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Post by Nalkarj on Jul 4, 2017 14:02:51 GMT
You've named a lot I would have chosen (The Thin Man, Charlie Chan, for example), but I'll give it a stab, hoping I meet the whodunit criteria and sticking with some of the less famous ones. The Spiral Staircase (1946) The Uninvited (1944) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) The Cat and the Canary (1939) Lady on a Train (1945) Murder She Said (1962) Spellbound (1945) My Favorite Brunette (1942) But I have to add Laura (1944), just because I love it so much. Beyond this, I think I'm into the other really famous ones. Apologies for bringing this old thread up again, but I recently saw The Spiral Staircase for the first time, Spider, and greatly enjoyed it. The Gothic trappings and set design, as well as Siodmak's appropriately shadow-drenched direction, but what particularly stood out in my mind was Dorothy McGuire's beautifully portrayed characterization, which she achieved without benefit of voice—reminiscent of the silent stars at their best. I know I should have seen it long before, but better late than never, and I did enjoy all of it. Thanks for the recommendation!
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spiderwort
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@spiderwort
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Post by spiderwort on Jul 4, 2017 14:39:40 GMT
Nalkarj Oh, Salzmank, I'm glad you got to see it! It's one of my favorites for all the reasons you mention. It's one I can't NOT watch whenever I have the chance. Btw, there's a radio version (hard as that is to believe), part of the Screen Director's Playhouse, starring Dorothy McGuire and directed by Robert Siodmak. Here's the link to it: Screen Director's Playhouse. You'll find some amazing productions there, mostly with the original casts and directors. The Spiral Staircase is #45. If you want to listen to it, just click on it. It's pretty interesting how they dealt with Helen's muteness. And I have no objection to renewing old threads. It's nice to share new thoughts. EDITED TO ADD: The radio version is very entertaining and interesting, but, of course, it in no way competes with the film.
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Post by Nalkarj on Jul 5, 2017 20:29:32 GMT
spiderwortThanks for the information about the radio adaptation. Much appreciated.
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Post by teleadm on Jul 6, 2017 17:14:13 GMT
Robert Siodmak did a handfull of interesting movie during his Hollywood years, I came to think of this after the mentioning af The Spiral Staircase 1946, I came to think of some others, especially Phantom Lady 1944 and The Suspect 1944. Considering how much he managed to get out of every picture on Universal's rather sparsed budgets during this period.
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Post by mikef6 on Jul 6, 2017 18:16:08 GMT
I scanned through the entire thread and didn’t see these titles listed. If I somehow missed them then I’m really really sorry, I apologize unreservedly. I deeply regret any distress that my actions may have caused you, or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such behavior at any time in the future.
Scared Stiff / George Marshall (1953). Remake of “The Ghost Breakers” with Dino and Jerry. Look for a Hope (with Crosby) cameo.
Zero No Shoten (Zero Focus) / Yoshitaro Nomura (1961). Complex mystery with flashbacks within flashbacks.
La Mariée Était En Noir (The Bride Wore Black) / François Truffaut (1968). Based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich. Truffaut changed the ending from the book so you can enjoy the story in both formats and be surprised each time.
Que La Bête Meure (This Man Must Die) / Claude Charbol (1969).Based on a novel by U.K. Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis (as Nicholas Blake), and DDL's daddy.
Wild Things / John McNaughton (1998). They even interrupt the end credits for more plot twists.
Les Rivières Pourpres (The Crimson Rivers) / Mathieu Kassovitz (2000). If you don’t mind a little sci-fi in the mix.
Calvary / John Michael McDonagh (2014). A who’s going to do it. Maybe this one is cheating a little.
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Post by Nalkarj on Jul 6, 2017 18:29:50 GMT
I scanned through the entire thread and didn’t see these titles listed. If I somehow missed them then I’m really really sorry, I apologize unreservedly. I deeply regret any distress that my actions may have caused you, or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such behavior at any time in the future. Pardon, Mike? Unless you mean this [in]famous post?
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Post by mikef6 on Jul 6, 2017 18:39:21 GMT
I scanned through the entire thread and didn’t see these titles listed. If I somehow missed them then I’m really really sorry, I apologize unreservedly. I deeply regret any distress that my actions may have caused you, or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such behavior at any time in the future. Pardon, Mike? Unless you mean this [in]famous post? HaHa. No, I just like to post new suggestions and not seem to take credit for what others thought of first. I also felt like using John Cleese's apology quote (from memory) from "A Fish Called Wanda" because why not?
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Post by Nalkarj on Jul 6, 2017 18:46:30 GMT
mikef6 Ah, sorry 'bout the misunderstanding! I've never seen A Fish Called Wanda, so I was reading it and wondering if someone said something... Then I remembered London's bit about how my Last of Sheila recommendation caused his child to go hungry. Uh-huh. (Some swell logic there, but don't get me started...)
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Post by Nalkarj on Jul 30, 2017 3:30:03 GMT
You've named a lot I would have chosen (The Thin Man, Charlie Chan, for example), but I'll give it a stab, hoping I meet the whodunit criteria and sticking with some of the less famous ones. The Spiral Staircase (1946) The Uninvited (1944) The Cat and the Canary (1939) Lady on a Train (1945) Murder She Said (1962) Spellbound (1945) My Favorite Brunette (1942) But I have to add Laura (1944), just because I love it so much. Beyond this, I think I'm into the really famous ones. The Uninvited, one of my favorite movies (I was recently defending it--I can't believe it needs defending, but so be it!--on the "Monster Kid" forum), is a curious case of cross-genre pollination. I mean, for a ghost movie, it actually has a more involved, complicated (too complicated?) puzzle plot than at least half of cinematic whodunits, with probably more clues to boot! Then again, as I wrote there too, the supernatural tale and the mystery tale both do come from the same source, Gothic literature. Just to substantiate my and spiderwort's contention that The Uninvited is in fact a particularly good whodunit as well as a rollicking ghost story: I have only recently realized how similar the plot is to Agatha Christie's Five Little Pigs, even going so far as the final twist... ...especially as regards who loves whom, and who the murderer is, though the specifics of this latter point are reversed between the works.
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Post by Nalkarj on Jan 22, 2018 23:49:59 GMT
At the risk of bringing this thread back from the dead, Frankenstein-style, yet again, I wanted to ask… Did anyone here ever see Nick & Nora, an infamous Broadway flop that was based on The Thin Man (or, at least, on the Charleses)? I noticed that Arthur Laurents wrote the book, which I hadn’t noticed for whatever reason before…
I’ve never seen it, and I’ve heard it has a huge number of problems—but something based on Nick and Nora can’t be all bad—can it?
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Post by hi224 on Jan 23, 2018 2:38:57 GMT
The original murder on the orient as well.
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Post by alfromni on Feb 1, 2018 15:45:41 GMT
If you're including TV shows in this thread and you're into history then Ellis Peter's mediaeval sleuth Cadfael is hard to beat. As is Sir Derek Jacobi's portrayal of Cadfael. Certainly one of my favourites. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadfael_(TV_series)
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Post by BATouttaheck on Feb 2, 2018 5:04:45 GMT
Nalkarj One mystery has been solved at last. It was $2.17 ! Have you remedied the deplorable "I have not seen A Fish Called Wanda" situation yet ?
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Post by teleadm on Feb 2, 2018 17:46:22 GMT
At the risk of bringing this thread back from the dead, Frankenstein-style, yet again, I wanted to ask… Did anyone here ever see Nick & Nora, an infamous Broadway flop that was based on The Thin Man (or, at least, on the Charleses)? I noticed that Arthur Laurents wrote the book, which I hadn’t noticed for whatever reason before… I’ve never seen it, and I’ve heard it has a huge number of problems—but something based on Nick and Nora can’t be all bad—can it? They must have been sure enough to record it, and lots of talanted people is involved. What I've tried to read up about it was that there was trouble of getting the right lighthearted flow in the storyline...
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Post by BATouttaheck on Feb 2, 2018 17:55:21 GMT
At the risk of bringing this thread back from the dead, Frankenstein-style.
Cannot keep a good thread down Nalkarj !
The cast etc. of N&N sure looked promising ! BUT I cannot imagine the Charles duo in a musical setting somehow.
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Post by Nalkarj on Feb 2, 2018 19:08:04 GMT
BATouttaheck Says a lot for me that I keep forgetting the solution to that mystery, huh…? I’m going to have to find new synonyms for that cadaverous cavallo! Sadly, that deplorable situation has not yet been remedied, but when I get some free time I’ll rectify my transgression! And I suppose this Frankenstein monster can’t be kept down, too… teleadm I heard something similar about Nick & Nora (that it completely misinterpreted the source material), which is why I was asking. Great cover picture.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2018 22:41:19 GMT
Not exactly a favorite, but I just saw Tomorrow at Seven (1933). I cannot STAND the two cops who allegedly provide comic relief. The mystery can be seen through in five seconds, but there's a couple of nice touches. The killer leaves an Ace of Spades playing card on the victims, and the way the killer is killed at the end is really cool. 4/10
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Post by Staccato on Feb 4, 2018 0:03:16 GMT
Black Angel (1946)
Based on a Cornell Woolrich novel.
Directed by Roy William Neil.
Starring Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre, Broderick Crawford, and Constance Dowling.
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Post by Staccato on Feb 4, 2018 0:32:51 GMT
The Third Secret (1964)
Written by Robert Joseph.
Directed by Charles Chrichton.
Starring Stephen Boyd and the terrific Pamela Franklin.
Also starring Richard Attenborough, Jack Hawkins, Diane Cilento, Paul Rogers, Alan Webb, and introducing Judi Dench.
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