The Last of Sheila

This a niche type film (who done it with a revenge motif). It was great fun looking and being guided with clues in finding.the murderer. The locale is on a small yacht off the coast of the french riviera The invited guests of James Coburn ,our host ,who guides the audience in finding the murderer of his beloved Sheila. The clues are there for the viewer to find the killer and his/her motive. If you are a lover of film you actually feel the fun the cast is having making this movie. You also will enjoy a fine cast , especially James Coburn being James Coburn with a very interesting ending . Spend the time inwatching a very enjoyable, unpredictable film. If you want to watch a film of this genre and are never expecting that you may actually guessed the culprit then A. Christie is your speed. If you want an ending that is so far out read John Dickson Carr(my favorite author for unpredictability). This movie does provide reasonable clues. Each character slowly throughout the film appears to have a motive. As.I stated earlier there are helpful clues but its the interaction among this cast that makes it enjoyable to watch. Read more

This witty complex thriller was written by actor Anthony Perkins (Psycho) and Composer Stephen Sondheim (Sweeney Todd, Into the woods). Directed by Herbert Ross who also directed The Goodbye Girl, Steel Magnolias. Some Incredible actors, sadly some of the actors are no longer with us, James Coburn, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, Ian Mcshane and Raquel Welch give them a yacht for the week with a scenic view of the South of France, throw in an elaborate murder game and what have we got a marvelous mystery puzzle that gets the mind ticking over. A movie Kingpin Clinton Green (James Coburn) wife Sheila was killed by a hit and run driver the year before, he decides on the first anniversary of her death to host a cruise on his yacht with friends who in turn believe its to talk over a production deal for a new picture. Clinton believes one of the friends knows something about his wife death, so little do they know his devised a theatrical game to be played out as the week commences to flush out unanswered questions. The Sheila Green Memorial Gossip Game: Every player is given a random card, each card holds a title with a pretend piece of gossip, Rule: no other person is to divulge each others information. Every night they will be sent to a different location with a given clue and a time span to solve the game, the host decides when the game is over, the person who solves the most mysteries by the end of the week wins. Five pieces of gossip, six secrets and a host who underestimates how far players will go to keep skeletons in the closet. Made in the early seventies, I first watched this film around the early nineties on UK TV and wished I owned a copy then. Purchased a few years ago, hidden away and re-found and re-watched again last night. There are so many great things about this film what a great cast line up all acting is strong apart I felt for Raquel Welch who was a little bit shaky at times in her part, but others I feel may say who needs good acting or words when you look great in a bikini! I would also like to add because this film was made in the seventies don't expect fast scenes flashing from one to the next (everyone attention span seems shorter these days) there are a couple of very long scenes with the cast discussing ideas and breaking down the mysteries for a good twenty minuets in one room. Some may feel too long but I think those dramatic monologues adds to the quality and mystery of this film. All the mysteries loop into one another, cleverly plotted, if your watching it for the first time there are inside jokes you won't realize until the finish and clues all over the place, just about every scene or shot has a clue or a piece of trickery, red herrings. In fact there are so many different clues that once the whole film is played out you'll be re-watching it and thinking to yourself how did I miss that! Many funny, witty lines and just about everyone in the film looks like there enjoying themselves. The underlined game brings forward topics and taboos about general life, some are darker topics which I felt were dealt with in the right way it wasn't thrown in our faces, just put out there and discussed. Thoroughly enjoyable entertainment after all these years recommended to all mystery lovers. For first time viewers all aboard and here's your clue: This is a game where you don't have to move if your smart enough! Special features included commentary of the film by Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon and Raquel Welch. Theatrical Trailer and subtitles in English French and Spanish. Andrea Bowhill Read more

I bought this because I love “Knives Out” and enjoyed “Green Onion”, and this film was mentioned as one of the inspirations for the latter film. Boy, no kidding! The whole notion of a friend gathering his friends on board a boat to play a mystery game started right here. Aside from that, it’s also a really fun whodunit that slowly draws out the story by letting us get to know the characters before it gets into the actual murder and solving the mystery. It’s tone is rather understated I felt, rather than it being a “event movie” with a big cast of stars or a light romp like the Murder by Deaths, which helped me enjoy the film more. The video quality is great too, even better if you own a 4K TV like I do. It was fun seeing these celebrity stars again. Definitely a must-see for Knives Out/Green Onion fans! Read more

A big shot movie producer calls a group of friends (well, hangers-on, really) to his yacht, the 'Sheila.' He challenges them with a game: each person's deepest secret will be given to another, but no one one knows whose secret they've been given. The object of the game? Determine whose secret each has. The game starts off fine...and then a murder occurs. And the secret to the murderer's identity lies in the game itself. And what connection does it have to the hit-and-run death of the producer's wife Sheila (whence the yacht's name) a year earlier? This one is clever, with more going on than first appears. Splendid cast including James Mason, Richard Benjamin, Raquel Welch, Dyan Cannon, Anthony Perkins, and Ian McShane. I've heard this was a big influence on Rian Johnson when he was making Knives Out. I believe it. Though the plots are entirely different, the "mechanisms" of the plot are similar. Read more

The list of people involved with this thing is insane: - Script co-written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins - Principal cast that includes James Coburn, Dyan Cannon, Raquel Welch, James Mason, and (a very young) Ian McShane. - Closing credits song by Bette Midler - Costumes by Joel "I directed two Batman movies" Schumacher The end result was...fine, I guess? for the first two-thirds it was a fairly entertaining, occasionally campy parlor game, albeit on a yacht instead of a mansion. James Coburn, who usually played stern "man's man" types, does something a bit different, this time going for something a little more flamboyant. However, I don't think the film really sticks the landing. The part where the mystery is solved turned out to be a little too talky. And the ending, although probably shooting for something satirical (there's a lot of Hollywood insider talk/jokes throughout), was more head-scratching than anything else. Not something I'd rush to watch again, but I was entertained. Read more