The List of Adrian Messenger (dual audio) [1963] John Huston

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The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057254/maindetails

DUAL AUDIO TRACKS
TRACK 1 GERMAN
TRACK 2 ENGLISH

The List of Adrian Messenger is a 1963 black and white thriller about a retired British intelligence officer (George C. Scott) investigating a series of apparently unrelated deaths. The film is based on the 1961 novel of the same title by Philip MacDonald.

This film has long been unavailable in the USA, but is now avaialbe through Amazon.

George C. Scott ... Anthony Gethryn
Dana Wynter ... Lady Jocelyn Bruttenholm
Clive Brook ... Marquis of Gleneyre
Gladys Cooper ... Mrs. Karoudjian
Herbert Marshall ... Sir Wilfrid Lucas
Jacques Roux ... Raoul Le Borg
John Merivale ... Adrian Messenger
Marcel Dalio ... Max Karoudjian
Bernard Archard ... Insp. Pike
Tony Huston ... Derek Bruttenholm (as Walter Anthony Huston)


The List of Adrian Messenger is a relatively modern-day Golden Age type of mystery with an additional gimmick of its own. A number of prominent Hollywood actors are advertised to appear in the film heavily disguised in make-up designed by John Chambers: Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, and Robert Mitchum. Their identities are revealed to the audience at the very end of the film, when each star removes his disguise and make-up.

Based on a novel by crime writer Philip MacDonald, this murder mystery (directed by John Huston) is primarily remembered today for its somewhat gimmicky use of A-list actors (Tony Curtis, Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, Burt Lancaster) in heavily made-up, nearly indistinguishable cameo roles. Audiences at the time were invited to guess who was who, and were rewarded when each actor unmasked himself during the closing credits. To that end, Bud WestmoreΓΓé¼Γäós make-up is truly impressive: while we can tell that the characters played by each of these actors are clearly in disguise, itΓΓé¼Γäós remarkably difficult to discern their real faces underneath. Kirk Douglas ΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ acknowledged almost immediately as the filmΓΓé¼Γäós psychopathic villain ΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ plays the largest camouflaged role, hiding behind various effective personae as he commits a series of cold-blooded murders.

The fact that we know the killerΓΓé¼Γäós identity from the beginning means that the story really belongs to George C. Scott, playing a retired British intelligence officer determined to follow through on the suspicions raised by his recently deceased friend, the oddly named Adrian Messenger (John Merivale) ΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ who does indeed attempt to leave a final message for the man by his side (Jacques Roux) as heΓΓé¼Γäós dying. As fate would have it, Scott knows Roux, and the two collaborate together on the mystery. Meanwhile, in the weakest element of the plot, Roux falls for and romances MessengerΓΓé¼Γäós widowed cousin, Dana Wynter (beautiful but poorly used here). HustonΓΓé¼Γäós firm directorial hand is evident throughout; unfortunately, however, the story heΓΓé¼Γäós working with is merely serviceable entertainment ΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ worthy viewing once, but not must-see for all film fanatics.

Note: Interestingly enough, character actor Jan Merlin was actually the man behind the make-up during several of the presumed ΓΓé¼┼ôcameoΓΓé¼┬¥ roles by the famous actors; apparently only Douglas and Mitchum actually did any real acting in disguise, while the others merely showed up for their ΓΓé¼┼ôunmaskingΓΓé¼┬¥ scene at $75,000 each.