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Thee Last of Sheila
An insane, Oscar-worthy screenplay and a fabulous ensemble cast are the key components to 1973's The Last of Sheila, a deliciously complex murder mystery that offers multiple mysteries for the viewer to solve, throwing red herrings in the viewers' faces every step of the way..
Clinton (James Coburn) is an eccentric and wealthy Hollywood bigshot whose young trophy wife, Sheila, was killed by a hit and run driver two years ago. Clinton has announced that he's going to make a film about Sheila and then sends invitations to six friends ito spend a week on his yacht in the south of France, where they will participate in a scavenger hunt-type game, which is, of course, Clinton's way of trying to figure which of these people killed Sheila.
The guests are Tom (Richard Benjamin) a screenwriter and his insanely wealthy wife, Lee (Joan Hackett); an agent named Christine (Dyan Cannon); a formerly acclaimed movie director who now directs commercials named Phillip (James Mason), a beautiful actress named Alice (Raquel Welch), who Clinton wants to play Sheila in his movie, and Alice's boyfriend/manager (Ian McShane).
This wonderful story was actually created by novices to the art of screenwriting: Anthony Perkins and Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim, who knock it out of the park, creating a story that seems to be setting up a standard mystery, but before the beginning of the final act, three more mysteries bubble to the surface. Of the four mysteries presented during the course of the movie, this reviewer was only able to guess one correctly by the time the credits rolled.
This is another one of those movies like The Sting, ironically released the same year, that requires complete attention and if you miss five minutes of the film anywhere during the running time, you will be confused. Herbert Ross provides one of his strongest directorial efforts here because it does what it's supposed to and that's serve the ridiculously clever story by Perkins and Sondheim. The cast provide identical service to the story, with standout work from Coburn, Cannon, and Hackett. Lovely on location photography and some solid editing are the frosting on this cinematic cake.
An insane, Oscar-worthy screenplay and a fabulous ensemble cast are the key components to 1973's The Last of Sheila, a deliciously complex murder mystery that offers multiple mysteries for the viewer to solve, throwing red herrings in the viewers' faces every step of the way..
Clinton (James Coburn) is an eccentric and wealthy Hollywood bigshot whose young trophy wife, Sheila, was killed by a hit and run driver two years ago. Clinton has announced that he's going to make a film about Sheila and then sends invitations to six friends ito spend a week on his yacht in the south of France, where they will participate in a scavenger hunt-type game, which is, of course, Clinton's way of trying to figure which of these people killed Sheila.
The guests are Tom (Richard Benjamin) a screenwriter and his insanely wealthy wife, Lee (Joan Hackett); an agent named Christine (Dyan Cannon); a formerly acclaimed movie director who now directs commercials named Phillip (James Mason), a beautiful actress named Alice (Raquel Welch), who Clinton wants to play Sheila in his movie, and Alice's boyfriend/manager (Ian McShane).
This wonderful story was actually created by novices to the art of screenwriting: Anthony Perkins and Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim, who knock it out of the park, creating a story that seems to be setting up a standard mystery, but before the beginning of the final act, three more mysteries bubble to the surface. Of the four mysteries presented during the course of the movie, this reviewer was only able to guess one correctly by the time the credits rolled.
This is another one of those movies like The Sting, ironically released the same year, that requires complete attention and if you miss five minutes of the film anywhere during the running time, you will be confused. Herbert Ross provides one of his strongest directorial efforts here because it does what it's supposed to and that's serve the ridiculously clever story by Perkins and Sondheim. The cast provide identical service to the story, with standout work from Coburn, Cannon, and Hackett. Lovely on location photography and some solid editing are the frosting on this cinematic cake.