The List of Adrian Messenger
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| The List of Adrian Messenger | |
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 VHS cover for The List of Adrian Messenger |
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| Directed by | John Huston |
| Written by | Anthony Veiller (screenplay) |
| Starring | George C Scott Dana Wynter Jacques Roux John Merivale |
| Distributed by | Universal International Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1963 |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) is a black and white thriller film about a retired British colonel Anthony Gethryn (George C. Scott) who is on the trail of a traitor who has mysteriously been killing off former Japanese POWs.
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[edit] Plot
The film is based on the 1961 novel of the same title by Philip MacDonald. When a writer named Adrian Messenger (John Merivale) stumbles upon this plot, he asks Gethryn to help clear up the mystery. Later Gethryn's old World War II French counterpart Le Bourg (Jacques Roux) becomes involved as well. One by one they try to eliminate suspects ( from a "list" provided by Adrian Messenger) in order to find the killer and the motive behind the murders. The murderer is always one step ahead of the sleuths until near the end.
[edit] Commentary
The List of Adrian Messenger is a relatively modern-day Golden Age type of mystery with an additional gimmick of its own. Several prominent Hollywood actors are disguised and one of them is the real murderer. The disguised actors were Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, and Robert Mitchum.
[edit] Trivia
- The role of Derek Bruttenholm is played by Walter Anthony Huston, the son of the film's director, John Huston.
- Elizabeth Taylor was offered a disguise role but turned it down because the make-up was uncomfortable.
- Famous voiceover artist and actor Paul Frees did the voices for several of the characters, including Frank Sinatra.
- Actors Jan Merlin and Dave Willock are rumoured to be under the make-up that was purportedly worn by Kirk Douglas and Frank Sinatra respectively in some scenes.
- John Merivale, who plays Adrian Messenger, was the stepson of Gladys Cooper who also appears in a small role as Mrs. Karoudjian. They share no scenes.
- Several plot points in the film are similar to The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.These include the references to hounds, the motive of the killer, the references to Canada, and the unmasking of the killer by means of a ruse.
- Get Smart did a 1970 parody of this movie called The Mess of Adrian Listenger starring Pat Paulsen ake Adrian Listenger alias Ace Weems.
