Sleuth (1972 film)
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| Sleuth | |
|---|---|
| Image:Sleuth movie.jpg Sleuth film poster | |
| Directed by | Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
| Produced by | Morton Gottlieb |
| Written by | Anthony Shaffer |
| Starring | Laurence Olivier Michael Caine |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation |
| Release date(s) | December 10, 1972 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 138 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Sleuth is the 1972 film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning play by British playwright Anthony Shaffer, who wrote the screenplay. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, it stars Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine.
The plot centers on Andrew Wyke, a wealthy writer of detective novels who delights in playing elaborate games. Aware that Milo Tindle, the owner of a chain of hairdressing salons, is having an affair with his wife, Marguerite, Wyke - who is having an affair of his own with Tea and is delighted his wife is occupied elsewhere - invites him to his country manor house. Wyke's concern is that Tindle, a struggling businessman, will be unable to maintain Marguerite in the style to which she has become accustomed, and she'll leave him and be home on a more regular basis.
Wyke suggests that Tindle steal Marguerite's valuable jewelry and sell it in order to live happily with Marguerite, while Wyke will claim the insurance in order to live happily with Tea. The proposal sets off a series of schemes and double-crosses with potentially deadly results.
Shaffer initially was reluctant to sell the film rights to the play, fearful it would undercut its success of the stage. When he finally did relent, he hoped the film version would retain the services of Anthony Quayle, who essayed the role of Wyke in London and on Broadway. Alan Bates was Shaffer's pick for the part of Milo Tindle. In the end, director Mankiewicz opted for Olivier and Caine, though the former had once denounced the play as a "piece of piss."
The film is noted for its prop-cluttered set (courtesy of production designer Ken Adam), quasi-baroque music score by John Addison (whose Oscar nomination was announced after Nino Rota's score for The Godfather was ruled ineligible), and its Oscar-nominated performances from Olivier and Caine.
The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier), Best Director and Best Music, Original Dramatic Score. It was one of the few films in which the entire cast was nominated for Oscars. Olivier won the New York Film Critics award for Best Actor. Shaffer received an Edgar Award for his screenplay.
On September 7, 2006, Kenneth Branagh announced at the Venice Film Festival that he would be directing a remake of the film, with a screenplay by Harold Pinter, starring Caine as Wyke and Jude Law (who is also producing the film) as Tindle. Production is scheduled to start in January 2007.es:La huella fr:Le Limier
