Venedig sehen - und erben

What a charming surprise to find this overlooked gem of a movie, a modern day update of Ben Jonson's Volpone. It was the cast that attracted my attention. Rex Harrison, Maggie Smith, Susan Hayward, Cliff Robertson, Edie Adams - how can you go wrong? They all acquit themselves well in this elegant whodunit - and whydidhedoit - romp. Adolfo Celi (Lago in Thunderball) is particularly good as the police inspector. The plot has enough false leads, misdirection and twists to make your head spin. The Venetian (or faux Venetian) interiors are splendidly luxuriant, and the exteriors are lovely. This is a lightheartedly elegant dark comedy that most entertainingly fills an hour or two. Highly recommended.

In Venice, the millionaire benefactor Cecil Fox (Rex Harrison) watches the Seventeenth Century play Volpone and plots a practical joke to his three former greedy mistresses. He hires the unemployed actor William McFly (Cliff Robertson) to act as his butler and stage manager and sends letters telling that he is terminal to the decadent Hollywood star Merle McGill (Edie Adams); to the broken Princess Dominique (Capucine); and to the sick Lone Star Crockett (Susan Hayward), who was married with him and arrives in his palace bringing the nurse Sarah Watkins (Maggie Smith) as her companion. The prime intention of Rex is to see the reaction of the women after the reading of his will declaring McFly as the only heir of his fortune and then laugh up them. However, when Mrs. Sheridan is found dead in her room, the snoop Sarah decides to investigate and realizes that the prank is indeed an intricate scheme to get the fortune of Rex.

"The Money Pot" is a delightfully witty film of the great director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The sophisticated and theatrical screenplay has wonderful lines and many plot points that surprises many times and a mystery that recalls the novels of Agatha Christie. The direction and the performances are superb, highlighting Rex Harrison, Cliff Robertson, Maggie Smith and Adolfo Celi, the Venetian inspector that watches Perry Mason at home. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Charada em Veneza" ("Charade in Venice")

A very rich man sets up a scheme to convince 3 old lovers that he is dying and they - individually - are potentially his heir. Good performances by Harrison, Robertson and Maggie Smith. An end worthy of Agatha Christie - with all the players brought together and the details brought out.

The "Fox" (rex harrison, a couple years after My Fair Lady) invites his ex girlfriends to visit. and this will require the assistance of an assistant, who can be relied upon, and is willing to tell some lies in the process. he hires McFly (Cliff Robertson) to help him play a huge trick on the ladies: her highness (capucine), Bunny McGill (edie adams), and the feisty Mrs. Sheridan (susan hayward). They are all lured there with the idea that someone is dying, and will leave a huge fortune to one of them. Mrs. Sheridan has a nurse, or assistant, or something... played by the awesome Maggie Smith. so the ladies all spend the next couple days arguing over who has the most right to the fortune. lots of talking. and some shenanigans. mayhem. some twists and turns. a couple gay references. directed by joe mankeiwicz. story by Thomas Sterling. his only novel. which itself, was based on the 1606 play Volpone (Fox!) by Benjamin Jonson, according to wikipedia dot com. it's quite good. the actors mostly yell and snarl at each other. Maggie Smith was great as usual, and the story is fun to watch as it unfolds.

Taking an inspiration from his favorite Jacobean play, Ben Jonson's Volpone, fabulously wealthy Rex Harrison hires an out of work actor Cliff Robertson to play an elaborate practical joke on three women who've been part of his life. Robertson's to play his confidential secretary and assistant and to send them letters inviting them to Venice where Harrison is pretending to be dying in his palazzo.

To be sure these are three women to die for indeed. There is Princess Capucine with a title, but little else going for here as she becomes one of those permanent house guests on the Riviera. Then there's movie star Edie Adams originally from the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn whose best days as a film star are behind here and not enough money is coming in to keep up with her lifestyle spending. Finally there is the mysterious and earthy Susan Hayward. Imagine if you will Susan as Rachel Jackson, but with a malevolent twist and you've got her character. She's also a hypochondriac and travels with nurse/companion Maggie Smith.

The joke's proceeding great until Hayward winds up dead and the police in the person of Inspector Adolfo Celi is brought in. Joseph Mankiewica's literate script glides ever so gently from comedy of manners to murder mystery. And not like everyone of them hasn't got reason to do in Hayward. Just see the film and you'll know what I mean.

Sad that The Honey Pot failed to find an audience. Also sad that it was two years from the Stonewall Rebellion, Harrison's bisexuality was not more explicit. In regard to that read Hayward's comments on their lives together and the dialog exchanges between Harrison and Robertson.

In fact The Honey Pot does turn out to be an elaborate joke, but you have to see who winds up winners and losers in this very intelligent and witty film.