English writer Cyril Hare (Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark) lived a short life (1900-1958). He worked as a judge, but his 10 novels brought him worldwide fame. Cyril Hare is listed as one of the top 100 detective writers by detective writers. Almost all of his works have been filmed. In England, novels are especially popular, where the lawyer Freddy Pettigrew, voluntarily or involuntarily, becomes a detective.
And in the Soviet Union, the film "Purely English Murder" made a splash. The actors and the roles they performed, the plot of the picture, the "charm of the West" - the Soviet audience liked everything. The film was watched and reviewed, discussed at work, dressed “like Suzanne”. The picture of Samson Samsonov, however, like all his works, was wildly popular.
Popular factors
Greatestfame, at least in our country, thanks to the film adaptation, and even the impressive title, received the novel "Purely English Murder". The actors involved in the film were very popular. The actions of all the works of the English classic of detective literature always unfold among people whose we alth is much higher than average.
This factor greatly contributes to the popularity of such works. In fact, well, who cares about the showdown between the beggars? Georges Simenon stated this fact, putting it in the title of one of his popular detective stories - "The poor are not killed." And isn't that why the works of domestic classics of the genre are so attractive now? It's always interesting - how are they, the rich?
Charming the aristocratic world
In 1974, in the Soviet Union, the film adaptation of the novel "Purely English Murder", the actors in which, as already noted, and which ensured the success of the film, were well chosen, gathered the whole country at the TV screens. The action of the work An English Murder (1951) takes place in the castle of the decrepit Lord Warbeck. In the 1974 film adaptation, his role was superbly played by Leonid Obolensky. Boyars Obolensky roots were older than most of the English lords - this is so, in parentheses, the actor, as they say, "in the subject."
Enclosed space killing spree
The plot of the novel is interesting in that the guests who came to the Lord for Christmas find themselves cut off from the outside world by a blizzard. The connection is disconnected, and the guests, gentlysaying they can't stand each other.
And in such difficult conditions, one of the invitees, Dr. Bottwink, undertakes to investigate this purely English murder. Actors playing other roles in the film are no less interesting than Alexei Batalov, who played the role of an involuntary detective. It is impossible not to mention the brilliant Ivan Pereverzev (1914-1978), who played the butler. His Briggs is very memorable. Murder in an enclosed space is a technique that occurs quite often in the detective genre. But, what is remarkable, it never tires and is always interesting. In this regard, we can recall "10 Little Indians" by Agatha Christie.
Main characters
So the plot is not new, but not beaten. The talented and popular Soviet director Samson Samsonov (1921-2002), who began his creative career with the film "The Jumper" and ended with the film "Dear Friend of Long Forgotten Years …", shot two versions of the film under discussion - a film and a television version, shown in 1976. In the film "Purely English Murder", the most popular actors are involved, as in all his other 19 works. The murdered son of Robert was played by Georgy Taratorkin, who was then, like Irina Muravyova (Suzanne Briggs), at the peak of popularity. The great British Minister of Finance was played by the wonderful Boris Ivanov, who often starred with Samsonov, for example, in the feature film Much Ado About Nothing.
The main success factor of the film is the actors
"Purely English Murder" - a film in which the actors played so well that even after 40 yearsits interesting to watch. Perhaps, to the modern viewer, who has become adept at various detective stories that flooded the bookstores of all countries, the monologues may seem somewhat drawn out. Why is the novel and film called "Purely English Murder"? The actors and the roles they played in the film will not give an answer to this question, although the action takes place in England, and the artists involved in this production did an excellent job of accurately portraying the high society of Great Britain.
Why are these murders purely English
The main villain - Mrs. Carstairs - was played by the sophisticated beauty Eugenia Pleshkite. Her heroine killed two and poisoned herself. At the very end of the second series, Dr. Bottwink names the reason for the brutal murders and explains why these crimes have a purely national character. Only in England there is a hereditary legislative chamber. That is, the oldest man in the family can become the heir to the title. After the murder of the honorable lords Richard (son) and Thomas (father), the title, according to the laws of the country, passed to Sir Julius Warback (Boris Ivanov), who served as Minister of Finance of Great Britain. It is impossible to combine work in parliament and government, and thus the post of minister passed to the husband of Mrs. Carstairs, since it was he who was the natural successor. In this film, people were killed not because of a material inheritance, but because of a place in the government. And you can get there in this way only in England. The villainess killed herself because she found out about the existence of the son of Lord Robert and Susanna Briggs and the futility of the atrocities committed by her.
English series of the same name
The series "Purely English Murder" (1984-2010) has nothing to do with the famous novel by Cyril Hare. He has completely different reasons for being called that, and judging by the number of episodes, there are many reasons. This is one of hundreds of series about the everyday life of the police. This human rights report depicts events taking place in a fictitious area of London, on the eastern outskirts of it, called Sun Hill.
The actors of the series "Purely English Murder", for example Graham Cole, Trudy Goodwin, Jeff Stewart, are little known to the wide Russian TV audience. Released in England in 1997 and a series called "Purely English Murders", which has a different name - "Murders in Midsomer", where Midsomer is a fictional county. Dramatic television series based on the works of the famous screenwriter and playwright Caroline Graham "Chief Inspector Barnaby".
