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He Sees Dead People.

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    He Sees Dead People.

    I could've gone and named this thread 'Just One More Thing, Sir.' but that would've been stretching obviousness to breaking point - and, besides, it was very probably used as a title back on the old site, and about the same subject: Columbo.

    Columbo is fucking terrific.

    I'd gotten up an few hours ago and managed to record the best part of an episode where Louis Jordan plays a murderous chef. It's a favourite of mine and it was one of the first few things to be directed by Jonathan Demme. There's an episode directed by Spielberg himself, but Demme's pisses all over his effort.

    The morning before, it was an episode with Ruth Gordon, prompting some terrific acting from her and Peter Falk.

    The more the years go past, the more I find myself appreciating the old episodes more and more (the less said of the lame, forgettable later ones from the '90's - bad mistakes - the better). Okay, some of them may not be directorial works of art, but they do fascinate, fill up the odd hour with pleasurable viewing, and, more importantly, show Peter Falk at the top of his game.

    Top class.

    #2
    He Sees Dead People.

    They're all remakes of Crime and Punishment, I think. Or at least, when I read Crime and Punishment, I kept thinking it was a bit like Columbo.

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      #3
      He Sees Dead People.

      To my shame, I've never read Crime and Punishment, but, if that's the theory, then a lot of mileage has been wrought from that formula. I don't know. To be honest, I once tried to sit through an episode of CSI some time ago, but found the grim-faced buggers of that investigating team a bit too dreary to watch. Columbo's flip-side, shabby charm, light touch and humour, is much more preferable.

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        #4
        He Sees Dead People.

        Well, there's not a lot of lightness and humour in C&P; it's more the investigator knowing the guy was guilty from the word go, and playing him like a fish.

        But, yeah, Columbo was great. The Rockford Files, too.

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          #5
          He Sees Dead People.

          it's more the investigator knowing the guy was guilty from the word go, and playing him like a fish.

          Indeed, sometimes there was a ridiculousness in the weekly murderer doing the 'well, I suspect this man' act designed to distract Columbo from his duties. You might as well have had an 'I Did It' sign in neon fitted over his or her head.

          Was there a class element in C&P (having not seen any adaptations of it, although I am aware of the BBC's one with John Hurt a fair few years ago), because, obviously, there was a certain satisfaction in seeing not just an over-confident murderer hoist by his own petard, but a rich, well-to-do murderer doing the same?

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            #6
            He Sees Dead People.

            Oh man, I love Columbo too. It's a great example of how good television drama can be--tightly plotted, great acting and direction, and unafraid to challenge the audience.

            I listened to a R4 documentary on the programme and the writers said they were very influenced by the character in Crime and Punishment.

            Ian's right--a lot of the later episodes were just too knowing and there was too much self-parody. But the early series were terrific.

            Has anyone here seen the pilot episode of Columbo? It was quite different to what it turned into--Columbo was much more aggressive and hectoring, and a much less sympathetic character.

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              #7
              He Sees Dead People.

              ian.64 wrote:
              Was there a class element in C&P...
              Definitely, though the criminal isn't rich. He's kind of a posh student slumming it.

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                #8
                He Sees Dead People.

                Has anyone here seen the pilot episode of Columbo? It was quite different to what it turned into--Columbo was much more aggressive and hectoring, and a much less sympathetic character.

                There's an interesting comment on IMDB about Falk's first ever portrayal of the character in the pilot way back in 1968 (that way back?), warning that anyone who expects the popular Columbo character we know now would be 'unnerved' by what kind of character Falk portrays then. I'd actually like to see it, now you mention it.

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