Post by lune7000 on Sept 11, 2021 17:16:54 GMT
After finishing Murder at the Gallop I realized that it was one of the last of it's breed in film- the murder mystery movie. This was a genre characterized by a focus on intellectual problem solving by a non-violent sleuth faced with a vast array of possibilities.
Now I am sure some here may point out mystery films that were made after the 60's- people love finding exceptions to a rule- but that is what they are, rare exceptions. Years ago there were dozens upon dozens of Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan's Thin Man type films and a good percentage of any studio's line-up had mystery films every year. That genre is pretty much dead today and a few films here and there don't change this.
Which leaves another mystery: who killed the mystery film?
Some suspects:
1. TV- Miss Marple migrated to broadcast decades after Margaret Rutherford laid down her magnifying glass so its a good suspect. But there is a problem: mystery TV shows themselves eventually vanished from the airwaves. And it doesn't explain why crime and sci fi, which also went to TV, continued to do well in film.
2. MTV- somewhat tongue in cheek here- but could the fall of the mystery be collateral damage resulting from the ever shortening attention span of viewers? Mysteries do require patience and memory.
3. Sex and violence: as restrictions on prohibited behaviors were ended, movies turned to the basic human temptations to view psychologically arousing scenes. Mysteries couldn't compete in a blood and porn world.
4. The youth culture: the rising dominance of the 10-30 year old demographic as filmgoers who generally have little interest in quiet intellectual problem solving. Eventually TV producers began to cater to the same group.
Who killed the mystery film?
Any clues or missing suspects?
Now I am sure some here may point out mystery films that were made after the 60's- people love finding exceptions to a rule- but that is what they are, rare exceptions. Years ago there were dozens upon dozens of Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan's Thin Man type films and a good percentage of any studio's line-up had mystery films every year. That genre is pretty much dead today and a few films here and there don't change this.
Which leaves another mystery: who killed the mystery film?
Some suspects:
1. TV- Miss Marple migrated to broadcast decades after Margaret Rutherford laid down her magnifying glass so its a good suspect. But there is a problem: mystery TV shows themselves eventually vanished from the airwaves. And it doesn't explain why crime and sci fi, which also went to TV, continued to do well in film.
2. MTV- somewhat tongue in cheek here- but could the fall of the mystery be collateral damage resulting from the ever shortening attention span of viewers? Mysteries do require patience and memory.
3. Sex and violence: as restrictions on prohibited behaviors were ended, movies turned to the basic human temptations to view psychologically arousing scenes. Mysteries couldn't compete in a blood and porn world.
4. The youth culture: the rising dominance of the 10-30 year old demographic as filmgoers who generally have little interest in quiet intellectual problem solving. Eventually TV producers began to cater to the same group.
Who killed the mystery film?
Any clues or missing suspects?