At last! The Blu-ray holy grail!
For years, I’ve been convinced we would never see a decent home video release of the ultimate two-hander, the parlor mystery that pits wealthy blue-blood Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier) against first-generation Brit Milo Tindle (Michael Caine). Written by Anthony Shaffer and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the film made a lasting impression on me when I caught it during its initial release in 1972. Alas, since then, it has been nearly unavailable.
In 1998, Anchor Bay released a bare-bones DVD, a first-generation flipper disk with image quality that was only slightly better than VHS.
Other DVDs came and went. Mostly imports. All standard definition. And none seemed to be available for very long.
In 2007, Kenneth Branagh directed an updated version, this time with Cain as Wyke and Jude Law as Tindle. Alas, the script, written by Edward Albee, lacked the wit of Shaffer’s original.
I watched it once, have not cared to see it again.
[If you’ve already seen both versions, you might enjoy a blog post by Rachel Kendra titled Sleuth: Before & After. If you haven’t seen either film, I recommend watching them before clicking the link.]
A Film Best Served Cold.
I was fortunate to have known almost nothing about the original Sleuth before seeing it for the first time.
The lobby poster, which featured Olivier and Caine peering through magnifying glasses, suggested a story about detectives. Likewise, the intriguing tagline, “Think of the perfect crime … then go one step further” seemed to promise a surprising twist. (Actually, there are many more than one.)
Beyond that, however, I had no idea what to expect when I entered the theatre back in December 1972, and as a result, what I got was a movie-going experience that I’ve been chasing ever since. To this day, the delight of watching Sleuth for the first time has steered me away from watching trailers or reading reviews before seeing a film. I like to be surprised. And that was certainly what I got watching Sleuth.
For that reason, I’ll say nothing of the plot and urge you to seek out the film on your own.
But where can you find it?
Unlike the disappointing remake, the original is not available on streaming.
It seems the film’s rights holder is pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb, who for some reason seems disinterested in making the film available.
[For more on the Sleuth rights dilemma, check out the Collider article ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ and ‘Sleuth’: Why You Won’t Be Able to Celebrate Their 50th Anniversaries.]
Fortunately, there is a new multi-region Blu-ray from Spain. The packaging identifies it as La Huella (The Footprint), but that’s the only change. The film on the disk is the original version, complete with English title sequence and soundtrack (with the latter accessible by selecting “Idiomas” on the main menu and enabling “Inglés”).
The transfer is excellent. Indeed, although the disk does not identify what elements were used, the image quality is so good that it may well have been sourced from the original negative.
Unfortunately, as with previous SD releases, the Blu-ray includes no extras.
The same is true of a recent French import titled Le Limier (The Hound), but that one appears to be unavailable in the States.
Thoughts?
Have you seen Sleuth? Do you share my enthusiasm for the original? Are you aware of any clues that might indicate a forthcoming Region-A Blu-ray? What other mystery movies do you recommend?
The comment box is open, as are the social media links at the bottom of the page.
Reach out if you get the chance. It’ll be great knowing I’m not the only Sleuth fanatic in the hedge maze.
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