Universal Studios has released a set of Columbo made for tv movies: the Columbo Mystery Movie Collection 1990, which includes
- Columbo Cries Wolf
- Columbo: Agenda for Murder
- Columbo: Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo
- Columbo: Uneasy Lies the Crown
- Columbo: Murder in Malibu
- Columbo Goes to College
All of these follow the traditional formula (we see the set up for the murder, the commission of the crime, and then the arrival of the lieutenant on the scene, followed by his detection of howdunit), and I could describe each of them as in some sense being dependent on the principles of magic, in that the murderer relies on deception, misdirection, and psychology in the hopes of evading capture. [Spoiler alert.]
In Columbo Cries Wolf, the killer and the woman who is eventually his victim agree to make her disappear [the vanishing lady.] Columbo spends a great deal of time looking for her after she's reported missing, even digging up the area that he suspects is her gravesite. Of course, she makes a reappearance. Only after the killer thinks it's safe to carry out the deed does he actually murder her [time-shifting]. He has an accomplice [a pretty magician's assistant.] In this particular case, the woman who ends up as the victim thinks she knows what is going on--one might cast her as a member of the audience who doesn't know as much as she thinks and is ultimately that much more deceived. Of course, magicians aren't supposed to murder members of the audience.
In Murder in Malibu, the killer uses a time-shift as well, for an alibi, although he hadn't intended to; Columbo actually refers to him as a "juggler." When one murderous plan goes awry, he substitutes another. He shoots the victim dead early in the morning. Then, realizing that his alibi won't work because he can't leave the scene of the crime undetected, he waits around, constructs another alibi, shoots the victim again, with another gun, and admits to that act.
When Columbo Goes to College, he's up against two college students who in desperation decide to do in their professor because he's threatening to get them expelled. (I know--the fantasy of every undergraduate who's failing a class). What's their evil plot? They're in class when he dies while unlocking his car door, the result of a bomb, set off by a remote control device. Neat trick. The garage is under closed circuit camera surveillance. It's a variant on the "locked room mystery." How did the killer get out of the garage? (How did the magician get out of the box?) The killer was never in the garage (and the magician might never have been in the box). The two students try to distract Columbo by setting him on the trail of other suspects, but as other killers have discovered before them, he's not the naive raincoated idiot he looks. As officers take them away, he asks why they did and one responds, "Because we could." Well, not exactly. You did it, but Columbo figured out how. Failing grade, boys.
Nice set of Columbo movies, once again emphasizing what has made this series so memorable. What I'm not quite so happy about is the lack of indexing: one can't get access to individual scenes. The choices are "play movie" and "main menu." In addition, several of the movies have the original trailers attached but two don't; why? Seems odd. The set offers no additional goodies of any kind--no interviews, no outtakes. When many DVD sets offer at a minimum much more indexing, and some offer interviews with the cast and crew, this offering seems a little stripped down. Still, if you like Columbo, Peter Falk, and good entertainment, here it all is, with some magic thrown in.
Recent Comments