Search - Murder by Death on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1976 DVD Release: 12/18/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, Korean, Spanish, Thai SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 34 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 37 Genres: Comedy, Mystery, Parody/Spoof, Detective Film, Ensemble Film, Whodunit

As penned by Neil Simon, this satire of movie mysteries is set in motion when several prominent detectives are invited to the mansion of the reclusive Lionel Twain (Truman Capote). In Ten Little Indians fashion, the gathered sleuths are locked into the forbidding mansion, and subject to various death-dealing devices. While struggling for their lives, the vainglorious gumshoes continue to try to one-up one another. Each character is broadly based on a famous literary detective: Sidney Wang (Peter Sellers) is an aphorism-spouting Charlie Chan clone: Dick and Dora Charleston (David Niven and Maggie Smith) are patterned on the protagonists of the Thin Man flicks; Milo Perrier (James Coco), a Hercule Poirot takeoff, stalks through the proceedings declaring "I'm a Belgie, not a Frenchie!"; Sam Diamond (Peter Falk) is Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe and Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade rolled in one; and Jessica Marbles (Elsa Lanchester) is a dottier variation of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Best bit: a "conversation" between blind butler Jamessir Bensonmum (Alec Guinness) and deaf-mute maid Yetta (Nancy Walker). The fade-out gag of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson showing up late for Lionel Twain's party was edited from the theatrical version of Murder by Death, but was restored for TV. The film marked the big-screen directorial debut of Robert Moore, who'd previously directed several of Neil Simon's Broadway productions. Moore went on to direct another Simon spoof, The Cheap Detective (1978), before his untimely death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eileen Brennan - Tess Skeffington
Truman Capote - Lionel Twain
James Coco - Milo Perrier
Peter Falk - Sam Diamond
Alec Guinness - Jamessir Bensonmum, the Butler
David Niven - Dick Charleston
Peter Sellers - Sidney Wang
Maggie Smith - Dora Charleston

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, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai. Extra features include talent files for Robert Moore, Neil Simon, Truman Capote, Peter Falk, Peter Sellers, David Niven, Maggie Smith, and Alec Guinness. This DVD also contains production notes, an interview segment with Neil Simon, and theatrical trailers for Murder by Death and The Cheap Detective. This is an excellent release of a star-studded comedy classic. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide