by Frank Calvillo
Cinapse Pick of the Week
Exactly what it sounds like, the Pick of the Week column is written up by the Cinapse team on rotation, focusing on films that are past the marketing cycle of either their theatrical release or their home video release. So maybe the pick of the week will be only a couple of years old. Or maybe it’ll be a silent film, cult classic, or forgotten gem. Cinapse is all about thoughtfully advocating film, new and old, and celebrating what we love no matter how marketable that may be. So join us as we share about what we’re discovering, and hopefully you’ll find some new films for your watch list, or some new validation that others out there love what you love too! Engage with us in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook! And now, our Cinapse Pick Of The Week…
The all-star ensemble whodunnit is a genre that should be more popular and prevalent than it is. As it stands, there still aren’t enough of those titles to satisfy the small, yet undeniably loyal fans of those kinds of films. Its hard to describe, but there’s something about a dead body, a remote setting, and a bunch of colorful individuals with a handful of motives and opportunity, which make those kinds of movies nothing but fun to watch for the rare cinephile who enjoys them.
Directed by Herbert Ross, The Last of Sheila is a shining example of a prime whodunnit which features all of the ingredients which gave the genre its name, including stars, slickness, and a truly clever mystery.
The Last of Sheila opens with the hit and run killing of Sheila Green (Yvonne Romain), the trophy wife of a powerful and mischevious producer named Clinton (James Coburn). A year later, Clinton has invited an assortment of his Hollywood pals to his yacht in the south of France for a week of fun and games. The motley crew includes film director Philip (James Mason), screenwriter Tom (Richard Benjamin), Tom’s wife Lee (Joan Hackett), powerhouse agent Christine (Dyan Cannon), starlet Alice (Raquel Welch), and Alice’s husband Anthony (Ian McShane).
On the first day, Clinton gives each guest a sealed envelope containing a card with a specific criminal description on it, which is to be used as part of the Clinton’s main game. When one of the cards is revealed to say “hit and run killer” on it, and after a dead body turns up, the game suddenly turn real as it appears that both Sheila and the past have returned.
It was the most unlikely of duos whose unconventional minds gave birth to The Last of Sheila. Back in the day, actor Anthony Perkins and composer Stephen Sondheim were two great friends with a strong penchant for board games. Apparently, the two would enjoy long-running marathons between the two of them, which included any and all kinds of games under the sun. The pair decided to take their love of gaming further and crafted a screenplay featuring the types of people both of them knew and placed them in a game where the object was murder.
Despite the fact that the two aren’t known for their mystery or screenwriting skills, both Perkins and Sondheim have crafted one of the most perfect whodunnit scripts of all time. Sure, these are the kinds of films that thrive on twists, yet in The Last of Sheila, there isn’t a single turn that the audience can see coming. This is a mystery made by two people who love mysteries and as a result, have crafted one which is thankfully devoid of any red herrings and instead treats its audience with respect, while entertaining them at the same time. Each character in The Last of Sheila is a possible suspect, or at least has something to hide, and the clues themselves are so subtle, yet deceptively upfront, that even the film’s title bears probably one of the plot’s biggest hints.
Any lover of films featuring Hollywood-set characters will be quick to spot the many tinseltown references, including comments/shots about Barbra Streisand and Sandra Dee, among others, while even more thorough observers will be able to recognize the film’s re-worked versions of real-life Hollywood figures. For example, Coburn’s Clinton is an obvious Robert Evans type, Cannon’s Christine is a nod to ruthless agent Sue Mengers (the actress’ own agent at the time), and Welch’s Alice echoes the self-adoring glamour of Faye Dunaway. All of this is driven home by some great showbiz-influenced banter among the guests as they gossip and bicker in the way that only Hollywood types can.
It takes an eclectic and charismatic group of actors to pull off these kinds of roles, and with its prime ’70s movie cast, The Last of Sheila never falls short in that arena. Each performance is first-rate, but its Mason’s cynical director, Welch’s secretive movie star, and Cannon’s flamboyant agent that are the main standouts among the cast.
The Last of Sheila can claim a rare 92% on Rotten Tomatoes (almost unheard of for a whodunnit film), despite being only moderately successful at the box office. Over time, however, the film became a true cult classic that continues to be recognized for its clever mystery and its fun, bitchy take on Hollywood.
For years afterwards, Perkins and Sondheim had a number of follow-up projects in development which they sadly were never able to get off the ground before returning full time to their regular day jobs. For a mystery film lover it’s extremely painful to think of what might have been had those projects actually seen the light of day. If The Last of Sheila was any hint of the kinds of films Perkins and Sondheim had in them, its safe to say the whodunnit genre would most definitely have soared.
