Top of the list!

It's funny - I was looking at the list of Brian Moore, and I couldn't find this MF anywhere on it.

DVD! DVD! DVD! DVD!

The List of Adrian Messenger is a wonderful change of pace for Mr. Huston. I wish to see it again, but my VCR went up in a ball of flame years ago.

DVD! DVD! DVD! DVD!

Looking for a DVD (and might I suggest a Re-make?)

First of all, I have no idea why this film is not available on DVD yet. You might be looking at my rating right now and thinking "He only gave it 3 stars? Who cares if it comes out on DVD!" Let me explain.


"The List of Adrian Messenger" is a standard murder mystery but it is done with a unique twist. Someone is killing off heirs to a family fortune and its a race against time to stop the killer (i know, it sounds cliche) but the twist here is that several big name stars from this era make cameo's in the film in disguise. This is in conjunction with the killer, who commits all of the murders while wearing various disguises. This is meant to throw the audience off. The viewer is supposed to wonder if the police are talking to the killer or just some innocent bystander. The only flaw here is that the make-up is not the best quality it could have been and some of the actors in disguise don't do the greatest job of disguising their voice. These were the flaws that forced me to give the movie 3 stars. It's an enjoyable film (and I do own a VHS copy) but you know who the killer is almost from the start and can usually tell when he's in make-up. Its also fun to see actors like Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, and Kirk Douglas in these make-up disguises.

On a side note, I cannot figure out why this hasn't been attempted as a remake. A director could modernize the story a bit (the original was made in 1963) but the true gold lies in the make-up techniques currently available. With the make-up techniques available today, people would be hard pressed to figure out who was in disguise. I'm sure a lot of actors would love to do a cameo. Place them in small scenes, something that takes up a day of their time (most of it in the make-up chair) and audiences would go just to figure out who is their favorite actors. The original film used five actors but a re-make could use as many as 20. See if the cameo actors would work to have their day's wages go to their favorite charities. That could be an additional incentive to get people involved. I think the film would be a lot of fun and, as far as remakes go, this one would be a winner. Watch the original and see what you think.
Hopefully the studio is working on the DVD. If not, you can probably find the tape for a cheap price.