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Absolutely Fantastic

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Released in 1963, "The List of Adrian Messenger" was marketed with a gimmick; the cast included five top box office stars, who were disguised with heavy makeup, and the audience was challenged to guess who was who. Although the gimmick has faded in the half century since release, the tight, well-directed mystery at the film's core survives.An aristocratic writer named Adrian Messenger gives a typed list of 10 names to his friend, George C. Scott, and, without disclosing why, asks him to investigate whether or not these 10 men are still living at the addresses written beside their names. When Messenger soon perishes in a mysterious plane crash, Scott pursues the investigation and discovers that six of the men on the list have already died accidentally. The film follows Scott as he seeks to determine the connection between the men on the list, their suspicious deaths, and the motive for the apparent serial murders.Well written by Anthony Veiller from a story by Philip MacDonald, the engrossing film treads familiar Agatha Christie territory, but is solid entertainment in its own right. While not among John Huston's most famous films, "The List of Adrian Messenger" is a well directed work, enhanced by an appropriately eerie score by Jerry Goldsmith. Wisely the film was lensed in black and white by Joe MacDonald, which makes the often heavy, and some times obvious, makeup by Bud Westmore more convincing. The five now-legendary stars under the false noses, hair pieces, and rubber faces are Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, and Frank Sinatra; a couple are easy to identify behind the make-up, while others more difficult. George C. Scott, however, is the film's star and central character, and he is ably supported by the elegant Dana Wynter, as well as Clive Brook, Gladys Cooper, and Herbert Marshall.Marketing ploys come and go; some fail, others succeed. While "The List of Adrian Messenger" is a quality film that could stand on its own merits, the producers at the time felt the movie needed a boost to stand out at the box-office. Although still fun, the masquerade of five stars is little more than a curiosity and distraction today; however, the underlying mystery is sharp, well crafted, vastly entertaining, and more enduring than the film's advertising campaign.

John Merivale, in the title role, has a very useful friend in George C. Scott. He's a retired British agent with an incredibly sharp mind, so when John hands George a list of ten names asking him to "find out if they're still living at those addresses", George knows there's a deeper meaning behind the list. When John is killed in an airplane bombing, George recruits Jacques Roux and Dana Wynter to help in solving the mystery. And what a mystery! Several times while watching The List of Adrian Messenger, I said, "I'm glad I'm not watching this alone!" It was so spooky, I made sure to leave all the lights on in the house when I went to bed that night. The plot moves very quickly, so you'll have to keep up—or press pause and discuss it with your friends. It's spooky, thrilling, suspenseful, and a great addition to your Halloween movie line-up this year.The greatest tragedy of the film is the lack of a Best Makeup Oscar awarded to it. There was no such Oscar at that time, an error only rectified the year after The Elephant Man went unrewarded. Bud Westmore created such incredible makeup designs, executed by John Chambers, David Grayson, and Nick Marcellino, that it's baffling why the Academy didn't create the award in 1964 to honor them. Disguises were designed for several actors, making them absolutely unrecognizable to the audience. I won't spoil anything because it's fun to guess, but be on the lookout for Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Frank Sinatra, and Robert Mitchum.

The wealthy host of an English country estate named Adrian Messenger (John Merivale) presents his friend, Anthony Gethryn (George C. Scott) with a list of ten people he wants investigated. Gethryn finds that the list consists of people who either have already died an accidental death or are still living and who may soon die. The assumption is that someone wants all these people dead. Gethryn and his sidekick Le Borg (Jacques Roux) plow through the clues, and eventually solve the mystery.The script gives us an array of strange characters who may, or may not, be the murderer. And B&W lighting conveys an air of mystery. But the plot is contrived and contains too much filler in the form of repetitious and lengthy foxhunts.Scott plays his role well. Dana Wynter, in her stylish 1960s clothes, is annoyingly aloof and her performance is consistent with the stuffy English atmosphere the film presents throughout. I have always liked Herbert Marshall, and his performance here is terrific in a minor role.But then comes that final ten minutes. I don't mind gimmicks if they're not too intrusive or obnoxious. However, here the scriptwriter and director have so little confidence in their film project, they insert a huge gimmick, apparently hoping to distract viewers from what is clearly an inferior script.Unlike some viewers, I do not watch films to see movie stars. I watch to see an interesting story. When you have to break the fourth wall and announce the presence of well-known Hollywood celebrities as the main point of your film, that blatant show of stardom screams distraction in a most condescendingly fraudulent way. And it ruins just about everything that went before.

John Huston's "The List of Adrian Messenger" has a quirky charm and an interesting story, but is derailed by a badly executed gimmick. The film is an oddity amongst Huston's films and was made after the heavy-going "Freud". This film is as light as a soufflé in comparison; "The List of Adrian Messenger" is Huston on holidays.Top-billed Kirk Douglas plays George Brougham, distant heir to the Bruttenholme estate in England who eliminates a list of people who know a secret that would prevent him claiming his inheritance. He also attempts to eliminate the members of his family who are next in line for the estate including his young nephew.George C. Scott is Anthony Gethryn, a policeman who solves the crime with the help of Raoul Le Berg played by Jacques Roux, a survivor of a plane crash caused by Brougham.Gethryn and Le Berg are virtually Huston's take on Holmes and Watson; together they track down the clues and the suspects. Although "The List of Adrian Messenger" is set in 1963 – when it was made – the whole production has a decidedly Victorian flavour.Scott turns in an engaging performance despite the odd slip with his otherwise passable British accent. Although Gethryn, like Sherlock Holmes seems a confirmed bachelor , Le Berg on the other hand begins an affair with the recently widowed wife of Adrian Messenger, played by the gorgeous Dana Wynter. However, "List" has a gimmick, central to the plot that does not come off. A number of well-known actors play characters in heavy disguise. Although Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum and Tony Curtis play cameos, it is Kirk Douglas who occupies a large amount of screen time in a number of disguises. Unfortunately, their features are rendered so immobile they look like victims of excessive botoxing. The makeup was designed by Bud Westmore who had once worked on the makeup for "Bud Abbott and Lou Costello meet Frankenstein" with the results in "The List of Adrian Messenger" not much above that level. The actors are unrecognisable – except for Kirk Douglas whose distinctive chin and jaw were impossible to disguise no matter the amount of putty employed. Likewise for Mitchum's voice. John Huston lived on a country estate in Ireland when he made this movie, and his love for fox hunting inspired the final scenes of the film with the countryside of Ireland beautifully photographed. Also a big plus for the film was Jerry Goldsmith's offbeat but jaunty score that announces the light nature of the film from the opening bars."The List of Adrian Messenger" did well at the box office despite being out-of-step with the more "modern" movies of the early 1960's. With its black and white photography and studio-bound depictions of London, the film had a certain quality that almost, but not quite, overcame the self-conscious gimmick.