Rating: 
Summary: All the best detectives under one spoof.
Review: What do you mean spoof? This is a real mystery. You are invites to join in and out guess all the famous detectives played by famous actors. I will not go through the whole list of actors and whom they play. However they have carefully chosen names and personalities of your favorite 1930s and 1940s detectives. Murder runs rampant. Who or what is doing this? Why? Can it be stopped before it is too late? If you are good at detective movies you should be able to figure this out. This is a very punny movie.
Rating: 
Summary: The Year of the Cat
Review: Some folks asked me, "Which came first: 'Murder By Death' or 'Clue'?" Well, my answer was very simple: "Murder By Death." Murder By Death, release by Columbia Pictures in 1976 proved to be one of the most twisted, bizzare mystery films of that time. The most hilarious of the roles was, of course, Inspector Wang, played by Peter Sellers. Then you have Alec Guiness, playing "The Blind Butler" even before he was Obi Won Kenobi in 1977. Truman Capote proved once more to be as feminine in his movies as he always was in real life. And even the "Deaf Maid" continued to use "Bounty" even after this movie. So, the more you start to recognize the actors and actresses of this movie, who were not as yet popular, with the xception of Peter Faulk, who had already been playing "Columbo" at the time, this film is definately one for the history books!
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: Perhaps the most classic, comedy masterpiece ever made. Peter Sellers is a riot and the supporting cast is no joke. The one liners as well as the story leaves the viewer wanting more and needing to watch it over and over.
A must have for the classic movie collector.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Classic Comedy Sets the Standard
Review: A favorite movie since I was a child, I was thrilled to finally have this movie on DVD. Featuring excellent performances by classic actors at the top of their craft, the smart dialog, and amazingly detailed hilarious sequences are all performed effortlessly by such giants as Maggie Smith, Peter Falk, Eileen Brannan, James Coco and Peter Sellers, amongst others. A classic must-have for anyone who loves excellent comedy (and while I love the movie CLUE as well, they obviously had seen this one first and the original is better! ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Super Sleuths on trial
Review: Did you ever notice that many mystery novels are really unsolvable because they don't reveal the most necessary clues until the last three pages (or not at all)? Playwright and Screenwriter Neil Simon (THE GOODBYE GIRL) surely noticed this and he takes revenge on our behalf. He invites caricatures of these super-sleuths to a murder mystery party with a challenge to solve the murder of a wealthy eccentric portrayed by Truman Capote. The mansion is filled with all that can be expected, from secret passages, rainy weather and a suspicious butler played by soft-spoken Alec Guinness. Scattered throughout is the quick humor of Neil Simon. The all-star cast includes David Niven and Maggie Smith as a NICK AND NORA like couple. James Coco is a HERCULE POIROT-like detective with a young James Cromwell (BABE) as his assistant. Peter Sellers makes a CHARLIE CHAN-esque appearance. Elsa Lanchester Brennan is a MISS MARPLE like sleuth and Peter Falk makes a fun spin on SAM SPADE with Eileen Brennan at his side. Nancy Walker portrays the house chef. The mystery takes second seat to the comedy;... But, this film is all about laughter. Followed up by a sequel, THE CHEAP DETECTIVE.
Rating:
Summary: WARNING: MISSING SCENE ON VHS CONFIRMED
Review: Everything great about this movie has already been said so I don't need to repeat it here. As my favorite movie ever, I've seen it literally a few hundred times and have become one of those people that annoyingly say the lines right before the great actors deliver them. Now, about that missing scene: I don't know about the DVD version, I haven't seen it, but as far as the video goes, it is missing a great scene at the end where all the detectives are leaving the Twain mansion. In this scene, Wang's car is in the front, and stops at another car approaching from the other direction. This car has none other than Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in a cameo! Watson asks for directions to Twain's mansion, which Wang gives him. Adopted son Willie asks "Gee pop, why didn't you tell him it was a rip off?" Wang responds with a grin: "Let idiots find out for themselves." This scene was included on the TV broadcast version from maybe 20 years ago or so (bad print but the scene is included). Why it is deleted from the video is a mystery to me and is unfortunate for fellow fans of this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Hysterical.
Review: This is my favorite comedy of all time. Everyone knows Caddyshack, but people who've discovered Murder By Death will usually tell you this one is funnier. An unbeatable cast and visually its a film that rivals the mysteries its spoofing. Smart and silly at the same time and I admit its probably not the best comedy to watch with a large group, but that's mainly because most of the comedy is verbal. The dialogue is snappy and is best watched without distraction (at least the first time). But then it'll be a comedy you'll never forget and one you'll be constantly trying to convince people they have to see.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE FUNNIEST MOVIES EVER!!!
Review: I remember watching this movie as a child and it absolutly terrified me. The dark setting; the maid who was unable to speak or hear; the murders; these were all so much for a young girl to handle. However, when I was away at college and since we were unable to afford cable my roommates and I would occasionally buy videos and watch them over and over and over... When I found a copy of Murder By Death for sale I thought of this as an opportunity to overcome the scarring this film had left me with as a child. We went home and popped the video in the VCR and for the next 94 minutes we laughed until we cried. I absolutly loved this movie!
The casting was excellent! I couldn't imagine anyone else but those incredibly talented actors/actresses playing the richly developed characters. The setting was well done and the script is hilarious!!! By today's standards some of the jokes/lines can be considered to be very politically incorrect and the idea of a caucasian (Sellers)portraying an Asian would probably receive much protest. But considering the time the film was made this is not an issue for me personally (I'm part Asian). The set is beautiful and yet haunting and the costuming is wonderful. I dream of having a beautiful dress like the one worn by Dora Charleston (portrayed by the incredibly talented Maggie Smith).
I can honestly say that I watch this movie at least once a week and I know this film so well I can almost follow the dialogue line by line when watching it. I was so happy when it was finally released on DVD and I appreciate all of the little extras found on the DVD but I really would have enjoyed a Dirctor's Commentary to follow along with the movie. Overall I highly recommend this movie for anyone in need of a very good laugh.
Rating:
Summary: Finally on DVD
Review: I was so happy when I discovered this movie had been released on DVD. I saw it a long time ago and I remembered it being one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. It did not disappoint. While it is true that the ending is confusing, and the plot may not be all that original or make any sense, what makes this movie great is the almost constant string of one-liners delivered perfectly by the all-star cast. Much has been made (rightly so) of the phenomenal performances of Maggie Smith, David Niven, Peter Sellers, and Peter Falk, but in my opinion the greatest movie moment comes from the octogenarian Estelle Winwood (incidentally, Tallulah Bankhead's lover) when something is revealed about Miss Marbles and Lionel Twain. It's a classic.
Rating:
Summary: It's Still Funny After All These Years...
Review: The humor and the movie have both held up very well given its age, and Thank God they finally released it on DVD. It's a classic sendup to all of the early detectives from both Books and Movies. To those familiar with all of the characters, it will provide hoots of laughter. To those who simply don't know who Charlie Chan or Truman Capote are (or the other characters), well, it may seem over the top. My one main complaint is WHY did the DVD (and the VHS) cut one of the funniest scenes at the end of the movie when Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson show up late for the party/murder??? It would be interesting to know the reason for the deletion as the scene was certainly worth keeping intact within the ending of the movie.
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