Who murdered the mystery movie?

Who murdered the mystery movie? Sept 14, 2021 2:32:07 GMT

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Post by Salzmank on Sept 14, 2021 2:32:07 GMT

Sept 13, 2021 22:14:04 GMT lune7000 said:

There is a reason that I referenced Mrs. Marple, Holmes and Chan in my original post- they were examples of the intellectually focused mystery films of the past. As I stated in the OP, these were "intellectual" problems solved by "non-violent" sleuths. The viewer relaxed into an experience that was principally detached- as in solving a crossword.

The reason that I made this distinction is that the element of mystery is in every movie so it's not hard to argue any movie as being a mystery. Salzmank is right to include Monk but many of the other references involve high levels of emotionalism, violence, sex, or fear.

And when one thinks about it, Murder She Wrote, Monk, Masterpiece Theatre series, Murder She Baked (a Hallmark series) etc. is a pretty meager offering given the number of channels on TV the last 40 years. Mystery used to be a mainstay of a studio's lineup for any year- these were often cheaply made movies but they were regularly made- today it is sporadic output (to be charitable) and most of the current mysteries have no relation at all to the peaceful sleuthing of past years (the Robert Downey version of Sherlock Holmes shows how much the original formula has been altered beyond recognition).

That was sort of my point, though (or at least the point I tried to express): The solely “intellectual” problem solved by a solely “nonviolent” sleuth doesn’t really exist, or at least is only a very small portion of a larger genre.

Take Murder at the Gallop, for example: It features a guy who’s locked in a stall and trampled to death by a horse. Seems thrilleresque, no? Or take the Downey Sherlock Holmes. I don’t like all the changes made for those movies, but Doyle in his time was writing what were considered thriller stories—with hellhounds, action-packed climaxes (complete with imaginary martial arts) on waterfalls, and trained snakes that slide down bell ropes to attack virtuous maidens.

I don’t mean that to be sarcastic; the more I learn about the genre, though, the more I think some mystery fans’ idealization of a story without, as you put it, emotionalism, violence, sex, or fear—some cold lesson in abstract logic, with all the human interest of a cryptic crossword—never existed. Even if it did, it doesn’t sound like anything I personally would like to read or watch.

In other words, I can’t think of any movie—though maybe I’m misunderstanding something—that satisfies your criteria. Certainly ’30s and ’40s mysteries are full of adventure, thriller, and horror elements—Charlie Chan without a doubt (curses in CC in Egypt! Boris Karloff as an escaped lunatic in CC at the Opera! Psychics and serial killings in CC at Treasure Island!).