"The Dain Curse" (1978) TV mini-series

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

E.W. Swackhamer

Writers:

Dashiell Hammett (novel)
Robert W. Lenski (writer)

Release Date:

22 May 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Plot:

Private eye investigates diamond theft, and becomes involved with an ancient family curse.

Plot Keywords:

TV Mini-Series | Private Detective | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win

Cast

James Coburn	...	Hamilton Nash
Hector Elizondo	...	Ben Feeney
Jason Miller	...	Owen Fitzstephan
Jean Simmons	...	Aaronia Haldorn
Paul Stewart	...	The old man
Beatrice Straight	...	Alice Dain Leggett
Nancy Addison	...	Gabrielle Leggett
Tom Bower	...	Sgt. O'Gar
David Canary	...	Jack Santos
Beeson Carroll	...	Marshall Cotton
Martin Cassidy	...	Eric Collinson
Brian Davies	...	Tom Vernon
Roni Dengel	...	Daisy Cotton
Paul Harding	...	Mr. Leggett
Karen Ludwig	...	Maria Gross

Also Known As:

Dashiell Hammett's 'The Dain Curse'

Runtime:

360 min | Germany:280 min (4 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Easton, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Martin Poll Productions

fun mystery

James Coburn makes a wonderfully playful detective, somewhere between Nick Charles (The Thin Man) and Sam Spade. Like the movies of those characters, this is a complex story: actually 3 smaller mysteries wrapped in a larger one, which creates an odd tempo in the film. Normally a movie ends when the mystery is solved, but this movie keeps going onto another mystery like a rollercoaster. The version I saw was the 144 minute Anchor Bay video, which must have been abridged. This might account for a few scenes which faded inexplicably into others. Aside from that, the movie was quite entertaining. Though I was relieved when the entire mystery was really solved, I wanted to keep watching that wise, older, chivalrous, not-too-world-weary to be heartbroken detective.