Directors It's elementary, my dear Watson - a mystery movies tournament (1 Viewer)

[Walter Kittel]

Nominate:
In a Lonely Place
Last Year At Marienbad

Second:
Double Indemnity
The Postman Always Rings Twice

Third:
The 39 Steps
Rashomon

Was going to third North by Northwest but two seconds should take care of that.

- Walter.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Now that’s really thinking outside the box Walter.

I’m gearing up to view this one again. I’ve got to say that I’ve never much cared for it, but to be sure, it has stayed with me over the years. Perhaps I’ll have a different perspective next time.

In the vein,

Second:

Last Year At Marienbad

 

[Walter Kittel]

Well, it is one of the most mysterious films I've ever seen. And it does have an element of mystery in terms of what really did or did not happen.

- Walter.

 

[Lew Crippen]

It did inspire me to learn how to play the match game.

 

[Brook K]

3rd
Last Year At Marienbad
Body Double

2nd
The Lady Vanishes
Lost Highway

Nominate

Obsession
Le Corbeau
The Return
Tenebrae

Does everyon else consider Double Indemnity a mystery? We know what happens, Eddie G. is the one in the dark. To me a "mystery movie" puts the audience in the dark or at least tries to.

 

[Jim_K]

I'll have to agree with that argument.

Nominate
Rebecca
Suspicion
The Conversation
The Sixth Sense


Second
Charade
The Hound of the Baskervilles '59
Once Upon a Time in America
Se7en
Sleuth
Le Corbeau

 

[george kaplan]

Well if Double Indemnity isn't a mystery, then neither is Columbo, and I don't know what the hell it is. In my opinion, it isn't a requirement not to know who the murderer is (or even for there to be a murder) for us to have a mystery.

It's Steve's call, but I'd find it very odd to not have Double Indemnity in a mystery tourney.

 

[John C. Wilson]

Nominate:

L.A. Confidential
Strangers on a Train
Sorry, Wrong Number
Silence of the Lambs

2nd:

Rebecca
Suspicion

3rd:

Murder by Death
Double Indemnity
The Postman Always Rings Twice (46 I'm assuming)
The Lady Vanishes (38 I'm presuming)
Charade

 

[Bill McA]

Nominate:
Cure
Dressed to Kill (1980)

Second:
Obsession
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
And Then There Were None

Third:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
Se7en
Lost Highway
Profondo Rosso

 

[Walter Kittel]

Third:

Rebecca

I have to agree with George. Omniscience upon the part of the viewer doesn't exclude the film from being a mystery. The mystery can exist in the world of the film, to be scrutinized by the characters inhabiting that world, irrelevant of the knowledge of the viewer. IMHO, of course. It's Steve's call as to what films qualify.

- Walter.

 

[Jim_K]

Well I still agree that Brook made a valid point, on the other hand Double Indemnity is generally considered a Noir/Thriller/Mystery anyway. So what I'm saying is I just don't care either way.

I have a much bigger problem with the inclusion of these Foreign/Art-house films (Last Year At Marienbad, L’Avventura, The Element of Crime) that are superficially disguised as a mystery.

Since I'm probably being a wet-blanket kill-joy I'll just bow out of this tournament so as not to cause any more friction.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Actually you have some valid thoughts. I can understand doubts about Last Year at Marienbad, less so about L’Avventura and I really thing that you are wrong about The Element of Crime.

My reasoning is that considering the intent of movies like this, as opposed to what drives the story, would mean that a film like Topsy-Turvy is not a musical or The Searchers is not a Western. I would suggest that if what moves the story is a mystery, then by definition, the film is a mystry.

Assuming that to be true (for the moment), Last Year at Marienbad is clearly not a mystery, because what moves the story (if indeed the story can be said to move ) is not a mystery, at least in the classic sense. On the other hand, although L’Avvenutra is decidedly not about the missing woman, her disappearance, the reasons for her disappearance, and who did what when, motivate the reaming characters in their actions and discussions. The Element of Crime seems to me to be as much a mystery as any American film noir. We have an ex-cop returning to his old haunts in order to hunt down a killer and along the way True enough he meets people along the way that make this more than a straight mystery, but his actions are dominated by the need to resolve this mystery and also what has gone before.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Second:

Once Upon a Time in America


Third:

Murder on the Orient Express
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Double Indemnity

 

[SteveGon]

I agree. It was my intent to be fairly liberal when seeding this tourney. To stick strictly to genre films would have limited the scope and more importantly, participation, of this tourney.

Jim, hate to see you go. My advice is that if you don't thnk they belong, vote against 'em. Hey, at least those cursed hobbit movies won't be popping up...

The list is updated - we're up to 38 films so we may as well shoot for 64.

Nominated:

Gaslight '40
Gosford Park
The Hound of the Baskervilles '39
The Long Goodbye
The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse

Seconded:

The Conversation

Thirded:

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?


Four more noms, seconds, and thirds for those who have already participated.

 

[SteveGon]

Current noms list:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Alphaville*
And Then There Were None*
The Big Lebowski
Body Heat
The Conversation*
Cure
Dressed to Kill '80
The Element of Crime
Gaslight '40
Gaslight '44*
Gosford Park
The Hound of the Baskervilles '39
In a Lonely Place
L.A. Confidential
L'Avventura
The Long Goodbye
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance*
Nature of the Beast
Obsession*
Once Upon a Time in America*
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes*
The Return
The Silence of the Lambs
The Sixth Sense
Sleuth*
Sorry, Wrong Number
Strangers on a Train
Suspicion*
Tenebrae
The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse
Touch of Evil

 

[Walter Kittel]

Jim - C'mon back. Just vote against them if you don't think they fit the criteria of the tournament. That is the strategy I've always employed in the SF tournaments when half of the nominees are actually fantasy / adventure films.

- Walter.

 

[george kaplan]

Nominate:

Shadow of a Doubt
Witness for the Prosecution
In the Heat of the Night
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

Second:

Body Heat
L.A. Confidential
Sorry, Wrong Number
Strangers on a Train

Third:

Suspicion

 

[Elizabeth S]

Nominate:

The Last of Sheila

Second:

Cure

Third:

Body Heat

 

[Justin_S]

Nominate:

Angel Heart
Swimming Pool
The Usual Suspects
The Spiral Staircase original
Identity
Phenomena

I second:

The Silence of the Lambs
Tenebrae
Sorry, Wrong Number

I third:

Cure

 

[Nick Sievers]

Second:

Gosford Park
Touch of Evil

Third:

L.A Confidential
The Silence of the Lambs
Once Upon a Time in America