Murder Mystery Mubarak | The Last of Sheila (1973) | Gosford Park (2001) #116

Queen is Dead - A Film, TV and Culture Podcast

In our buildup to discussing Homi Adajania's "Murder Mubarak" on Monday (March 18, 2024), we -- Dhruv, Amartya & Varun -- discuss two similarly high-profile Hollywood whodunnits that have influenced Rian Johnson's "Knives Out" movies, which have subsequently become the template for any modern-day whodunnit mysteries. The rules of these game narratives may vary: if Herbert Ross' "The Last of Sheila" emphasizes its cynically overconstructed mystery mechanics, Robert Altman's "Gosford Park" undermines it. But they both use (or underuse) them to expose the rules (or lack thereof) of their respective wealthy societies in a way that goes beyond the fun mocking of the "Knives Out" films: the revelations elicit discomforting laughter that no amount of silliness can underplay.

Do listen to the full spoiler-filled episode to hear us talk about both these films! We also talk about the whodunnit plot mechanics, in general, and how these films, like "Knives Out," play around with them!

TIME CODES

Chit-Chat - [00:00 - 04:12]

Introduction - [04:13 - 09:03]

"The Last of Sheila" (1973) - [09:04 - 58:46]

"Gosford Park" (2001) - [58:47 - 01:47:48]

Previewing Upcoming Episodes - [01:47:49 - 01:53:16]

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