Clue
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJonathan Lynn
Screenplay byJonathan Lynn
Story by
Based onCluedo
by Anthony E. Pratt
Produced byDebra Hill
Starring
CinematographyVictor J. Kemper
Edited by
Music byJohn Morris
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • December 13, 1985 (1985-12-13)
Running time
97 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million
Box office$14.6 million

Clue is a 1985 American black comedy mystery film based on the board game of the same name. Directed by Jonathan Lynn, who co-wrote the script with John Landis, and produced by Debra Hill, it stars the ensemble cast of Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, and Colleen Camp.

Inspired by the nature of the board game, the film's initial release featured various different endings, with one of three possibilities sent to each theater. Home media releases include all three endings presented sequentially. The film initially received mixed reviews and did poorly at the box office, grossing $14.6 million in the United States against its budget of $15 million,[2] but later developed a considerable cult following.[3][4]

Plot

In 1954, six strangers are invited to a secluded New England mansion. Greeted by Wadsworth the butler and Yvette the maid, each guest receives a pseudonym to maintain confidentiality: "Colonel Mustard", "Mrs. White", "Mrs. Peacock", "Mr. Green", "Professor Plum", and "Miss Scarlet".

They are soon joined by Mr. Boddy, who has been blackmailing everyone for some time. Wadsworth has notified the police, who will arrive in 45 minutes, but Boddy threatens to expose everyone if he is arrested. He then gives them six weapons — a candlestick, a dagger, a lead pipe, a revolver, rope, and a wrench — and demands someone kill Wadsworth, who possesses the front door key and whose death will ensure no one will learn their secrets, before turning out the lights. A gunshot rings out before Peacock turns the lights back on, revealing Boddy seemingly dead with no indication as to how at first glance.

As the guests investigate Boddy's death, Wadsworth explains his wife committed suicide after she refused to name friends who were socialists, forcing Wadsworth to become Boddy's butler. He then summoned the guests, hoping to force a confession out of Boddy and turn him over to the police. The group suspect the cook, Mrs. Ho, of killing Boddy, only to find she was fatally stabbed with the dagger. Amidst this, someone discovers Boddy is alive before killing him with the candlestick. Wadsworth locks the weapons in a cupboard, but before he can throw away the key, a stranded motorist arrives and Wadsworth locks him in the lounge before throwing a key out the front door. After the group pair up to search the mansion, someone burns the blackmail evidence, unlocks the cupboard, and kills the motorist with the wrench. Discovering a secret passage, Mustard and Scarlet find themselves locked in the lounge with the motorist's corpse until Yvette shoots the door open with the revolver.

A cop investigating the motorist's abandoned car arrives to use the phone. The mansion receives a call from FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, which Wadsworth takes alone. After successfully distracting the officer and hiding the bodies, the group resume their search until someone turns off the electricity. In the confusion, Yvette, the cop, and an arriving singing telegram girl are murdered with the rope, pipe, and revolver, respectively. Wadsworth restores the power and gathers the group, having deduced what happened. Recreating the night's events, he explains that the other five victims were Boddy's informants who are each connected to one of the guests: Ho used to be Peacock's cook; Scarlet bribed the cop; the motorist was Mustard's driver during World War II; Yvette was one of Scarlet's call girls who had an affair with White's missing husband; and Plum had an affair with the singing telegram. An evangelist interrupts the gathering, but Peacock turns him away. Wadsworth continues his explanation, with one of three possible outcomes.[lower-alpha 1]

Ending A: 'How It Could Have Happened'

Scarlet ordered Yvette to murder Ho and Boddy before killing her and the other victims. Intending to sell the guests' secrets, Scarlet prepares to use the revolver to kill Wadsworth, who argues that there are no bullets left before disarming her just as law enforcement raid the manor, led by the evangelist, the undercover chief of police. Afterward, Wadsworth reveals he is an undercover FBI agent before accidentally firing the last bullet in the revolver at a chandelier, which narrowly misses Mustard.

Ending B: 'How About This?'

Peacock killed the victims to prevent them from exposing her for taking bribes from foreign powers. Using the revolver to hold the others at gunpoint, she forces them to let her leave. To the others' confused relief, Wadsworth reveals he is an undercover FBI agent while Peacock is arrested by the evangelist, the undercover chief of police, before law enforcement raid the manor.

Ending C: 'Here's What Really Happened'

Apart from Green, everyone committed one murder. Plum missed Boddy before ultimately succeeding; Peacock stabbed Ho; Mustard bludgeoned the motorist; a jealous White throttled Yvette for being with her husband, who she also killed; Scarlet clubbed the cop; and Wadsworth shot the singing telegram. Green deduces Wadsworth is the real Boddy, who reveals Plum killed the real butler and announces his intent to continue blackmailing the guests. Green draws his own revolver and kills him. As the evangelist, the undercover chief of police, leads law enforcement in raiding the manor, Green reveals he is an undercover FBI agent sent to investigate Boddy.

Cast

Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren), Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn), Mr. Green (Michael McKean), Wadsworth (Tim Curry), Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd), and Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan)

Production

Development

Producer Debra Hill initially acquired the rights to adapt the game from Parker Brothers and intended to distribute through Universal Pictures.[5] As early as 1981 Hill mentioned plans to adapt the game into a movie, with P. D. James reported to be writing the screenplay with multiple endings.[6]

Screenplay

The multiple-endings were developed by John Landis, who had initially been set to direct, and who claimed in an interview to have invited playwright Tom Stoppard, writer and composer Stephen Sondheim, and actor Anthony Perkins to write the screenplay. The script was ultimately finished by Jonathan Lynn, who was invited to direct as a result.[3][5]

Scrapped ending

A fourth ending was filmed, but Lynn removed it because, he later said, "It really wasn't very good. I looked at it, and I thought, 'No, no, no, we've got to get rid of that.'"[7] In that ending, Wadsworth committed all the murders. He was motivated by his desire for perfection. Having failed to be either the perfect husband or the perfect butler, he decided to be the perfect murderer instead. Wadsworth reports that he poisoned the champagne the guests drank so they would soon die, leaving no witnesses. The police and the FBI arrive and Wadsworth is arrested. He breaks free and steals a police car, but his escape is thwarted when three police dogs lunge from the back seat. This ending is documented in Clue: The Storybook, a tie-in book released in conjunction with the film.[8]

Casting

Carrie Fisher was originally cast to portray Miss Scarlet, but withdrew to enter treatment for drug and alcohol addiction; she was replaced with Lesley Ann Warren.[9][10] Jonathan Lynn's first choice for Wadsworth was Leonard Rossiter, but he died before filming commenced.[11] The second choice was Rowan Atkinson, but it was decided that he was not sufficiently well known at the time, so Tim Curry was cast.[11] The entire cast was paid the same salary and billing, despite their different levels of notability at the time.[5]

Filming

Clue was filmed on sound stages 17 and 18 at the Paramount Pictures film studios in Hollywood.[12] The set design is credited to Les Gobruegge, Gene Nollmanwas, and William B. Majorand, with set decoration by Thomas L. Roysden.[13] To decorate the interior sets, authentic 18th- and 19th-century furnishings were rented from private collectors, including the estate of Theodore Roosevelt.[14] After completion, the set was bought by the producers of Dynasty, who used it as the fictional hotel The Carlton.

All interior scenes were filmed at the Paramount lot, except the ballroom scene. The ballroom, as well two driveway exteriors, were filmed on location at a mansion in South Pasadena, California. This site was destroyed in a fire on October 5, 2005.[15] The driveway and fountain were recreated on the Paramount lot and used for most shots, including the guests' arrivals. Exterior shots of the Pasadena mansion were enhanced with matte paintings to make the house appear much larger; these were executed by matte artist Syd Dutton in consultation with Albert Whitlock.

Jonathan Lynn screened His Girl Friday for the cast as inspiration for how to deliver their lines.[5] Madeline Kahn improvised Mrs. White's famous "flames" speech.[3]

Release

The film was released theatrically on December 13, 1985. Each theater received one of the three endings, and some theaters announced which ending the viewer would see.[16]

Novelizations

The novelization is by Michael McDowell, based on the screenplay. Landis, Lynn, and Ann Matthews wrote a children's adaptation, Paramount Pictures Presents Clue: The Storybook. Both adaptations were published in 1985, and differ from the film in that they feature a fourth ending cut from the film.[17] In this ending, Wadsworth says that he killed Boddy as well as the other victims, and then reveals to the guests that he has poisoned them all so that there will be no witnesses and he will have committed the perfect crime. As he runs through the house to disable the phones and lock the doors, the chief of police – who had been posing as an evangelist – returns, followed by the police, who disarm Wadsworth. Wadsworth then repeats the confession he gave the guests, physically acting out each scene himself. When he arrives at the part about meeting Colonel Mustard at the door, he steps through the door, closes it, and locks it, leaving all the guests trapped inside. The police and guests escape through a window while Wadsworth attempts to make a getaway in a police car, only to hear the growling of a Dobermann from the back seat.[18][19]

Home media

The film was released to home video for VCR, both VHS and Betamax formats in Canada and the United States on August 20, 1986, and to other countries on February 11, 1991.[20] It was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment in June 17, 2000,[21] and on Blu-ray by Paramount Home Media Distribution on August 7, 2012.[22]

On December 12, 2023, Shout! Factory released a 4K UHD Blu-ray collector's edition of Clue. It includes new interviews with director Jonathan Lynn and production manager Jeffrey Chernov.[23]

The home video, television broadcasts, and on-demand streaming by services such as Netflix include all three endings shown sequentially, with the first two characterized as possible endings but the third (Ending C) being the only true one. All Blu-ray and DVD versions offer viewers the option to watch the endings separately (chosen randomly by the player), as well as the "home entertainment version" ending with all three of them stitched together.[24]

Soundtrack

In February 2011, La-La Land Records released John Morris's score for the film as a limited-edition soundtrack CD.[25] In 2015, for the film's 30th anniversary, Mondo issued a limited-edition vinyl pressed on six different colored 180 Gram Vinyl colors for each of the suspects.[26]

Stage adaptations

The screenplay for the film was adapted for stage performances in 2017 by the original screenwriter Jonathan Lynn.[27][28] Sandy Rustin wrote a second adaptation that was first performed in 2020. Juan Ramirez described a performance of Rustin's adaptation as "a welcome throwback to an era of physical comedy".[29] The stage adaptations have been performed widely.[30]

Reception

Critical response

The film initially received mixed reviews. Janet Maslin of The New York Times panned it, writing that the beginning "is the only part of the film that is remotely engaging. After that, it begins to drag".[31] Similarly, Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, writing, "Clue offers a few big laughs early on followed by a lot of characters running around on a treadmill to nowhere."[32] Siskel particularly criticized the decision to release the film to theaters with three separate endings, calling it a "gimmick" that would distract audiences from the rest of the film, and concluding, "Clue is a movie that needs three different middles rather than three different endings."[32]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, writing that it has a "promising" cast but the "screenplay is so very, very thin that [the actors] spend most of their time looking frustrated, as if they'd just been cut off right before they were about to say something interesting."[16] On Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, both agreed that the "A" ending was the best while the "C" ending was the worst.[33]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A robust ensemble of game actors elevate Clue above its schematic source material, but this farce's reliance on novelty over organic wit makes its entertainment value a roll of the dice."[21] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[34]

Box office

Clue has grossed $14.6 million in North America, just short of its $15 million budget.[2]

Remake

Universal Studios announced in 2011 that a new film based on the game was being developed. The film was initially dropped,[35] then resumed as Hasbro teamed up with Gore Verbinski to produce and direct.[36]

In August 2016, The Tracking Board reported that Hasbro had landed at 20th Century Fox with Josh Feldman producing for Hasbro, Ryan Jones serving as the executive producer and Daria Cercek overseeing the project. The film was to be a "worldwide mystery" with action-adventure elements, potentially setting up a possible franchise that could play well internationally.[37] In January 2018, 20th Century Fox announced that Ryan Reynolds, who had established a three-year first-look deal with the studio, would star in the remake, with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick—writers for the Reynolds-led Deadpool, its sequel, and Life—as scriptwriters.[38] In September 2019, TheWrap reported that Jason Bateman was in talks to direct and star in the film, but was rejected shortly after.[39] In February 2020, Deadline Hollywood reported that James Bobin was in talks with 20th Century Studios to direct the film.[40] In August 2022, Oren Uziel was hired to rewrite the script.[41]

In other media

  • The 2011 Adventure Time episode “The Creeps” sees Finn and company as guests to a mysterious masquerade hosted by a homicidal ghost in a spoof of the film.
  • The 2010 Family Guy episode "And Then There Were Fewer" parodies Clue alongside elements of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
  • The 2012 episode "Clue: SI" of the series CSI: NY makes several references to the film and game.
  • The 2013 Psych episode "100 Clues" features Clue stars Martin Mull, Christopher Lloyd, and Lesley Ann Warren as suspects in a series of murders at a mansion. The episode, in addition to many jokes and themes in homage to the film, includes multiple endings in which the audience (separately for East and West Coast viewership) decides who is the real killer. The episode was dedicated to the memory of Madeline Kahn.[42]
  • Writer-director Jonathan Lynn recorded a feature-length commentary for the film, independently produced by writer and devoted Clue fan Joshua Brandon. First released on episode 377 of the SModcast with Kevin Smith on June 17, 2017, the director's audio commentary has been distributed on multiple popular platforms.
  • Warren guest starred on a 2019 episode of Mull's sitcom The Cool Kids as a love interest for his character. Her role announcement in November 2018 was initially touted by the press as a Clue reunion, though only Mull and Warren appear.[43]
  • The retrospective tribute film Who Done It: The Clue Documentary debuted in November 2022, followed by an ETR Media Blu-ray release in February 2023, then streaming on Screambox in August 2023. The film details the making of Clue and its rise to cult status, based on interviews with surviving cast and crew.[44]

Notes

  1. ↑ Home media releases containing all three endings use interstitial title cards to introduce each ending.

References

  1. ↑ "Clue". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Clue (1985)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 Vary, Adam B. (September 2, 2013). "'Something Terrible Has Happened Here': The Crazy Story of How 'Clue' Went from Forgotten Flop to Cult Triumph". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  4. ↑ Frank, Priscilla (August 6, 2015). "30 Years Later and 'Clue' the Movie Is Still a Work of Cult Genius". HuffPost. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Farber, Stephen (August 25, 1985). "OFF THE BOARD, ONTO THE SCREEN FOR CLUE". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  6. ↑ Freedman, Richard (October 30, 1981). "Double Bill: Tonight's 'Halloween' horrorthon based on writer's teen memories". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  7. ↑ Farr, Nick (March 13, 2012). "Abnormal Interviews: My Cousin Vinny Director Jonathan Lynn". Abnormal Use. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  8. ↑ Matthews, Landis & Lynn 1985, pp. 57–59.
  9. ↑ "Bad Movies We Love: Clue". Movieline. December 14, 2011. Archived from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  10. ↑ https://ew.com/movies/clue-oral-history/
  11. 1 2 Jackson, Matthew (April 1, 2016). "13 Mysterious Facts About Clue". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  12. ↑ Hatch, John. "What Do You Mean, Murder?" Clue and the Making of a Cult Classic. Fayetteville Mafia Press. ISBN 1949024601.
  13. ↑ "Full cast and crew for Clue (1985)". IMDb. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
  14. ↑ "Clue (1985) Movie Filming Locations". The 80s Movies Rewind. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Photos from Filming Location – 2003". The Art of Murder. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  16. 1 2 Ebert, Roger (December 12, 1985). "Clue". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2014 – via RogerEbert.com.
  17. ↑ Matthews, Landis & Lynn 1985.
  18. ↑ McDowell, Michael (1985). Paramount Pictures Presents Clue. New York: Fawcett Gold Medal. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-4491-3049-0.
  19. ↑ Matthews, Landis & Lynn 1985, p. 61.
  20. ↑ Hatch, John. "What Do You Mean, Murder?" Clue and the Making of a Cult Classic. Fayetteville Mafia Press. ISBN 1949024601.
  21. 1 2 "Clue Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. December 13, 1985. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  22. ↑ Katz, Josh (January 18, 2012). "Paramount Teases Four Upcoming Blu-ray Releases". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Clue Collector's Edition". Shout! Factory. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Clue Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Clue: The Movie: Limited Edition". La-La Land Records. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Clue: The Movie – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack LP". Mondo. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  27. ↑ Vary, Adam B. (September 2, 2013). "'Something Terrible Has Happened Here': The Crazy Story of How 'Clue' Went from Forgotten Flop to Cult Triumph". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2022. Landis recounts the time a class of eighth-graders reached out to him for permission to stage Clue as a play. "I advised them to do it and not ask Paramount for permission — just don't charge money," he says. "It was somewhere in the Midwest. And then I got a very cute home video of the production." When a semi-professional troupe based in Los Angeles made the same request, however, Landis told them to get in touch with Lynn and Paramount. Lynn dropped by the performance and was as astonished with what he was seeing offstage as on it.
  28. ↑ Cox, Gordon (October 11, 2016). "'Clue' on Stage: Play by Movie's Writer-Director to Bow in 2017 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  29. ↑ Ramírez, Juan A. (February 8, 2022). "'Clue' Review: A Whodunit That Looks a Lot Like a Board Game". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  30. ↑ Weinert-Kendt, Rob (September 23, 2022). "'Clyde's' Is Most-Produced Play, and Lynn Nottage Most-Produced Playwright, of 2022-23 Season". American Theater.
  31. ↑ Maslin, Janet (December 13, 1985). "Screen: 'Clue,' from Game to Film". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  32. 1 2 Siskel, Gene (December 13, 1985). "Did The Butler Do It? Clue Offers 3 Answers". Chicago Tribune. p. A. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  33. ↑ Siskel, Gene; Ebert, Roger (December 1985). "At the Movies with Siskel & Ebert". Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via YouTube. The best ending...is "A"...stay away from the worst which is "C".
  34. ↑ "Clue Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  35. ↑ Rich, Katey (August 3, 2011). "Clue Movie Dropped By Universal, But Hasbro Is Still Making It On Their Own". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  36. ↑ Fleming, Michael (February 24, 2009). "Gore Verbinski to develop 'Clue'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  37. ↑ Lyons, Josh (August 16, 2016). "20th Century Fox Gets A "Clue" And Will Produce Classic Board Game Remake With Hasbro (EXCLUSIVE)". The Tracking Board. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  38. ↑ McNary, Dave (January 22, 2018). "Ryan Reynolds Signs First-Look Deal at Fox With 'Clue' Movie in the Works". Variety. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  39. ↑ Welk, Brian (September 25, 2019). "Jason Bateman in Talks to Direct and Star in 'Clue' Reboot With Ryan Reynolds". TheWrap. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  40. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (February 10, 2020). "James Bobin In Talks To Direct 'Clue' Movie At 20th Century". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  41. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 23, 2022). "Oren Uziel Stepping In To Write Ryan Reynolds 'Clue' Movie At 20th Century Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  42. ↑ McFarland, Kevin (May 28, 2013). "Psych: "100 Clues"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  43. ↑ Swift, Andy (November 9, 2018). "The Cool Kids Staging Clue Reunion With Lesley Ann Warren, Martin Mull". TVLine. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  44. ↑ Smith, Jeff C. (October 13, 2018). "Who Done It: The Clue Documentary". IMDb. It Looks So Fake Productions. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021.

Bibliography

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