Which one do you like more: "Murder By Death" or "Clue"?

After the "Phantom Of Paradise" vs. "Rocky Horror" thread, I promised (or threatened, depending of your view) to make a poll on THESE two movie....
Time went by, and then, I noticed this morning than TCM will be showing BOTH films back-to-back tonight!!
So, here it is!

 

I could be biased, growing up in the 80s... my vote for Clue. The comedic dialogue (fast, witty) between all characters was fantastic.

 

murder by death.

 

Yeah, you gotta admit;
Having both Nancy Walker AND Truman Capote in the SAME MOVIE almost (almost, I say) makes up for Sellers awfully racist 'Charlie Chan'.

 

The one with Eileen Brennan.

 

That's fair....

 

we didn't know it at the time!

 

When I last saw "MBD" in 2001, I didn't take offense at Sellers' performance.

Granted, we're more sensitive to the subject now than we were 20 years ago, so I might see it differently now, and clearly a white actor playing Asian wouldn't fly in 2021.

However, I didn't think Sellers turned the role into cheap stereotype. He was really good!

 

Clue. No contest. "Flames... on the side of my face..." What I wouldn't give to see the 4th ending or alternate takes, or deleted scenes or anything extra.

 

I'm actually surprised that TCM will be showing it tonight!
I haven't seen it in years...so, perhaps you're right....hope so..

 

Yeah, don't take my statement to the bank since I've not seen it since late 2001!

Granted, I was fairly "woke" back then, but it's undeniable that we view white actors in non-white parts differently than we did even in 2001.

So I might view Sellers' performance in a different light now. I'm sure I'd still think he did well in the part, but I might be less receptive to the racial aspects now...

 

That's, what I assume, is the best part of having such a big ensemble of characters;
Unlike "The Party", where he's the star, his part in "MBD" is just 'window-dressing' against the theme of all the 'famous detectives' involved.......right?.....

 

Sellers was hilarious as a humorous caricature of the Charlie Chan in all of those movies. The cast was incredible.
Murder by Death for the win.

 

I guess - I see so many movies that it's hard to remember specifics of something I watched 19 years ago!

Honestly, if I didn't have my review to consult, I wouldn't have been able to offer much more than "I think I liked it - !"

That's the beauty of having run a review site for 20+ years - my opinions are all in writing!

 

I think more people would find Seller's last film The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu more offensive than Murder by Death.

 

I was actually annoyed when Clue was first released that it had multiple endings. Still, I almost bit on the marketing strategy and was going to see it more than once just to see an alternate ending, I but hated the movie when I saw it and decided against it.

 

It's very close, but I picked Clue. I remember watching it repeatedly for the different endings.

 

Having just seen both, with fresh 2021 eyes, I have to admit, they're both pretty....mediocre....
I give the edge to "Clue", though the comedic 'back-and-forth' of Coco & Cromwell still holds up!
But, I'm just gonna have to play my 'teen-age boy' card, and reminiscing about my love for the ladies of "Clue"....sorry...

 

I first saw Clue on VHS. On home video, they just show all three endings, and I always assumed that was how it was done in the theater. It was not until the internet I found out you only got one.

 

Perhaps - I don't think I ever saw it. IIRC, it bombed theatrically, and I don't think it found much of an audience later.

I would assume that Sellers dominates "Plot" more than he does "Death" as well, and that would make a difference. It's harder to shrug off a racist character when that character's onscreen 90% of the time vs. 30% or so.

Though Mickey Rooney's role in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" remains (appropriately) much loathed and he doesn't get a lot of screen time!

 

The Blu-ray lets you choose either the "trilogy ending" that you mention or a random choice of one of the 3.

As I said in my review, I think the random endings are kind of a cool idea. However, they do make Clue more of a comedy and less of a mystery.

Because each ending features a different murderer, that means the storyline has to keep things sufficiently vague. In other words, it's literally impossible to solve the mystery as you watch the film. In fact, more attentive viewers may find multiple problems with the various solutions!

 

Reminds me of Truman's monologue, at the end of "MBD", where he goes to each detective, calling out the miserable 'plot-holes' in their books!
Very funny...but, what I expect from Neil Simon!