The List of Adrian Messenger

The List of Adrian Messenger is a 1963 American mystery film directed by John Huston and starring George C. Scott in his first leading film role. The plot follows a retired British Army intelligence officer investigating a series of seemingly accidental deaths connected to a list of names. Noted for its celebrity cameo gimmick, the film features several major stars in heavy prosthetic makeup, with their identities revealed only during the closing credits.

Plot summary

Retired MI5 officer Anthony Gethryn (George C. Scott) is enlisted by his friend Adrian Messenger (John Merivale) to investigate a peculiar list of ten names. After Messenger dies in a suspicious plane explosion, Gethryn discovers each person on the list has recently perished in what were ruled accidents. Teaming with Messenger's cousin, Jocelyn Bruttenholm (Dana Wynter), Gethryn uncovers a connection to a colonial atrocity in India years earlier, orchestrated by a man presumed dead. The investigation leads to a fox hunting estate, Exton Park in Rutland, where the killer, using elaborate disguises, plans to eliminate the final heirs to a dukedom and claim the title and fortune for himself.

Cast

* George C. Scott as Anthony Gethryn * Dana Wynter as Jocelyn Bruttenholm * Clive Brook as The Duke of Greyminster * Jacques Roux as Raoul Le Borg * Herbert Marshall as Sir Wilfrid Lucas * John Merivale as Adrian Messenger * Bernard Archard as Inspector Pike * Tony Huston as Derek Bruttenholm * Director John Huston appears in a cameo as a man at the Ascot Racecourse. The film's marketing heavily promoted disguised cameos by major stars, including Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, and Tony Curtis, with Kirk Douglas also appearing briefly as a disfigured stranger. Their roles and identities were concealed with makeup by Bud Westmore and revealed in a fourth wall-breaking epilogue.

Production

The project was developed by producer Edward Lewis and director John Huston, who sought to create a sophisticated whodunit in the vein of classic British detective fiction. Filming took place primarily at Universal Studios in Hollywood, with key exterior sequences shot at the historic Exton Hall in England. The elaborate disguise sequences, a central gimmick, required extensive work from Universal Pictures' makeup department head Bud Westmore. Composer Jerry Goldsmith provided the score, incorporating hunting horn motifs to match the film's rural English settings.

Release and reception

Universal Pictures released the film in May 1963. Critical reception was mixed; while the central mystery and George C. Scott's performance were often praised, the celebrity cameo gimmick was frequently criticized as a distracting stunt. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times found the plot clever but the disguises "pointless," while Variety called it a "handsome, well-acted mystery." The film performed modestly at the box office, failing to become a major hit but developing a cult following over subsequent decades for its unique premise and all-star cast.

Adaptations and legacy

The film is an adaptation of the 1959 novel of the same name by Philip MacDonald, who also created the detective character Anthony Gethryn. While no direct sequels were made, the film is remembered as a notable, if eccentric, entry in John Huston's filmography and a prime example of the 1960s trend of star-cameo gimmick films. Its legacy persists primarily among classic film enthusiasts and mystery genre fans, and it is often discussed in analyses of movie makeup artistry for its pioneering, if ultimately revealed, use of prosthetics to conceal major stars.

Category:1963 films Category:American mystery films Category:Films directed by John Huston Category:Universal Pictures films