Rehearsal for Murder

A superior T V movie, has Robert Preston as a playwright, trying to convince his friends, that his wife has been murdered,and not as the police think, that she committed suicide. He rents a theatre, then proceeds to put on a basics of a new play, in order to bring the killer to justice. Any film like this with such a good twist in the tail, is well worth watching.

REHEARSAL FOR MURDER

Aspect ratio: 1.33:1

Sound format: Mono

One year after his wife (Lynn Redgrave) died in mysterious circumstances, a grief-stricken playwright (Robert Preston) lures several prime suspects - all personal friends - to a lonely theatre where he proposes to unmask Redgrave's killer by reconstructing events on the night of her death...

Wonderful, old-fashioned murder mystery (written by Richard Levinson and William Link) which pulls an astonishing about-face during its final reel, though not before a number of talented thesps (including Patrick Macnee, William Daniels, Jeff Goldblum and Madolyn Smith) have acted up a storm as chief suspects in a tragic crime. Performances and dialogue are crisp and believable, plot-holes are neatly plugged, and the climactic 'reveal' will knock your socks off! Magical stuff, highly recommended, though viewers are advised to see it 'cold' for maximum effect. Directed by TV veteran David Greene (ROOTS, GUILTY CONSCIENCE, THE TRIAL OF LEE HARVEY OSWALD, etc.).

... because the quality of the two halves is a bit uneven.

Playwright Alex Dennison (Robert Preston) is opening his Broadway play with his fiancée, Monica Welles (Lynn Redgrave), in the leading actress role. He wants it to be a success if only for her sake, and the audience loves the play, but the newspaper critics consider it a bust. After the play, Monica says she wants to be alone for the night, but later calls Alex and tells him to come right over. When Alex arrives, the police are there, with Monica apparently having jumped to her death from an upper story window. The authorities rule the death a suicide.

A year passes and Alex returns to the theatre scene with a rough draft of a new play. He wants to do a reading and invites five people who were part of or close to his last production, the one that failed and starred his fiancée. It soon becomes clear that this play is about the death of his fiancée, but in this play Monica is murdered. Alex states that Monica was murdered, and that this reading will reveal the culprit. When this comes to light all five decide to leave, saying that Alex has become obsessed, but there is a cop in the theatre who says he advises that they stay if only to humor Alex and put to rest his theory. And plus suspicion will fall on anybody who does leave. Complications ensue.

Now just about everything I wrote in the second paragraph above is not true, but it appears to be. The denouement is actually quite clever and, like I said, there is a pay-off if you stay until the end. Otherwise, give up on it midway and you'll just feel like your time has been wasted with some rather hammy and ham-fisted plot devices. I'd say the first half is about a 6/10, carried on the strength of the performers and the second half is about an 8/10.

The writers, Richard Levinson and William Link, openly declare their intentions within their own dialogue: "In a murder mystery, you take the audience by the hand....and you lead them in the wrong direction. They trust you, and you betray them". And that's what they set out to do as well. Clever script, fine ensemble acting (with a pre-stardom Jeff Goldblum making a strong impression). The direction is a little flat and cramped (except for the transitions in & out of the enacted play), but in this case it seems to fit the theme. Do NOT get spoiled on this. *** out of 4.

Whenever you see the names "Levinson" and "Link" in the writing credits, you can be assured of a well scripted, unique whodunit, with plot twists that would give Dame Agatha a run for her money.

" ... unusual form -- a mystery -- you take the audience by the hand and you lead them -- in the wrong direction." Those are the prophetic words of playwright Alex Dennison in this Levinson and Link play within a play, called "Rehearsal For Murder". Dennison (Robert Preston) reunites five show-biz friends, ostensibly to get feedback on his new mystery novel. The real reason for the reunion is to unmask the killer of Monica Welles, Dennison's fiancé, who was murdered a year earlier. Which of the five friends is the killer?

"Rehearsal For Murder" is a filmed stage play, which means that the emphasis is on the crafts of script and acting, both of which here are excellent, and production design which in this case is adequate. The multiple plot twists make the screenplay ingenious, if perhaps a little far-fetched. The entire cast gives a fine performance, though I must confess to a preference for Robert Preston, one of the most credible actors of all time.

There's no heavy duty "message" in this film, no special effects, no cinematic gimmicks. It's just an old-fashioned, entertaining murder mystery for viewers who like whodunits. I have long considered "Murder By Natural Causes" (1979) to be Levinson and Link's best work. But "Rehearsal For Murder" is not far behind.