Clue

Plot synopsis:
In 1954 New England, six strangers are invited to a party at a secluded New England mansion known as Hill House. After being met at the door by the butler, Wadsworth, the guests are reminded that they have been given a pseudonym to protect their true identity and asks that they only use that name with the other guests. During dinner, Wadsworth admits a seventh attendee, Mr. Boddy, and announces that each of the guests is being blackmailed:
Professor Plum is a former professor of psychiatry and current employee of the World Health Organization whose medical license was revoked because he had an affair with one of his female patients.
Mrs. Peacock is the wife of a U.S Senator who has been accused of accepting bribes to deliver her husband's vote and claims she must pay their blackmailer to avoid a political witch hunt.
Miss Scarlet is the owner of an illegal escort service in Washington, D.C..
Colonel Mustard is thought, at first, to have been blackmailed for scandalous photographs with one of Miss Scarlet's employees, but it is later revealed that he was a war profiteer who made his money from selling stolen radio components on the black market. He now works at the Pentagon on a private fusion bomb (which is revealed later in the film).
Mrs. White is an alleged "black widow" who was drawn in to avoid a scandal regarding the mysterious death of her nuclear physicist husband. She was previously married to an illusionist, who also disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
Mr. Green is a homosexual, a secret that would cost him his job with the State Department if it were widely known.
Finally, Wadsworth reveals Mr. Boddy's secret to the guests: he is the one who has been blackmailing them. As the guests begin to shout at Mr. Boddy, Wadsworth explains that he has gathered all the guests together to confront Mr. Boddy and turn him over to the police. Confronted by Wadsworth's revelation, Mr. Boddy reminds the guests that, if turned over to the police, he can reveal their secrets while in police custody. Mr. Boddy then distributes to each guest a wrapped gift box which, when opened, reveal one of six weapons: a wrench, a candlestick, a lead pipe, a knife, a revolver, and a rope with a hangman's knot. Mr. Boddy suggests that they use the weapons provided to kill Wadsworth and destroy the evidence, keeping their secrets safe. Mr. Boddy turns out the lights in the room, creating a moment of chaos in which someone shoots the revolver. When the lights come back on, Mr. Boddy is lying on the ground and is pronounced dead by Professor Plum.
Everyone denies killing Mr. Boddy, and Wadsworth reveals that he arranged the event in revenge for his wife who had committed suicide after being blackmailed by Mr. Boddy for having Socialist friends. While trying to decide how to proceed, Wadsworth and the guests check on Mrs. Ho, the Cook, who is found dead in the kitchen with the knife. Upon returning to The Study, Mr. Boddy is gone and is later found dead by Mrs. Peacock in the bathroom from the candlestick. Wadsworth and the guests assume there must be another person in the house that killed The Cook and Mr. Boddy, so they split up in pairs and search the house with the weapons locked in the cupboard. Over the course of search, three weapons (the wrench, the lead pipe, and the revolver) are used to a kill stranded motorist found dead in the lounge, a police officer (after he investigate the motorist's abandoned car) in the Library, and a singing telegram girl in the Hall. Yvette, the maid, is found dead in the Billiard Room with the rope.
Wadsworth announces to the other guests that he deduced the identity of the murderer and runs through a frantic re-enactment of the entire evening, scene by scene, with the guests in tow. Wadsworth points out that each of the victims had a connection to one of the guests and were actually accomplices that enabled Mr. Boddy to find out the secrets he later used to blackmail the guests.
The cook had earlier been employed by Mrs. Peacock.
The motorist was Colonel Mustard's driver during the war and knew of his involvement with the black market.
Yvette had worked for Miss Scarlet and had an affair with Mrs. White's husband, which made Mrs. White hate her, and led her to kill her husband. Colonel Mustard's scandalous photographs were of him and Yvette "in flagrante delicto" (caught in the act).
The police officer had been on Miss Scarlet's payroll for his silence.
The singing telegram girl was one of Professor Plum's patients. He once had an affair with her.
The accounting is interrupted by an evangelist at the front door warning "the 'Kingdom of Heaven' is at hand", who is encouraged to leave. Wadsworth then flips the electricity to the house.
At this point, the story proceeds to one of three endings: A, B, or C.
=== Ending A ===
Having used her former call girl Yvette to murder Mr. Boddy and the cook, Miss Scarlet killed her and the others to keep her true business of "secrets" safe, planning on using the information learned tonight for her own benefit. While Miss Scarlet holds Wadsworth at gunpoint with the revolver, Wadsworth tells her that there are no more bullets in the gun, but Miss Scarlet insists she still has one left and threatens to kill him. Wadsworth reveals himself to be an undercover FBI agent and arrests Miss Scarlet as police arrive and secure the house. The evangelist is revealed to be the chief. Although still insisting to Miss Scarlet the revolver is empty, Wadsworth realizes she was right when he accidentally fires the last bullet into the air, hitting a chandelier and causing it to crash closely behind Colonel Mustard.
=== Ending B ===
Mrs. Peacock is revealed as the murderer of all the victims and escapes after holding the others at gunpoint. However, Wadsworth reveals himself as an FBI agent with the night's activities set up to spy on Mrs. Peacock's activities, believing her to be taking bribes by foreign powers. As Mrs. Peacock makes her way to her car, she is captured by the police, and the evangelist is revealed to be the chief.
=== Ending C ===
This ending is dubbed by the movie (on the home video release) as "But here's what really happened." Each murder was committed by a different person: Professor Plum killed Mr. Boddy in the hall with the candlestick, Mrs. Peacock killed the cook in the kitchen with the knife, Colonel Mustard killed the motorist in the lounge with the wrench after unlocking the cupboard where the weapons were kept and getting into the lounge via a secret passage from the conservatory, Mrs. White killed Yvette in the billiard room with the rope, and Miss Scarlet killed the cop in the library with the lead pipe. Mr. Green is accused of shooting the singing telegram girl in the hall with the revolver. Wadsworth then reveals not only did he kill her himself, but that he is, in fact, the real Mr. Boddy and the man Professor Plum killed was simply his butler. He had brought the other victims, who were his accomplices in the blackmail scheme, to the house to be killed by the guests and thus plans to continue blackmailing them now that there's no evidence against him. Mr. Green then draws another revolver and kills the blackmailer. Mr. Green reveals to the others that he is actually an undercover FBI agent and the whole evening was a set-up to catch the criminals. The police and FBI arrive and arrest all the guests for murder as the evangelist is revealed to be the chief. Mr. Green then declares that he killed Mr. Boddy, "In the Hall, with the revolver." He tells the chief to round everyone up, then smiles and says, "I'm going home to sleep with my wife."

Tags: comedy, mystery, murder, cult, violence, flashback, psychedelic, humor

Review:
Superbly casting some superlative film talents into the board game roles of Colonel Mustard et al, this throws the greatest over-actor of them all in as the butler and lets rip.
I cant say I'm a fan of that board game (although I sometimes play it on the quiz machine in pub), but I am a fan of murder mystery - and while this film is more of a joke than anything, it generally plays it's cards right and what we have here is a very entertaining little flick, that really does deserve your time!
Based on the board game of the same name by Parker Brothers, six guests, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum and Miss Scarlet are invited to a Victorian mansion for a dinner party.
I mean, this movie is just fantastic, marginally better than Murder By death, which I didn't understand at the end, though that is a good film.
The first movie based on a board game deals with several characters must unravel a lot of murders at a bizarre mansion.
. This popular charade deals with a fistful of famed stars (Lesley Ann Warren , Christopher Lloyd , Michael Mckean , Madeline Kahn , Martin Mull , Eileen Brennan) incarnating suspect criminals , as six guests are invited and must cooperate with the staff to solve a murder mystery .
The film takes place in "New England," 1954 as revealed in the opening scenes , as various characters are invited to a spooky mansion full of secret passages and spinning rooms , there they are received by an eccentric butler (amusingly played by Tim Curry who had previously starred in another comedy set in a gigantic mansion, that was The Rocky Horror Picture Show ,1975) and the buxom French maid Yvette (Colleen Camp though Jennifer Jason Leigh, Demi Moore and Madonna were considered for the role) .
It is an entertaining and fun comedy of murders in which the laughs pile up before your eyes , director has got success in keeping the bizarre and grotesque appearances of the actors in hyperactive movement , shouting and frantic running around , principally from Tim Curry .
The screenplay is funny and high quality in which it's not difficult to work out on which murder-solvers each of them is modeled ; furthermore , stand up Tim Curry as a botcher as well as hyperactive butler and a suitably eccentric Lesley Ann Warren , of course , Christopher Lloyd is appealing too .
Madeline Kahn is so sexy as femme fatale Mrs White, Lesley Anne Warren has the most sensational figure (although Dr who fans may agree, when we first see her she looks like a vervoid.) However it's Eileen Brennan's Mrs Peacock that I enjoy most, she delivers some hilarious lines with a slick and easy manner.
Clue has various guests at a house trying to solve a series of murders, all of them played by fun actors in full on hilarious camp mode.
Well, what do you know, "Clue" is one of the most fast paced and wittiest play-like comedies ever committed to film!
Even though I was mainly watching this for Christopher Lloyd (who starred in "Back To The Future" that same year, which is kinda hard to believe if you compare his looks in the two movies), Tim Curry (whose performance here seriously rivals all his other great roles like Frank 'N' Furter and Pennywise The Clown) and Michael McKean (great as ever), the whole cast really blew me away, because it had such a great on screen-chemistry together.Up until the ending (the three different endings, that is), "Clue" is one hell of an entertaining ride that doesn't bore you for a second.
Based off of the famous board game, Clue is a fantastic movie for people of all ages.
Scarlet the temptress, and of course you can not forget the amazing Tim Curry who plays cool and composed Wadsworth, the butler.As I said before, this is a movie for people of all ages.
The fact that this film also emulates this trend is more of a strength than a weakness in that it is just as focused on it's murder/ mystery theme as well as it's comedic theme.Besides this the performances of the entire cast in this film are first rate especially  Tim Curry who steals this film with his over the top performance of Wadsworth the butler (which I feel was his best one to date!!).
Clue also features an excellent soundtrack which denotes the fifties setting in which this film and boardgame  is based (I particularily like the energetic piece of classic music that is played throughout the film).Clue is a wonderful film whose entry  excels in each of it's genres such as comedy, murder/ mystery and of course the "movie based on a game" genre.
It's very difficult (probably impossible) for me to review this movie in any kind of objective way because growing up I loved it so much and watched it so many times I can likely recite the dialogue from start to finish.
As a spoof of whodunits, "Clue" gleefully overplays all the usual genre clichés: a ridiculously huge and spooky old mansion, secret passageways, a nighttime setting, a loud thunderstorm, a fire in the fireplace, gloved hands of the killer, and multiple suspects, all of whom have motives for murder.Of course nothing is to be taken seriously here; the film is played strictly for laughs.
Madeline Kahn as Mrs. White, and Tim Curry as Wadsworth the butler, are also good.Most of the predictably heavy dialogue is not especially funny, but some of it is, as this exchange between Col. Mustard (Martin Mull) and Wadsworth.
The two songs "Shake, Rattle And Roll" and "Life Could Be A Dream", along with those antique autos the suspects drive are the main "clues" to the film's setting in the early 1950s.Although the film is not nearly as good as "Murder By Death" (1976), a similar spoof, "Clue" is still an enjoyable film, especially for the fine performances of Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, and Tim Curry..
Another fine aspect of the film is its multiple endings, some better than others, admittedly, my favorite being the 'they all did it' ending, the funniest of the lot."Clue" isn't a perfect movie, some of the jokes fall flat, the score is problematic, and Lynn's direction is flat.
Now that he's dead i have a life." The cast are clearly having a complete riot with Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan and the late, great Madeline Kahn coming off with particular sparks.
Eileen Brennan's 'Mrs. Peacock' is flawless, as is Madeline Kahn's 'Ms. White,' Tim Curry's 'Wadsworth' and Michael McKean's 'Mr. Green.' If Hollywood made more movies with ensembles as competent across the board as this ( a la Eastwood with "Mystic River" and "Million Dollar Baby"), cinema would be a lot more satisfying..
Sure, it wasn't like the game, but it was a laugh-out-loud comedy to watch again and again.The cast/acting is perfect.
Tim Curry steals every line as Wadsworth to keep me laughing my head off right to the very end, Eileen Brennan was flawless as Mrs. Peacock with a much better edge, Madeliene Kahn was hilarious as Mrs. White with her fantastic lines "Husband should be like Kleenex: Soft, Strong and Disposable" and "Life before death is as improbable as sex after marriage", Christopher Lloyd did his best with his subtlety and drama as Professor Plum, Michael McKean did a hilarious job as the whiny and timid, but hilarious Mr. Green and Martin Mull did great with his comedic moments as Colonel Mustard while most of the actors did well.This movie also has some great music, both haunting and beautiful along with it's nice visuals and some brilliant cinematography, but the two things that stood out the best are the clever story and it's gem of a script.
Well, the filmmakers succeeded with flying colors.Despite what the naysayers have said, "Clue" has a fairly complex story intertwining the lives of the famous characters from the board game and throwing in blackmail, murder and a whole lot of stupid boob jokes.
With everyone from Michael McKean to Martin Mull to Madeline Kahn, the cast is simply perfect although I gotta admit that both Tim Curry and Bill Henderson really stand-out as the fastidious butler and a cop who looks like he was trained by Elmer Fudd.The set design is really appropriate for the genre with a spooky Victorian house set against a dark and stormy night.
In a similar way to 'Murder By Death' the film thrives on comedy and confusion and, although you may find it confusing at times, everything makes sense when compiled at the end as it leads towards (on the DVD) one of three surprise endings.
But the film is still good, delirious fun, and those who like drawing-room mysteries and ensemble comedies (yes, Tim Curry steals the film, but Lesley Ann Warren's great work should not be overlooked) will probably consider this film a treasure.
Hence, the connection to the board game.You have a great comedic cast, even if there is not much of a story and the entire film is focused on the characters really doing nothing more than running all around the creepy mansion, engaging in a few amusing miscalculations.
I suppose because they weren't sure how to end such a simple story (and given all of the possibilities you're offered in the game), they have this is a movie with three different endings, each starting with..."if it happened that way." But, this comedy is particularly saved by a tremendous cast, especially Madeline Kahn (I love the "flames" routine she does) as the scheming Mrs. White.The story is quite similar to the 1945 mystery drama, "...And Then There Were None," based on the Agatha Christie novel.
When a few of the guests in the house end up murdered, the other guests must work together to figure out the identity of the killer...Based on the popular board game Cluedo, Clue is a wonderful idea for a film and it certainly had bags of potential (and indeed a lot of this potential is highlighted at the start of the film when the mysterious guests first become acquainted), but once all the introductions are out of the way the film, for me, sadly went downhill very fast...There is far too much exposition and not enough action in the first half of the film; I get that some exposition is necessary to establish the characters and how each of them slots into the story, but I do think that this aspect of the film could have been trimmed down somewhat to prevent audiences from nodding off.
In fact it's hard to believe that John Landis was involved in this crap as he has shown both before and after this film that he's capable of much better.I certainly liked the idea of making a film based on the popular board game of Cluedo, but sadly like a lot of the murders depicted in the film Clue is badly executed....
Frenetically paced, "Clue" features a never ending series of (sometimes subtle) one-liners, a cast of mysterious characters and a bewildering array of possibilities as to the identity of the killer(s) of 6 people in a mansion where a group of apparently unconnected people were invited to attend a dinner party.To give marks for originality, this may be the only movie I've come across that's based on a Parker Brothers (or any other) board game.
Being an avid admirer of the Cluedo board game this film couldn't have missed, for me anyway.Six people are invited to dinner in a creepy old mansion on a dark and stormy night (of course) where they are to be addressed by fake names (Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum etc.).
Characters like Lesley Ann warren (playing miss scarlet) makes the film sexy but deadly, Madeline Khan (Mrs white)keeps it mysterious and and intriguing which makes the pair nearly opposites.
Based on the board game Clue (Cluedo in Australia and Europe) the story tells of six people being summoned to an American Gothic mansion for an evening of revealed secrets and murder.
having never seen this movie before,i was kinda looking forward to it.i thought it might be interesting.turns out i was dead wrong.the only thing that seemed to be happening in this movie was a lot of meaningless noise and aimless chaos.it was just too stupid.plus,it made next to no sense.maybe i just expected too much.if i had see it when it had originally came out,i might have enjoyed.if so,it sure hasn't held up well.i tried to watch it to the end,but i just couldn't make it.there are some good comedic actors here,but they have nothing to work with.of course,that's just my opinion.i could be out to lunch.my best advice,try and find it on cable or as a cheap rental.for me,Clue is a 3/10.
As said before it is a slow film which won't be liked by people who are not aware of the famous broad game.Performances by all the actors are commendable: Tim Curry is impressive as the butler, who takes a summer salt in the end.
Eileen Brennan's performance is a stand out, and good old Tim Curry keeps the plot moving.If you're looking for crass, obvious humour, this film isn't for you.
Being greeted by the butler Wadsworth (Tim Curry) and informed that they must stick to their given aliases, the only thing initially that links Miss Scarlett (Leslie Ann Warren), Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), Mrs Peacock (Eileen Brennan), Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd), Mrs White (Madeline Kahn) and Mr Green (Michael McKean) is that they are being blackmailed by Mr Boddy (Lee Ving).
But how about this?Though noticeably flawed behind frequent microscopic analysis, 1985's "Clue" is well-deserving of its cult status as an under-appreciated comedy as well as for its amazing repeat value on par with, perhaps, Monty Python.Using the famous board game favorite as a springboard, the film mixes the game's familiar characters with a horror movie set, 1950's paranoia, and a preposterous scenario suitable for use by either a dinner theater or Agatha Christie.
RELEASED IN 1985 and directed by Jonathan Lynn, "Clue" is a comedic murder mystery based on the board game featuring an "all-star" cast (Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Brennan, Lesley Ann Warren, etc.).This is a good movie if you're in the mood for an amusing mystery that takes place during the McCarthy era (1954) almost entirely within a vast gothic mansion on a stormy night.
Based on the board game; the film stars Tim Curry as Waddington, the Butler of Mr Boddy.
Believe or not this film is also another childhood relic of mine, I saw this film when I was about 8, I was fascinated with the mystery/detective and noir genre since I was into the TV show "Magnum P.I" even the film "The Great Mouse Detective" but I never saw a live action movie mystery/suspense thriller in my life, when I bumped into this film I was blown away, so this was literally the first one I saw and it's still one of the best.What makes it even more interesting was the fact it was based on my favorite board game "Clue".
Each of the cast members play the mixed and colorful characters from the board game well, their not exactly characters but more the typical character archetypes from any of the old murder mystery mancion stories.The late great Madeline Kahn is great as Ms. White, whom is pretty much the Black Widow whom has a heart of ice.
One favorite quote of mine is "Comunism is a red herring." it's funny because it's true it was a common cliché in most suspense thrillers at the time where the perpetrator was usual a spy for the Russans.I really love the three scenario ending which I thought was brilliant, and makes sense since the board game "Clue" was also about a single player constructing any mystery scenario they want, to set up anyone to be the guilty culprit.
Since then I have seen it many times and it is now one of my favourite movies.It's 1955, and a Butler, a Maid, and 6 guests, are invited to Hill House where they quickly get involved in 6 murders!
The acting in fact is solid all around; everyone in the cast gives a great performance.At the end of the movie they show three alternate endings each one more insane and hilarious then the other; even though some endings may not make sense or may even seem impossible it is still great because it is so insane and funny.Fans of the board game will definitely like the movie.
The movie certainly has the feel of the game and the house even looks like the board.
The acting is good and the movie is chock full of stars like Tim Curry, Martin Mull, Christopher Lloyd and other big name stars.
In fact, I will go ahead and say that Clue is my favorite film based on a board game.
Considering that this movie is based on a board game, it's best not to expect an Oscar-winning film.
Tim Curry plays Wadsworth the butler, who hosts six guests(played by Michael McKean, Madeline Kahn, Martin Mull, Eileen Brennan, Christopher Lloyd, and Lesley Ann Warren) who become involved in an elaborate murder mystery involving their host, the maid, a singing telegram girl, etc.
Based on the board game Clue (or Cluedo to us Brits and probably everyone else outside of America), it tells the story of a group of misfits with a lot to hide arriving at a remote mansion, with butler Wadsworth (Curry) playing the host and guide.The group consists of Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan), Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn), Professor Plum (Lloyd), Mr. Green (Michael McKean), Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull) and Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren), who after eating dinner are ushered into the rest area to meet their blackmailer, Mr Boddy (Lee Ving).