though critics disagreed. Another role which is sometimes referred to as one that he considered his best, and is so considered by many critics, is that of Major Jock Sinclair in Tunes of Glory (1960). Guinness also played the role of Jamessir Bensonmum, the blind butler, in the 1976 Neil Simon film Murder by Death . Guinness won particular praise for his collaborations with director David Lean , which today represent his most critically acclaimed work. After appearing in Lean's Great Expectations and Oliver Twist , he
7426-696: The title role in Macbeth opposite Simone Signoret at the Royal Court Theatre in 1966. Guinness made his final stage performance at the Comedy Theatre in the West End on 30 May 1989, in the play A Walk in the Woods . In all, between 2 April 1934 and 30 May 1989, he played 77 parts in the theatre. Guinness made his speaking debut in film in the drama Great Expectations (1946). He
7520-419: The value of understatement; James Coco certainly does not. Capote, in his screen debut—but hardly his acting debut—lisps mechanically through his role (is his real name Lionel Train?) and he looks like a malevolent mongoose. Essentially, though, this is Neil Simon's movie his name, in fact, is part of the title. No one writes a better gag-line than he does: some of the movie is hilarious." Clyde Gilmour offered
7614-467: The whodunit revelations have grown hopelessly tortuous. We can’t follow them. We are not meant to care and we don’t. For once, Neil Simon is writing his jokes without point or social observation, simply for the sake of easy laughter, comic pastiche at the expense of detective authors who cheat their readers. His characters are as thin as the Charles Addams cartoons that accompany the credits. Which
7708-501: The whole dialogue verbatim. The risk eminently worth running, for this is a prime piece of malice aforethought that debunks the genre and, like its title, turns expectations back to front in that arrogant that detective-story authors do to reader-addicts." Derek Malcolm of The Guardian described the film as having "a lot of crisp, semi-witty lines from one and all and a great deal of slightly over-ripe characterisation. It's all very theatrical and none too cinematic, since Robert Moore,
7802-493: The world in recent years to deserve some special award. Here he tackles a. tricky subject, because murder story spoofs can turn out tedious; but Simon's magic touch ' doesn't fail him in this screenplay. Silly though they may sound, he makes the following angles hilariously funny: eerie old Gothic house, murder on the stroke of 12, screams in the night, a sinister butler, black-gloved hands groping around corners, guests trapped with no way out, gathering of famous detectives modelled on
7896-573: Was Agnes Cuff, born on 8 December 1890 to Edward Charles Cuff, a sometime lifeguard at Bournemouth who had served in the Royal Navy, and Mary Ann, née Benfield, of a family of stonemasons and publicans. On Guinness's birth certificate, his mother's name is given as Agnes de Cuffe; the infant's name (where first names only are placed) is given as Alec Guinness, and there are no details for the father. The identity of Guinness's father has never been officially confirmed. Agnes Cuff had worked at Cowes on
7990-528: Was a Scottish banker, Andrew Geddes (1861–1928), who paid for Guinness's boarding-school education at Pembroke Lodge, in Southbourne, and Roborough, in Eastbourne . Geddes—who with a "round face and sticking-out ears" bore a resemblance to Guinness and believed himself to be his father— occasionally visited Guinness and his mother, posing as an uncle. Guinness's mother later had a three-year marriage to
8084-504: Was given a starring role opposite William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai . For his performance as Colonel Nicholson, the unyielding British POW commanding officer, Guinness won both the Academy Award for Best Actor and BAFTA Award for Best Actor . Despite a difficult and often hostile relationship, Lean, referring to Guinness as "my good luck charm", continued to cast Guinness in character roles in his later films: Arab leader Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia (1962);
8178-577: Was in Ceylon filming The Bridge on the River Kwai , and she informed him only after the event. Guinness told a story in a media interview and wrote in his memoir that he met James Dean and predicted Dean's death one week before he was killed in a car accident in 1955. In interviews shortly after his death, Guinness recalled that all of Dean's friends had issued similar warnings because he drove too fast. Every morning, Guinness recited verse eight from Psalm 143 , "Cause me to hear your loving kindness in
8272-1082: Was initially mainly associated with the Ealing Comedies , and particularly for playing eight characters in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). His other films from this period included Oliver Twist (1948), The Lavender Hill Mob , The Man in the White Suit (both 1951) and The Ladykillers (1955), with all four ranked among the Best British films. In 1950 he portrayed 19th-century British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli in The Mudlark , which included delivering an uninterrupted seven-minute speech in Parliament. In 1952, director Ronald Neame cast Guinness in his first romantic lead role, opposite Petula Clark in The Card . In 1951,
8366-580: Was interred at Petersfield Cemetery. In 2013 the British Library acquired the personal archive of Guinness consisting of over 900 letters, manuscripts for plays, and 100 volumes of diaries from the late 1930s to his death. Guinness wrote three volumes of a best-selling autobiography, beginning with Blessings in Disguise in 1985, followed by My Name Escapes Me in 1996, and A Positively Final Appearance in 1999. He recorded each of them as an audiobook. Shortly after his death, Lady Guinness asked
8460-454: Was mentioned to him. Although Guinness disliked the fame that followed and he did not hold the work in high esteem, Lucas and fellow cast members Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Kenny Baker , and Anthony Daniels have spoken highly of his courtesy and professionalism, on and off the set. Lucas credited him with inspiring the cast and crew to work harder, saying that Guinness contributed significantly to achieving completion of
8554-684: Was nominated in 1958 for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium , for his screenplay adapted from Joyce Cary 's novel The Horse's Mouth . He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars in 1977. He received an Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement in 1980. In 1985 the Hamburg -based Alfred Toepfer Foundation awarded Guinness its annual Shakespeare Prize in recognition of his life's work. In 1988, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Little Dorrit . He received
8648-603: Was raised from a walk-on to understudying two lines, and his salary increased to £1 a week. He appeared at the New Theatre in 1936 at the age of 22, playing the role of Osric in John Gielgud 's successful production of Hamlet . Also in 1936, Guinness signed on with the Old Vic , where he was cast in a series of classic roles. In the later 1930s, he took classes at the London Theatre Studio . In 1939, he took over for Michael Redgrave as Charleston in
8742-494: Was shot entirely at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank , California , then named "The Burbank Studios". Charles Addams , creator of The Addams Family , drew the art and caricatures displayed at the beginning, during the end credits, and on the poster. An additional scene, not in the theatrical version but shown in some television versions, shows Sherlock Holmes (Keith McConnell) and Doctor Watson (Richard Peel) arriving as
8836-594: Was used in the films Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Guinness was reluctant to appear on television, but accepted the part of George Smiley in the serialisation of John le Carré 's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) after meeting the author. Guinness reprised the role in Smiley's People (1982), and twice won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of
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