Sleuth (1972)

Calificación de los usuarios:

8.2/10   

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Escritores:

Anthony Shaffer (play)
Anthony Shaffer (screenplay)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

10 diciembre 1972 (USA)

Género:

Misterio | Suspenso

Frase comercial:

If it was murder, where's the body? [original movie poster]

Plot:

A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.

Plot Keywords:

Game | Jewelry | Lover | Insurance | Battle Of Wits

Premios:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

A brilliantly twisty mystery.

Reparto

Laurence Olivier	...	Andrew Wyke
Michael Caine	...	Milo Tindle
Alec Cawthorne	...	Inspector Doppler
John Matthews	...	Detective Sergeant Tarrant
Eve Channing	...	Marguerite Wyke
Teddy Martin	...	Police Constable Higgs

También conocida como:

La huella (Spain) [es]

Duración:

138 min

País:

UK

Idioma:

Inglés | Italiano

Color:

Color

Relación de Aspecto:

1.85 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Clasificación:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:16 | UK:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Sweden:15 | UK:AA | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Locaciones de Filmación:

Athelhampton House, Athelhampton, Dorset, England, UK

Compañía:

Palomar Pictures

Trivialidades:

The Edgar Allan Poe award on Andrew Wyke's mantel is actually the one given to Anthony Shaffer for his play "Sleuth". Joseph L. Mankiewicz also won an Edgar for the movie 5 Fingers (1952).

Errores:

Continuidad: In the snooker game, after Andrew pots the black for the first time, it is clearly seen to be on its spot before Milo takes it from the pocket and re-spots it.

Citas:

Andrew Wyke: [picking out a possible disguise for the phony robbery] One black facemask, one black flat cap, a striped jersey and a bag marked "Swag".
Milo Tindle: Why not a neon sign with "Burglar" on it?

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in The Story of 'Frenzy' (2001) (V)

Banda de Sonido:

Just one of these things

A brilliantly twisty mystery.

My parents saw "Sleuth" on Broadway, during its original run, just a year or so before this film was released. Watching the movie I can see how it would make a good play, but by the same token, it is not a translation that feels slow, or wordy, or unsuited to the screen. The adaptation is excellent, without "opening up" the play too much. If you're a fan of mysteries, you'll be intrigued by the performances and the script. Joseph Mankiewicz's direction isn't terribly flashy, but subtle and well-done.

Laurence Olivier stars as Andrew Wyke, a famous mystery novel writer. Milo Tindle (Michael Cane), comes to visit him one weekend; asking for Andrew's wife's hand in marriage. But things aren't as simple as they first appear. Andrew wants something in return from Milo. And then again, maybe he doesn't.

The film unfolds slowly and patiently; you almost feel like the film's sentient and realizes how juicy its secrets are, holding on to them for as long as possible. There are numerous twists and surprises in the film; and even if you see one or two coming (as I did), don't expect to get it all right until it's over. It's best not to know at all what is going to happen, so I'll leave you with no more clues.

I enjoyed nearly every moment after the initial meeting between Milo and Andrew. Once Cane and Olivier really get going in their scenes, the film never looks back. They are exceptional in their performances, and deservedly earned nominations for Best Actor Oscars.

So who wins? Does anyone win? Is it a game with a winner at all? Oh just go rent it already!