The English writer Cyril Hare (Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark) did not live a very long life (1900-1958). He worked as a judge, but his 10 novels brought him worldwide fame. According to sellers of detective literature, Cyril Hare is on the list of 100 best writers of this genre. Almost all of his works are filmed. In England, novels are especially popular, where the lawyer Fredy Pettigrew becomes a detective voluntarily or involuntarily.
And in the Soviet Union, the sensation made the film “Purely English Killing”. 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 "under Susannah." The picture of Samson Samsonov, however, like all his works, was extremely popular.
Popularity factors
The greatest fame, in any case in our country, thanks precisely to the film adaptation, and to the impressive title, was the novel “Purely English Killing”. 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 wealth is much higher than average.
It is this factor that greatly contributes to the popularity of such works. In fact, well, who cares about a showdown between beggars?
Georges Simenon ascertained this fact, putting it in the name of one of his most popular detectives - "The poor are not killed." And isn’t that why the works of Russian ladies classics of the genre are so attractive now? It’s always interesting - how are they, the rich?
The charm of the world of aristocrats
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 film’s success, were properly selected, gathered all over the country on television screens. The work of An English Murder (1951) takes place in the castle of the decrepit Lord Lord Warbeck. In the 1974 film adaptation, his role was perfectly performed by Leonid Obolensky. Boyars Obolensky roots were older than most English lords - this is so, in parentheses, the actor, as they say, "in the subject."
A series of murders in a confined space
The plot of the novel is interesting in that the guests who arrived at Christmas to the Lord are cut off from the outside world by a blizzard. Communication is disconnected, and guests, to put it mildly, cannot stand each other.
And in such difficult conditions, one of the guests, Dr. Botvink, undertakes to investigate this purely English murder. Actors who play other roles in the film are no less interesting than Alexei Batalov, who played the role of an involuntary detective. It should be noted brilliant Ivan Pereverzev (1914-1978 years), who played the butler. His Briggs is very memorable. Murder in a confined space is a technique that occurs quite often in the detective genre. But, notably, it never tires and is always interesting. In this regard, we can recall the "10 Indigents" by Agatha Christie.
Main characters
So the plot is not new, but not hackneyed. The talented and popular Soviet director Samson Samsonov (1921–2002), who began his career with the film “The Jumpers” and ended with the film “Dear Friend of Long Forgotten Years ...”, shot two versions of the film under discussion - a movie and a television, shown in 1976. In the film “Purely English Murder”, the actors, as in all his other 19 works, involve the most popular. The murdered son of Robert was played by George Taratorkin, who was then, like Irina Muravyova (Suzanne Briggs), at the peak of popularity. The Minister of Finance of Great Britain was perfectly played by the wonderful Boris Ivanov, who often starred with Samsonov, for example, in the feature film "A lot of noise from nothing."
The main factor in the success of the film is actors
“Pure English Murder” is a film in which the actors played so well that even after 40 years it’s interesting to watch it. Maybe the modern viewer, who has become proficient in various detective stories that have flooded the bookstores of all countries, may find the monologues somewhat protracted. Why is the novel and film called "Purely English Murder"? The actors and the roles that 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 - they reliably portrayed the high society of Great Britain.
Why are these killings purely English
The main villain, Mrs. Carstairs, was played by the refined beauty Eugenia Pleshkite. Her heroine killed two and poisoned herself. At the very end of the second series, Dr. Botwink gives the reason for the brutal killings and explains why these crimes have a purely national character. Only in England does the Legislative Chamber exist. That is, the heir to the title may be the oldest man in the family. After the assassination of the venerable Lords Richard (son) and Thomas (father), the title under the laws of the country passed to Sir Julius Warbuck (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 Mrs. Carstairs' husband, since he was the natural successor. In this film, they killed not because of material inheritance, but because of a place in the government. And you can get there in this way only in England. The villain killed herself because she found out about the existence of the son of Lord Robert and Susanna Briggs and the futility of the crimes she committed.
English TV shows of the same name
The series “Purely English Murder” (1984–2010) has nothing to do with Cyril Hare’s famous novel. He has completely different reasons to be called that, and judging by the number of episodes, there are many reasons. This is one of hundreds of series about police everyday life. This report on the work of human rights bodies reflects the events taking place in a fictional area of London, on its eastern outskirts, called Sun Hill.
Actors of the “Purely English Murder” series, such as Graham Cole, Trudy Goodwin, Jeff Stewart, are little known to the broad Russian television viewer. Released in England in 1997 and the series entitled "Purely English murders", which has a different name - "Murders in Midsomer," where Midsomer is a fictional county. The drama television series is based on the works of renowned screenwriter and playwright Caroline Graham, "Inspector General Barnaby."