Clue (film)
| Clue | |
|---|---|
 Poster from the movie Clue | |
| Directed by | Jonathan Lynn |
| Written by | Story: John Landis Jonathan Lynn Screenplay: Jonathan Lynn |
| Produced by | Debra Hill |
| Starring | Tim Curry Eileen Brennan Lesley Ann Warren Christopher Lloyd Michael McKean Madeline Kahn Martin Mull |
| Cinematography | Victor J. Kemper |
| Edited by | David Bretherton Richard Haines |
| Music by | John Morris |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates | December 13, 1985 (USA) |
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15,000,000 (est.) |
| Box office | $14,643,997 (USA) |
Clue (1985) is a dark comedy film based on the board game of the same name (which is also known as Cluedo). It is a murder mystery set in a New England Gothic mansion in the midsts of American McCarthyism.
The style takes the idea in the direction of Murder By Death and other various murder/dinner parties of mystery. The film was directed by Jonathan Lynn, who collaborated on the script with John Landis. It stars Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, and Madeline Kahn alongside an ensemble cast of characters.
In order to prevent the ending from being revealed by the press or by word of mouth, three separate endings were filmed. In spite of this marketing gimmick, the film did poorly at the box office and received mixed reviews. On its 38th day of release, the reported box office earnings were only $13,377,261.
Plot
Six invited guests, given assumed names, are summoned to the secluded mansion, Hill House, on a stormy night, with one thing in common; they are all being blackmailed. Mr. Green (Michael McKean) (homosexuality), Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull) selling military supplies on the black market, Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan) (bribes), Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd) (affairs with his lady patients), Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren) (runs a brothel) and Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn) (dead husbands). They are all met by the British butler, Wadsworth (Tim Curry) (wife had Socialist friends) and eventually meet their blackmailer; Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving).
After dinner, the guest move into the study for drinks, where Wadsworth explains the reason that everyone is here, blackmail, and who Mr. Boddy is. After trying to flee the mansion, Boddy gives each of the guests a deadly weapon, and suggests that the party guests should kill Wadsworth, who plans on turning his evidence of the blackmail ring over to the police, and turns out the lights to give the potential murder protection. Yet, his nefarious scheme backfires, because some kills Mr. Boddy. The sexy French maid, Yvette (Colleen Camp) has been tape recording the conversation, per Wadsworth request, and insists on joining the guests.
The guests must try to deduce, before the police arrive, who killed Boddy. The body count increases when the cook (Kellye Nakahara) is found stabbed with a knife, and a similar fate await a lost motorist, singing telegram girl (Jane Wiedlin) and no-nonsense cop (Bill Henderson. The guests agree to split up and search the house, but mistrust each other and are unable to prevent more murders. After the murder turns off the electricity, to commit another murder, Wadsworth locates the light switch and proclaims that he has solved the mysterious murders, which leads into the film’s multiple endings.
First ending
In the first scenario, Wadsworth reveals that Yvette killed Mr. Boddy and the cook, under orders from Miss Scarlet, who killed the motorist, Yvette, the cop and the singing telegram girl. Scarlet then reveals that her call-girl business is actually a cover for her real work, "secrets extortion," in which Yvette participated. Scarlet plans to use the information gathered that night to blackmail each of the other guests. However, as a butler, Wadsworth has no government information, and she threatens to shoot him. Wadsworth retorts that the gun has no bullets left and the two argue over how many bullets had actually been fired. Distracted by the doorbell, Scarlet is subdued by Wadsworth and the police rush in. Wadsworth is revealed to be an FBI agent, and to prove that there were actually no bullets in the gun, he fires it in the air. A bullet was left in the chamber, however, which hits a chandelier, sending it crashing to the floor.
Second ending
In the second scenario, it is revealed that Mrs. Peacock is the murderer of all the victims. She pulls out the revolver and threatens Wadsworth, but he points out that she has done them all a great favor by killing Boddy, their blackmailer, and his associates. Wadsworth also claims he never contacted the police, and the entire evening can easily be buried and forgotten. Peacock leaves to a chorus of "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow" from the others. Wadsworth then reveals that he is an FBI agent who set up the entire meeting as a sting operation on Mrs. Peacock, who was taking bribes from foreign powers. Mr. Boddy's murder was an unplanned but convenient turn of events. Upon attempting to escape, Peacock is arrested, and Wadsworth offers the guests fruit and dessert.
Third ending
In the third and final scenario, it is found out that each of the guests murdered one of the victims; Professor Plum killed Mr. Boddy, Mrs. Peacock killed the cook (who used to work for her), Colonel Mustard killed the motorist (his driver during the war), Mrs. White killed Yvette (who had an affair with her husband) and Ms. Scarlet killed the policeman (whom she'd been bribing to allow her to continue operating her "specialized hotel"). These victims (except for Mr. Boddy) were the sources of information used in the blackmailing. By process of elimination, the guests accuse Mr. Green of killing the singing telegram girl, although he claims he is innocent. Wadsworth pulls the revolver from his coat, revealing that it was he who shot the girl, and holds the guests at gunpoint. Wadsworth then reveals the shocking secret that he is, in fact, the real Mr. Boddy. The "Mr. Boddy" killed earlier was actually his butler, set up to take the fall.
Mr. Boddy/Wadsworth thanks the guests for getting rid of his accomplices, and in doing so, all the evidence against him. He also reveals he never called the police as he claimed, and suggests they stash the bodies in the cellar, leave quietly one at a time, and pretend the evening never happened. He also plans to continue blackmailing them. Mr. Green suddenly shoots and kills Mr. Boddy, revealing that he (Green) is an undercover FBI agent. Backup forces rush in and surround the five murderers. The police chief asks which is the guilty party, and, in a nod to the game, Mr. Green replies, "They all did it. But if you want to know who killed Mr. Boddy, I did. In the hall, with the revolver." He then says: "Okay, Chief, take 'em away. I'm gonna go home and sleep with my wife," thus revealing that even his claimed homosexuality was part of his cover. This ending was established as the real one in the film’s home release.
Fourth ending
In a fourth scenario that was never filmed, but is referenced in some of the film's literature, Wadsworth, after pretending to be dead, says that he killed Boddy, and then reveals to the guests that he has poisoned them all so that there will be no witnesses and he will have committed the perfect crime. As he runs through the house to disable the phones and lock the doors, an evangelist from earlier returns, followed by the police, who disarm Wadsworth. Wadsworth then repeats the confession he had given earlier to the guests, physically acting out each scene himself. When he arrives at the part about meeting Colonel Mustard at the door, he steps through the door, closes it, and locks it, leaving all the guests trapped inside. Fortunately, the police and guests escape through a window, while Wadsworth attempts to make a getaway in a car, only to hear the growling of a German Shepherd Dog from the backseat. [citation needed]
Production
Clue was filmed on sound stages at the Paramount Pictures film studios in Hollywood. The set design is credited to three separate people, Les Gobruegge, Gene Nollmanwas and William B. Majorand, with set decoration by Thomas L. Roysden.[1]
All but two scenes, the ballroom scene and the driveway gate scene, were filmed within the studio lot. Those two scenes were filmed on location at a mansion located in South Pasadena, California. Exterior shots of the mansion were enhanced with matte paintings by Syd Dutton, in consultation with Albert Whitlock. This site was destroyed in a fire on October 5, 2005.[2] To decorate the set, real 18th and 19 century furnishings from real mansions were rented. This included Teddy Roosevelt's Estate in upstate New York.[3]
Cast
- Martin Mull as Colonel Mustard
- Eileen Brennan as Mrs. Peacock
- Lesley Ann Warren as Miss Scarlet
- Christopher Lloyd as Professor Plum
- Michael McKean as Mr. Green
- Madeline Kahn as Mrs. White
- Lee Ving as Mr. Boddy
- Tim Curry as Wadsworth
- Colleen Camp as Yvette
- Bill Henderson as the Cop
- Jane Wiedlin as the Singing Telegram Girl
- Jeffrey Kramer as the Motorist
- Kellye Nakahara as the Cook
- Howard Hesseman as the Chief
Reaction
Critics were mixed with reviews, and the film did poorly at the box office. Rotten Tomatoes rates the movie at 74% "fresh" rating. It has been re-released to the midnight circuit and has a large cult following among many Rocky Horror Picture Show fans in the U.S.[citation needed]
Release
The film was released on December 13, 1985. The VHS release in Canada and the U.S. was in 1986. In other countries the VHS release was February 11, 1991. In 2000 the DVD was released. In June 2008, the film was made available to rent and buy in the UK iTunes store.
Remake
On February 20, 2008, Variety reported that, following the success of Paramount's Hasbro-based film Transformers (co-produced with DreamWorks), Universal Pictures has entered into a six-year deal with Hasbro and will make at least four movies based on Hasbro games. The properties licensed for filming include Monopoly, Candyland, Clue, Ouija, Battleship, and Magic: The Gathering.[4]
See also
- Clue, the computer game
- Clue/Cluedo, the board game
- Cluedo characters
- Multiple endings
References
- ^ "Full cast and crew for Clue (1985)". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
- ^ "Photos from Filming Location - 2003". www.theartofmurder.com. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
- ^ "80s Rewind, Clue (1985)". www.fast-rewind.com. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
- ^ Universal pacts with Hasbro. Studio announces six-year deal with co., Variety, February 20, 2008
External links
