The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Philip MacDonald (story)
Anthony Veiller (writer)

Release Date:

29 May 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Tagline:

5 Great Stars Challenge You to Guess the Disguised Roles they Play!

Plot:

Messenger asks a friend to check into a list of names before leaving on a trip. When his plane is blown out of the sky...

Plot Keywords:

Accident | Wheelchair | Serial Killer | Multiple Murder | British

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tony Curtis	...	Cameo
Kirk Douglas	...	George Brougham / Vicar Atlee / Mr. Pythian / Arthur Henderson
Burt Lancaster	...	Cameo
Robert Mitchum	...	Cameo
Frank Sinatra	...	Cameo
George C. Scott	...	Anthony Gethryn
Dana Wynter	...	Lady Jocelyn Bruttenholm
Clive Brook	...	Marquis of Gleneyre
Gladys Cooper	...	Mrs. Karoudjian
Herbert Marshall	...	Sir Wilfrid Lucas
Jacques Roux	...	Raoul Le Borg
John Merivale	...	Adrian Messenger
Marcel Dalio	...	Max Karoudjian
Bernard Archard	...	Insp. Pike
Tony Huston	...	Derek Bruttenholm (as Walter Anthony Huston)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Norway:16 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | West Germany:12 (nf)

Filming Locations:

County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

Joel Productions

Trivia:

According to some reports, Frank Sinatra's heavily disguised cameo appearance in film was actually the work of facially similar actor Dave Willock; Sinatra only appeared at end of the film in unmasking sequence where he peeled off makeup.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During many of the horse-riding close-ups, a wire (presumably some kind of safety device) can be seen behind the actors.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Get Smart: The Mess of Adrian Listenger (#5.18)" (1970)

Was it that bad?

Looking through the readers' comments, nobody seems to like this film very much. OK, so it is gimmicky, but that was the trend in the early sixties. I failed to spot most of the made-up stars as I assumed they would have been central to the plot, which most aren't. But the plot is unusual and interesting, and the film really shows what it's like to be in love when it seems unreturned (few others might describe this film as romantic, and yet it is one of the most realistically romantic films I've seen - one can really identify with the French "hero" on seeing his apparently superior rival). Also, Jerry Goldsmith's score is phenomenal. And, in his final "unmasking," is Kirk Douglas trying to suggest he was the George C. Scott character too? The resemblance is quite strong.