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The Alphabet Murders
Score: 80%
Rating: Not Rated
Publisher: Warner Brothers Home
                  Entertainment

Region: 1
Media: DVD/1
Running Time: 90 Mins.
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Comedy
Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo

Famed mystery writer Agatha Christie's novel The A.B.C. Murders was adapted into Metro-Goldwyn Mayer's movie entitled The Alphabet Murders released respectively in the U.K. in 1965, and in the U.S. in 1966, starring famed comedian Tony Randall (Pillow Talk) as Belgium sleuth Hercule Poirot, with Swedish sex symbol Anita Ekberg (Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita), and British actor Robert Morley (The African Queen) as Scotland Yard's inspector sent to protect Poirot, whose life has been threatened by a serial killer who uses the alphabet to choose his victims.

Satirist director Frank Tashlin molds this movie into an amusing British detective spoof with Randall overplaying perfectionist Poirot's idiosyncrasies as he navigates through facts and clues in an effort to avoid another murder and solve the mystery of the ABC killer. Ekberg is beautiful and seductive as Poirot investigates her manipulating therapist whose initials of "D.D." could put him in position as the next killer's alphabetical victim.

Christie's Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford) and her husband, Mr. Stringer (Stringer Davis) of the Miss Marple movie series make a brief cameo couple appearance on a London street where Poirot is using his "leetle grey cells" to evaluate the suspenseful goings-on. Rutherford surprisingly responds to his query with the comment, "It's as simple as ABC."

The Alphabet Murders is a light-hearted, fun-loving comedy done in the tradition of The Pink Panther movies and not meant to be compared with the seriousness of Dame Christie's intense murder mysteries. Randall's rendition of the Belgian detective does not compare with ranks of Charles Laughton, Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, David Suchet, or other notables who have interpreted the role of Poirot, but Randall's role is nevertheless amusing and entertaining.

Having been made in the 60's, The Alphabet Murders has all the style, flavor and fashion of that era: poofed hairdos, short skirts, and dramatic eye make-up. It was great fun visiting that time, with the capricious antics of the detectives and police. There are no subtitles or features, but the movie is delightful and is only available as a Manufacture-on-Demand title from Warner Archives at the WBShop (link below).

Although The Alphabet Murders is not one of Christie's obscure and puzzling who-done-its, this DVD will complement your library and is a great departure for an entertaining evening of wacky mystery viewing.



-Kambur O. Blythe, GameVortex Communications
AKA Jan Daniel
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