HUMOR?? - Murder by Death (1976) Discussion

[–] who-dey 17 years ago

You will definitely have to watch the whole movie. I am a big fan of this movie and of Clue. The humor in this movie is not as blatant as the humor in Clue (that is just my own opinion of course).

I suggest that you watch from the beginning instead of picking up where you left off. Then after you have watched it please get back on the message board and let me know what you think of it.

I am sure that once you give it the proper chance that it deserves you will be as hooked as the rest of us.

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[–] mindybiz 17 years ago

Yes I will finish watching soon. I am actually curious about it. I do however find Peter Sellers very amusing. I just thought it was a little "off". I suppose that is "camp" humor. I'll be back................

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[–] floridagirl47 12 years ago

Yours is an old post, but I have to say I agree with you. The humor is very dry and very subtle, but I thought it was hilarious the first time I saw it and just as funny watching it again tonight. I have seen this film several times... It is not a movie you can watch while doing something else... you have to give it full attention. Peter Sellers is the standout and Alec Guinness is especially funny in a different sort of part for him. My daughter and I still yell out, "Use your pronouns, dammit," as Truman Capote constantly corrected Sellers. Now you have piqued my interest... I will have to see Clue and compare....

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[–] uvl 11 years ago

floridagirl47 said: "It is not a movie you can watch while doing something else... " Really? Really?? This implies that you sometimes watch movies while doing other things. Frustrates me that so many folks these days use movies and music as background noise for other activities.

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[–] floridagirl47 11 years ago

You automatically jumped to that conclusion... no big surprise "these days." People are quick to judge and attack. I don't half-watch movies, but I know people that do, and it frustrates me too, especially when they didn't like a movie but weren't really paying attention. I made that statement to warn others... I thought that was obvious....

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[–] trampfan 17 years ago

This movie is one of my all time faves. The humor is dry and requires a little off mind. If you like Airplane and naked Gun, you may like it. If not, try a little mindless humor like Larry The cable Guy. Maybe more your speed.

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[–] mindybiz 17 years ago

Sorry, not more my speed. Not typically my type of movie but I purchased it because it had great review and an all star cast.

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[–] bryanthatiscalledbryan 17 years ago

"I'm not gay, i never did anythinhg to a man that I wouldn't do to a woman", now that's comedy.

There, their, they're do YOU understand the difference?

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[–] VirginOnPromNight 11 years ago

u went in with high expectations. u were finding reasons to not like it. point blank. this movie is very good.

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[–] jnic7594 11 years ago

Good grief. What the heck is wrong with you people that you don't understand what a difference of opinion is? One of you says those that don't like this should stoop to Larry the Cable Guy (in other words those that don't like it are idiots), then you assume someone that doesn't like it is just looking for a reason not to like it. We ALL have different tastes, and yes, this is a different type of comedy that doesn't appeal to everyone. I went into it excited to watch it...wasn't looking for any reason not to like it. I thought it had a great cast and sounded good from the reviews I read. I still didn't care for it. Was it horrible? No...just not my type of film. Sheesh people.

"The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that's wrong with the world."

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[–] onepotato2 15 years ago

This movie is one of my all time faves. The humor is dry and requires a little off mind.

by - trampfan on Sun Mar 11 2007 21:43:38
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No, the humor is puerile and obvious. Seven-year-old boys would groan over these knee-slappers.

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[–] baran_erik 9 years ago

My, aren't you an as hol.

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[–] unstrung-harp 17 years ago

I suppose the things that were supposed to be funny to the audience I just thought were stupid. An example would be when the one couple is being shown their room and the butler says something about a fire burning in their room and when they open their door there is a fire in the middle of their bed. Thats a little odd to me.

"At least bed will be warm." Come on, you didn't like that?

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[–] jacqi3 16 years ago

Haha! I love this movie. I have to admit though it's a little before my time with the jokes but still I get them! I watched it with my mum and thought it was brilliant.

Not all movies appeal to everyone, I guess this is one that some of us younger generations just don't get or like. *shrug*

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[–] floridagirl47 11 years ago

The butler was blind!

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[–] gabriel7 17 years ago

The humor in this scene, Mindybiz, is that a blind man has no business building a fire, as he might build the fire in the wrong place - like on top of the bed instead of the fireplace.

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[–] who-dey 17 years ago

I always wondered how the letters got to the intended person....he stamped the table. :) I knew I was going to love this movie when the first scene had me cracking up. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this movie.

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[–] who-dey 17 years ago

I just purchased this movie off of ebay....I am a little disappointed over the lack of bonus material. The only thing it has is a little commentary by Neil Simon. I would have liked to have seen deleted scenes or some bloopers or even a few comments from the actors.

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[–] Tipop_Williams 17 years ago

Well, often with an older movie they don't HAVE a lot of extra material laying around.

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[–] APeters211 17 years ago

"SHUT JAPANESE MOUTH!" f-in priceless

"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."

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[–] alfiee 17 years ago

I first saw this movie on HBO in the late 70's and even today, I still don't get tired of watching it. The "humor" in the movie is the absurity of the plot itself and watching this group of master detectives try and outdo each
other to solve the mystery. It has all the elements of a "whodunit" book
and with so many possible plot twists, one never can actually be sure of what
is going on. Peter Sellers, in my view, really was the star of this movie
even though all of the others were up there as well.

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[–] favourite_martian 17 years ago

Mindybiz...I am in 100% agreement with you...i rented the movie after reading great reviews...but its completely bogus...frankly the first scene in which the blind butler pastes stamps on the table instead of putting them on the envelopes set the tones for the banality that this movie embodies...then there is this bad French accent done by Mr. Perrier...bad bad bad chinese accent...everything is stereotyped...and pretty badly...I saw only the first 20 minutes and was so disgusted by the superfaciality that decided not to proceed any further...

Fortement Déconseillé...

cheers
Ahmad

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[–] who-dey 17 years ago

Do you enjoy comedy movies at all? just wondering...

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[–] favourite_martian 17 years ago

I do speak french and live an France and listen to genuine French accent all day long(I am not French)...and this phoney accent by Perrier is not at all pleasing...many actors do the French accent in such a delightful way that it becomes the highlight of the movie...for example in Annie Hall...this unknown actor just says a line (pointing towards his pen*s)..."What (am I gonna do)do I do with this, chérie?" and even the french were rolling with laughter...but such a sterotypical production with great names as Alec Guiness, MAggie Smith, Sellers etc...reduced to a third rate theatrical...that was really unbearable...

Ahmad

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[–] leonidasi 17 years ago

"Do you enjoy comedy movies at all? just wondering..."

I guess the answer is NO.

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[–] j_w_pepper 17 years ago

...that was really unbearable...

Now I'm not saying everybody has to love this movie and its humour, which does take getting used to, though I do. However, it seems obvious to me that this is really *meant* to be a phony French accent -- just the type of "funny" French accent that they usually show in the type of movies that this film is spoofing. Likewise, Peter Sellers' accent is not intended to be a true Chinese accent, but the kind of accent that Hollywood producers think people would expect from a cartoon-character "Chinaman" speaking English. In objecting to the accent being fake, you are overlooking the fact that this is done on purpose, which is to expose the shallowness of Hollywood's way of dealing with non-native English speakers and running them just for laughs.

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[–] Stink_Face 15 years ago

j_w_pepper - You shouldn't even HAVE to explain points like this to Martian guy above, they're obviously lacking in the necesary faculties to understand simple notions like this by themselves.

Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular.

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[–] TheGuyWithTheFeet 11 years ago

but such a sterotypical production with great names as Alec Guiness, MAggie Smith, Sellers etc...reduced to a third rate theatrical...that was really unbearable...

Yeah, a script by Neil Simon. How could they cast these legends in a movie with a script written by such a hack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Simon#Awards

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[–] baran_erik 9 years ago

It's not exposing anything, but spoofing it.

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[–] Stink_Face 15 years ago

Wow, must be great fun TRYING to be so controversial, favourite_martian.

Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular.

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[–] steveusa-1 9 years ago

Did you watch the movie, oh, French accent expert? The character Perrier is BELGIAN, not French.

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[–] lasums 9 years ago

OMG - that made me LOL!! You made my day!

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[–] Jimmy-128 9 years ago

And yet, he later tells someone "never underestimate a Frenchman's nose!" 

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[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] oddball_oddity-1 16 years ago

In terms of everything being stereotyped... you do realize this movie was taking pre-existing detective archtypes and pitting them together in a spoof... right?

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[–] Frumious_Bandersnatch_46 11 years ago

Depending on your age, you may not have realized that most of the characters are spoofs of movie detectives from the 1930s and 40s. If you're not familiar with any of these characters, you'll miss much of the humor.

All of the detectives in the film are parodies of the work of three authors: Dashiell Hammett, whose Nick Charles and Sam Spade were the basis for Dick Charleston and Sam Diamond, respectively; Agatha Christie, whose Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple inspired Milo Perrier and Miss Marbles; Earl Derr Biggers Charlie Chan was the basis for Inspector Sidney Wang and his son.

In Diabolical Order:
Lionel Twain Truman Capote
Wealthy, Eccentric, Frustrated author

Jamessir Bensonmum Sir Alec Guinness
The blind butler

Yetta Nancy Walker
The deaf-mute maid

Dick Charleston David Niven
Detective à la Nick Charles

Dora Charleston Dame Maggie Smith
His wife à la Nora Charles

Inspector Sidney Wang Peter Sellers
Detective à la Charlie Chan

Willie Wang Patrick Narita
Number Three Son, adopted, Japanese

Milo Perrier James Coco
Detective à la Hercule Poirot

Marcel James Cromwell
Perrier's “chauffeur and companion”

Sam Diamond Peter Falk
Detective à la Sam Spade

Miss Tess Skeffington Eileen Brennan
Spade's “secretary and mistress”

Miss Jessica Marbles Elsa Lanchester
Detective à la Miss Jane Marple

Mrs. Withers Estelle Winwood
Miss Marbles' nurseNote that, in the tradition of the old "Charlie Chan" films, Sidney Wang is played by a Caucasian actor.

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[–] baran_erik 9 years ago

"...and was so disgusted by the superfaciality that decided not to proceed any further..."

Use your pronouns, dammit, you pseudo intellectual horses as_.

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[–] madkaugh 17 years ago

Murder by Death spoofs movies and characters which are no longer common currency in our culture. You pretty much would have had to have grown up with a steady diet of late night movies that were originally done in the 30s and 40s and mystery novels to appreciate the humor, as most of the audience would have when Murder by Death was released.

MadKaugh

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[–] DBloodnok 17 years ago

"Sam, why do you keep all those naked musclemen magazines in your office?"
"Suspects, always looking for suspects."

And therein lies the parody - the hardnosed gumshoe being depicted as getting his kicks from Charles Atlas types. I think the movie does appeal to any of us who love that genre of titular detective driven murder mysteries. It does bear a few viewings (many in fact), so to the OP - stick with it, hopefully it'll touch your funny bone soon enough! If not, what the heck - at least you're not one of those posters who attacks movies loved by others.

PS - whenever I watch any of 'The Thin Man' movies now, I can't get Dick and Dora out of my head!

"Someone has been tampering with Hank's memories."

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[–] alanr4447a 11 years ago

Now try to watch the scene in Gone With the Wind when Scarlett makes a dress out of some draperies, and goes to see Rhett. Imagine if he were to praise her "dress", and what her response would be...

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[–] d-letta-1 15 years ago

HUMOR?...what humor? it's not necessary to refer to 30's and 40's films, or to explain the sub-teenage efforts at wit...this film was a bomb! I've never seen a film that purports to be a comedy-spoof that was as un funny as this piece of crap. Every "joke" falls flat, every actor seems to be saying "what am I doing in this dismal mess?"...even Peter Sellers, perhaps the one true comedic actor in the lot sold his rights back to Ray Stark because he thought it would die on release. That it didn't says so much about the low expecataions of the American Audience. Give 'em anything, tell 'em it's a comedy, and they'll laugh their heads off. This film is an embarassment to the industry and the people who know comedy when it's there.

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[–] Mandrakegray 13 years ago

Wow. Prone to overstatement, aren't we d-letta-1?

"This film is an embarrassment to the industry and the people who know comedy."

Not only that... but a lazy, generalization of the "American Audience" thrown in for good measure as well?

Yawn. Go troll elsewhere d-letta, and cling to your contrarian opinion there.

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[–] Blu765 11 years ago

...even Peter Sellers, perhaps the one true comedic actor in the lot...

Sir Alec Guinness was the master of the Black Comedy (The Ladykillers, Our Man in Havana, Last Holiday, Kind Hearts and Cornets, The Man in the White Suit, etc.)

He may have made some serious films in his career, but he is well known for his dark comedies -- although a few are so dark, some people don't consider them as comedies, but they are.

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[–] alanr4447a 11 years ago

Is it true that Peter Sellers "sold his rights back...because he thought it would die on release"? ...which it did not...

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[–] sliptdisk 17 years ago

Mindy, Mindy, Mindy ... you are so lost, my poor child. I think the reason you couldn't really get into this movie is, perhaps, because you're not a particularly big fan of the classic murder mystery genre, to begin with. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but, anyone who's ever read an Agatha Christie novel, for example, would laugh their you-know-what off, watching this movie. That would equally apply to fans of Sam Spade movies, Charlie Chan, Sherlock Holmes, and a million others. Hit the "Plot keywords" link, and you could spend days surfing the cross-references.

Of course, you didn't get the joke about the blind butler building the fire on the bed, instead of the fireplace, so it could mean that you have a hard time with the sheer, wall-to-wall silliness of the whole thing. It's not supposed to make sense. It's kinda like Airplane!, but more subtle. It doesn't quite hit you over the head with the silliness in the same way that movie does.

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