{"id":10259,"date":"2010-01-05T11:16:17","date_gmt":"2010-01-05T18:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10259"},"modified":"2020-12-21T16:18:15","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T23:18:15","slug":"list-of-adrian-messenger-the-1963","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10259","title":{"rendered":"List of Adrian Messenger, The (1963)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;The fact remains that six deaths by accident, out of any ten names, is too high of a proportion for chance.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Poster-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Poster-1-168x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"168\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-58869\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Poster-1-168x300.jpg 168w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Poster-1-71x128.jpg 71w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Poster-1-151x270.jpg 151w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Poster-1.jpg 315w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 168px) 100vw, 168px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA retired British intelligence officer (George C. Scott) attempts to unravel the mystery of a man (Kirk Douglas) who has killed all eleven people on a list given to him by his murdered friend (John Merivale). <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amateur Sleuths<\/li>\n<li>Clive Brook Films<\/li>\n<li>George C. Scott Films<\/li>\n<li>John Huston Films<\/li>\n<li>Kirk Douglas Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Murder Mystery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nBased 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. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Mitchum.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Mitchum.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1827\" height=\"977\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Mitchum.png 1827w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Mitchum-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Mitchum-1024x548.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Mitchum-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Mitchum-768x411.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Mitchum-1536x821.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Mitchum-505x270.png 505w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1827px) 100vw, 1827px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Lancaster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Lancaster.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1839\" height=\"959\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58867\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Lancaster.png 1839w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Lancaster-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Lancaster-1024x534.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Lancaster-128x67.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Lancaster-768x400.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Lancaster-1536x801.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Lancaster-518x270.png 518w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1839px) 100vw, 1839px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>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 Westmore&#8217;s make-up is truly impressive: while we can tell that the characters played by each of these actors are clearly in disguise, it&#8217;s remarkably difficult to discern their real faces underneath. Kirk Douglas &#8212; acknowledged almost immediately as the film&#8217;s psychopathic villain &#8212; plays the largest camouflaged role, hiding behind various effective personae as he commits a series of cold-blooded murders. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Still2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Still2-1024x547.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"342\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58864\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Still2-1024x547.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Still2-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Still2-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Still2-768x410.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Still2-1536x820.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Still2-506x270.png 506w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Still2.png 1803w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The fact that we know the killer&#8217;s identity from the beginning means that the story really belongs to George C. Scott: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Scott.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Scott-1024x540.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"338\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58861\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Scott-1024x540.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Scott-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Scott-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Scott-768x405.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Scott-1536x811.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Scott-512x270.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Scott.png 1825w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>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) &#8212; who does indeed attempt to leave a final <em>message<\/em> for the man by his side (Jacques Roux) as he&#8217;s 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 Messenger&#8217;s widowed cousin, Dana Wynter (beautiful but poorly used here). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Wynter3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Wynter3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1815\" height=\"969\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-58871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Wynter3.png 1815w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Wynter3-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Wynter3-1024x547.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Wynter3-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Wynter3-768x410.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Wynter3-1536x820.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Wynter3-506x270.png 506w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1815px) 100vw, 1815px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Huston&#8217;s firm directorial hand is evident throughout; unfortunately, however, the story he&#8217;s working with is merely serviceable entertainment &#8212; worthy viewing once, but not must-see for all film fanatics. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Interestingly enough, character actor Jan Merlin was actually the man behind the make-up during several of the presumed &#8220;cameo&#8221; roles by the famous actors; apparently only Douglas and Mitchum actually did any real acting in disguise, <a href=\"http:\/\/allmovie.com\/work\/the-list-of-adrian-messenger-29469\">while the others merely showed up for their &#8220;unmasking&#8221; scene at $75,000 each<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bud Westmore&#8217;s truly impressive make-up<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Makeup.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Makeup-1024x540.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"338\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-58862\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Makeup-1024x540.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Makeup-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Makeup-128x68.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Makeup-768x405.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Makeup-1536x811.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Makeup-512x270.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/List-Adrian-Messenger-Makeup.png 1821w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s worth seeking out for one-time viewing. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0057254\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/allmovie.com\/work\/the-list-of-adrian-messenger-29469\">All Movie Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-list-of-adrian-messenger-1\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;The fact remains that six deaths by accident, out of any ten names, is too high of a proportion for chance.&#8221; Synopsis: A retired British intelligence officer (George C. Scott) attempts to unravel the mystery of a man (Kirk Douglas) who has killed all eleven people on a list given to him by his murdered friend (John Merivale). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Amateur Sleuths Clive Brook Films George C. Scott Films John Huston Films Kirk Douglas Films Mistaken or&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=10259\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10259"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58872,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10259\/revisions\/58872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}