Post by Salzmank on Mar 25, 2017 2:14:34 GMT
OK, guys, I'm back, I'm back!
teleadm
(Appointment went well, Teleadm--thanks for your best wishes.)
Interesting point you brought up about Dyan Cannon. To be perfectly honest, I'd say it was a coincidence that she was in both movies, but, hey, who knows? What I find most interesting is what Doghouse remarked upon before: how the two performances are quite different and at the same time very Dyan Cannon-esque--to wit, no one else could have played them. She's by no means a favorite actress of mine, but, in these movies, I don't think anyone else could have played the roles so well. (Interesting how, in Deathtrap, her screaming-and-yelling, very annoying performance was considered "bad acting" by the Razzies. The fact is, that's the whole point of the character!)
BATouttaheck
I don't know how much of Deathtrap has been spoiled for you, but, as unfortunate as that is, I would still advise seeing it. It's a witty, clever little twister of a picture, with some grand sets in particular--I love the wall of weapons in Michael Caine's study! The central twist is by far the cleverest and most shocking, which is why Sleuth may be in some ways superior (it has far twists after its "first act"; Deathtrap does too, but they're not as ingenious as the first), but I have to say that I prefer Deathtrap for a large variety of reasons, some of them probably solely sentimental. Still, I would recommend it. Well-directed, IMO, by Lumet: he opens it up enough for cinematic necessity but not too much to change the play's fundamental features, and coaxes grand performances out of the whole cast (with the possible exception of Irene Worth, who's funny but whose playing is a bit too broad), particularly Christopher Reeve. (P.S. I hope The Last of Sheila hasn't been spoiled for you. Have you seen that?)
OldAussie
Obviously, Deathtrap (play and screenplay) was written in reaction to Sleuth (play and screenplay) and touches on many of the same themes. (In particular, one theme that is only implied in Sleuth is brought to the forefront in Deathtrap.) Just as Shaffer's play restricted itself with
Thanks for posting, guys!
teleadm
(Appointment went well, Teleadm--thanks for your best wishes.)
Interesting point you brought up about Dyan Cannon. To be perfectly honest, I'd say it was a coincidence that she was in both movies, but, hey, who knows? What I find most interesting is what Doghouse remarked upon before: how the two performances are quite different and at the same time very Dyan Cannon-esque--to wit, no one else could have played them. She's by no means a favorite actress of mine, but, in these movies, I don't think anyone else could have played the roles so well. (Interesting how, in Deathtrap, her screaming-and-yelling, very annoying performance was considered "bad acting" by the Razzies. The fact is, that's the whole point of the character!)
BATouttaheck
I don't know how much of Deathtrap has been spoiled for you, but, as unfortunate as that is, I would still advise seeing it. It's a witty, clever little twister of a picture, with some grand sets in particular--I love the wall of weapons in Michael Caine's study! The central twist is by far the cleverest and most shocking, which is why Sleuth may be in some ways superior (it has far twists after its "first act"; Deathtrap does too, but they're not as ingenious as the first), but I have to say that I prefer Deathtrap for a large variety of reasons, some of them probably solely sentimental. Still, I would recommend it. Well-directed, IMO, by Lumet: he opens it up enough for cinematic necessity but not too much to change the play's fundamental features, and coaxes grand performances out of the whole cast (with the possible exception of Irene Worth, who's funny but whose playing is a bit too broad), particularly Christopher Reeve. (P.S. I hope The Last of Sheila hasn't been spoiled for you. Have you seen that?)
OldAussie
Obviously, Deathtrap (play and screenplay) was written in reaction to Sleuth (play and screenplay) and touches on many of the same themes. (In particular, one theme that is only implied in Sleuth is brought to the forefront in Deathtrap.) Just as Shaffer's play restricted itself with
only two characters
(a bit of a spoiler), so does Levin's give that restriction another twist. There's an interesting duality here with the two, sharing the same genre but one written in reaction to another, that also recalls the relationship between Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (1959) and Richard Matheson's Hell House (1971). With all that said, I wouldn't call it "Sleuth-lite with a touch of Les Diaboliques." (In fact, I never realized its similarities to Les Diaboliques until Teleadm mentioned it; there are similar plot points, but I think they're done differently enough as not to become obvious, certainly not on first viewing.) In another words, while it fits in the same general genre as Sleuth (mystery, twisty thriller), and there is the similar plot aspect inasmuch asone character, who appears to be dead, is not actually dead
, it isn't quite the same, or the "lite" version. Rather, it has its own driving impetus and motivations, cleverly and differently done. To wit, I see the two works more as a dialogue than as a repetition.Thanks for posting, guys!