The List of Adrian Messenger [Blu-ray]

Director: John Huston John Huston

Overview

This kaleidoscopic murder mystery begins when Messinger (John Merivale) visits his friend Gethrin (George C. Scott). Messinger gives the retire air force colonel a list of twelve names and asks Gethrin to find the people on the list. Gethrin is alarmed when Messinger's plane blows up immediately following their visit. After looking into the list, he discovers the names all have something in uncommonly in common. All were British prisoners of war in Burma during World War II, and all but one of the men have died under mysterious circumstances. The trail leads Gethin to a sprawling country estate after it is discovered the killer is a master of disguise who was an enemy spy with the prisoners in Burma. The killer's next target is the young boy who is slated to inherit millions of dollars from his uncle, the next victim on The List Of Adrian Messinger. The still unknown killer sets a trap for the young boy as Gethrin tried to stop the murderer before it's too late. John Huston directs this film and make a cameo appearance. Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, and Kirk Douglas also have cameo roles and are nearly thoroughly disguised by the expert make-up magic of Bud Westmore.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/17/2018
UPC:	0191329032138
Original Release:	1963
Rating:	NR
Source:	Universal
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	25,256

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kirk Douglas	George Brougham / Vicar Atlee / Mr. Pythian / Arthur Henders
Tony Curtis	Cameo
Burt Lancaster	Cameo
George C. Scott	Anthony Gethryn
Dana Wynter	Lady Jocelyn Bruttenholm
Clive Brook	Marquis de Gleneyre
Herbert Marshall	Actor
Gladys Cooper	Actor
Jacques Roux	Actor
John Merivale	Actor
Marcel Dalio	Actor
Ronald Long	Carstairs
Bernard Archard	Actor
Walter Huston	Actor,Actor,Derek Bruttenholm
Roland DeLong	Actor
Anita Sharp Bolster	Actor
Alan Caillou	Actor
Anita Bolster	Mrs. Slattery
Noel Purcell	Actor
Richard Peel	Actor
Bernard Fox	Actor
Nelson Welch	Actor
Tim Durant	Actor
Barbara Morrison	Actor
Jennifer Raine	Actor
Constance Cavendish	Actor
Eric Heath	Actor
Anna Van Der Heida	Actor
Delphi Lawrence	Actor
Robert Mitchum	Actor
Frank Sinatra	Actor
Mona Lilian	Actor
Stacey Morgan	Actor
Joe Lynch	Actor
Jerry Goldsmith	Composer

Technical Credits

Anthony Veiller

John Huston	Director
Edward Lewis	Producer
Anthony Veiller	Screenwriter
Waldon O. Watson	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

The List of Adrian Messenger is a gimmick film that doesn't need the gimmick. Anthony Veiller's adaptation of the Phillip MacDonald novel provides the film with a careful, intricate storyline, and John Huston supplies enough quirky direction to give the film a flair and style that are more lasting than its somewhat distracting "spot-the-star" cameos. Filmed on location in Huston's then-stomping ground of Ireland, Adrian Messenger has an observant sense of detail that gives it a strong verisimilitude. Jerry Goldsmith's score and Joe MacDonald's cinematography contribute significantly to the film's atmosphere. What's most fun about Adrian Messenger, however, is watching George C. Scott's detective match wits with Kirk Douglas's villain.