For me, life is made up of three parts: the present that is fun and leisurely, which is fleeting; the future that is vague and uncertain, full of fantasy; the past that lingers and connects with reality, the cornerstone of life.
- Agatha Christie (Queen of Reasoning in England)
"Grandma" is coming again, and reasoning fans worship.
British film "Crooked House"
Genre: Reasoning, Suspense
Main cast: Max Irons (Charles), Stefanie Martini (Sophia), Glenn Close (Edith)...
Story Overview: The Mystery of the Death of Rich Businessman Aristide Leonides
Release Date: December 22, 2017 will land in major theaters in the United States
Without further ado, let's start the journey of solving puzzles and investigating cases directly.
I, character grooming
immediate family
Aristide Leonides (dead)
▼
Philip (eldest son), Magda (Mrs. Philip) + Roger (younger son), Clemency (Mrs. Roger)
▼
Sophie (eldest granddaughter, Philip's daughter), Eustace (grandson, Philip's son), Josephine (youngest granddaughter, Philip's third child)
collateral relatives
Aristide Leonides (dead)
↑↓
Lady Edith (sister of the deceased's first wife)
marriage spouse
Aristide Leonides (dead)
↑↓
Brenda (current wife of the deceased, 37 years old)
non-staff
Brown (tutor), Nanny (nanny)
II, plot combing
Helper: Sophia (the most beloved and thoughtful granddaughter of the deceased, the first heir to the estate)
Request for help: Asking Charles (ex-boyfriend, later reconciliation; and private investigator) to find out who poisoned 86-year-old grandfather
Event development:
Charles was invited into the big family and began to investigate the case. After a series of exchanges, Charles found different suspects (ie: motives for murder) from each of them.
①Philip, hope to get money to invest in the filming of his own writing.
②Roger, eager to get out of the company's financial crisis.
③Brenda, the wife of a dancing girl, is quite suspicious with Brown, the tutor.
④Sophia knows the contents of the will in advance, will she be greedy?
⑤Josephine, holding a mysterious note (simply "Death Note"), asking around for news.
⑥Lady Edith, has always been at odds with the dead.
⑦Eustace, in the rebellious period, irritable and emotionally unstable.
A group of people with many doubts, who is the real murderer? Charles is lost in thought!
...
Event turning point:
①Josephine fell while climbing the cabin (there are obvious cut marks on the rope, indicating that someone did it deliberately)
②Nanny was poisoned (drinking poisonous hot cocoa)
The successive appearance of these two cases has become a watershed in the incident. The truth of the case has gradually emerged, and the appearance of the murderer has become clear. (Sell it out, don't point out the murderer directly)
Plot summary:
The whole story goes up and down. The first 50 minutes were bland, and there was not much content worth scrutinizing and pondering; the second hour, the plot was compact and the characters gradually became clear, but the suspense was still insufficient; the last 5 minutes of the question-and-answer session was relatively blunt and did not excavate. deep-seated causes.
III, Casting Commentary
Let's talk about three more representative actors, Max Irons, Christina Hendricks and Glenn close.
①Max Irons, as private detective Charles.
Advantages: handsome, capable, and won the favor of young friends.
Disadvantages: The aura is not enough, and the character itself cannot be controlled at all.
②Christina Hendricks, who plays the sweet wife Brenda.
Advantages: Sexy and sultry, strong ability to grasp the role.
Disadvantages: In some episodes, the emotions are a bit overdone.
③Glenn close, as Lady Edith.
The acting skills of the old drama and the whole film are online, and the interpretation level of the textbook version dwarfs everyone. The real protagonist (the king) in this work!
IV, Screen Score Comments
The pictures of British flavor, elegant, subtle, noble, ancient castle buildings, huge portraits, manor farms , strong British flavor, unforgettable!
Exquisitely composed images, color, lighting, artistic conception , beautiful and unique, make people nostalgic!
In terms of soundtrack, in general, there is no fault, and the match with the plot is still OK. Here are two scenes that the audience can pay attention to when watching the film.
① The background music at the beginning of the 55th minute is the soundtrack that appears after "Charles enters Eustace's room".
②The ending song. Depression, sadness, and a strong sense of substitution.
Last feeling...
"Deformed House", a fine mystery novel! The work is very flavorful and perfect for the sorting out of human nature, the analysis of reasoning, and the shaping of suspense.
Freakhouse, a rather mediocre film adaptation! The plot is thin, the proportion of the investigation is missing, and the human nature analysis is not deep, and it is completely unable to reproduce the essence of the original work, which is very disappointing.
Director ☆☆☆☆ (unfavorable choice of actors; insufficient story analysis; not in-depth discussion of the causes of crime)
Actor ★★★☆☆ (Max Irons is an absolute failure, others are acceptable)
Plot ★★★☆☆ (The original work's restoration is okay, but the expression of the characters' repressed emotions, hate and love is obviously insufficient. As for who is the murderer? The one who "highlighted" in the character combing is that. )
Visual Effects★★★★★ (British Fan)
Sound effects ★★★★☆ (the first half, very ordinary; the second half, too brilliant, the rhythm and emotions are brought up)
Recommendation ★★★☆☆ ("Grandma's work, don't watch it!)
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