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I'd say the performances are a bit of a mixed bag. There are a couple of good performances, in particular from James Mason, Richard Benjamin and James Coburn. Mason as the understated, thoughtful film director, Benjamin as the film's core and Coburn as the flamboyant, self-satisfied orchestrator of it all. On the downside however Raquel Welch gives an extremely limited showing. From the little I know of her she seems to mostly be playing herself, and she still struggles! And faring only slightly better I felt was Ian McShane. Though the fact he is assigned probably the film's blandest character doesn't help.
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Year of release
1973
1973
Directed by
Herbert Ross
Herbert Ross
Written by
Stephen Sondheim
Anthony Perkins
Stephen Sondheim
Anthony Perkins
Starring
James Coburn
Richard Benjamin
Dyan Cannon
Joan Hackett
James Mason
Ian McShane
Raquel Welch
James Coburn
Richard Benjamin
Dyan Cannon
Joan Hackett
James Mason
Ian McShane
Raquel Welch
The Last of Sheila
Plot – At a party in Hollywood which is attended by numerous celebrities gossip columnist Sheila Greene is killed in a hit and run incident. The guilty party is never found. One year later her husband, famous movie producer Clinton Greene (Coburn) invites a group of six friends aboard his ship for a week long cruise. All of the invitees attended the party one year previously and include - actress Alice Wood (Welch), her talent manager/husband Anthony (McShane), talent agent Christine (Cannon), screenwriter Tom Parkman (Benjamin), Tom's wife Lee (Hackett) and film director Philip Dexter (Mason). Along with laying out his idea for a movie based on his wife's life, Clinton is a great lover of games and has devised a devious scavenger hunt for his friends to compete in; a hunt that will reveal a number of uncomfortable truths about the group. Very soon however the game becomes all too real, and all too deadly.
This murder mystery is quite quirky. Quite camp. And quite a lot of fun. It's a film that I actually found quite reminiscent of the previous year's Sleuth which I reviewed a while back; an elaborate tale of gamesmanship and parlour games, full of twists and turns they're both fun but with a dark edge. And while it concerns a group of friends, it doesn't seem that any of the actually likes anyone else.
It's not often that the writers of a film cause such interest for me. As the opening credits were rolling I saw the phrase 'written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins.' I immediately stopped the film to get on the web and check if these were the two same people I was aware of. And it is. This film was indeed written by one of the biggest stars of musical theatre, and Norman Bates himself. A surprising combination. Apparently the inspiration came from real life scavenger hunts that Sondheim and Perkins would host for their showbiz friends such as Lee Remick and George Segal.
The film certainly isn't the most cinematic to look at. Visually it is quite uninspired and very often it has the appearance of a TV movie, and in fact I could very easily picture it being a radio drama. Perhaps the only break away from this visual drudgery are the scenes at the monastery in the caverns, which do have quite an atmospheric bent to them. Other nitpicks which may hurt people's possible enjoyment of this include the series of extremely unlikeable characters who we only get to know on very shallow terms, and the fact that it is commonly exceptionally talky.
Film trivia – Despite being filmed just off Cannes it didn't prove to be an overly pleasant shoot. While shooting the monastery sequence the shoot was disrupted by gale force winds and rain, which left Raquel Welch reticent to leave her Venice hotel. And to top things off filming of the café scene was disrupted by the anti-Semitic terrorist group, Black September. They informed police that they had left a bomb near the set which they would detonate unless everyone left. With help from the local police the shoot went ahead as it seemed to eventually turn out to be a hoax.
However where the film truly excels is in its central mystery. At no point did I ever know what was going on, or what was coming next; always a huge plus for a film of this nature. And anyone who says they had it all figured out on their first viewing is a much smarter person than I. Or more likely they're lying! 
It's certainly not fit for a casual watch, you really have to pay attention if you are to follow all of the twists, turns, sly clues and discount the numerous red herrings. And even then you may not pick up on everything. In fact I perhaps shouldn't be giving the film a review based on just one viewing, as I can see how the film might require a repeat viewing, and will hopefully reward upon it.
It's certainly not fit for a casual watch, you really have to pay attention if you are to follow all of the twists, turns, sly clues and discount the numerous red herrings. And even then you may not pick up on everything. In fact I perhaps shouldn't be giving the film a review based on just one viewing, as I can see how the film might require a repeat viewing, and will hopefully reward upon it.It's a film that very much takes place in the world of Hollywood. The characters talk in a very knowing 'movie way', sounding like dialogue, and dissect the words and actions of others in the same way; saying what they would do or mean were it written in a screenplay. It's also quite a brutal and scathing indictment of Hollywood and its values. To start with none of the characters are at all likeable; all slimy backstabbers (and that's before we even learn of their dark secrets). And then if we were left in any doubt about their low morals the extremely cynical finale comes along. By film's end we know what has happened, who is guilty, and yet the group come to the decision to keep the truth between themselves so that they can still make the film of Sheila's life. The only punishment the guilty shall suffer is smaller, less distinguished roles in the production. God bless Hollywood! And the ending is milked for all its worth by playing Bette Midler's “Friends” over the closing credits.
And the ending is milked for all its worth by playing Bette Midler's “Friends” over the closing credits. Conclusion – While the direction and some of the acting may leave a little to be desired, the puzzle that Sondheim and Perkins constructed ensures that this remained a rather enthralling and compelling mystery which demands a repeat viewing.