The Dain Curse

Someone, back in the misty reaches of 1977-78, had a pretty good idea: Take Dashiell Hammett's "The Dain Curse" and turn it into a TV mini-series "event." The novel itself, after all, had started out as a serialization in "Black Mask" magazine, and a legion of readers had faithfully followed its plot convolutions there, so why -- or so the reasoning must have gone -- shouldn't it work equally well on the installment plan by spreading a TV dramatization out over several nights?

This, unfortunately, was the last good idea experienced by anybody in conjunction with the production.

Any number of object lessons can -- and should be --drawn from what wound up being presented as "Dashiell Hammett's The Dain Curse." (Presumably, to differentiate it from "Joe Blow's The Dain Curse," an important distinction.) Object lesson #1: If you're going to slavishly follow a plot that has enough twists and turns and old fashioned red herrings to make "The Canterbury Tales" read like "Dick And Jane Floss Their Teeth," then you'd best make sure you've at least got a director and cast who can maintain a pace that will keep your audience riveted. Otherwise, you run the risk of numerous viewers snapping awake simultaneously during a commercial break and saying "For THIS we missed 'Three's Company?'"

Similarly, if you're going to adhere to the plot (and its dialogue), it's generally a good idea to cast actors who can carry it off. The novel's short and fat, middle-aged (but extremely tough) protagonist happens to also be anonymous, all for a purpose; changing him into the tall and thin, dapper (but extremely sardonic) James Coburn and giving him a name like Hamilton Nash (sounds like Dashiell Hammett, get it? wink! wink!) may gain you a bit of star power, except that he hasn't a clue how to relate to his material.

Equally to the point, if you decide to change the story's setting from San Francisco and the central California coast to New York City and some generic seashore locale, keep in mind that any number of Hammett partisans -- whose teeth are already set in terminal-grind mode by this point -- are going to expect you to have a very good reason for doing so.

In fairness, it should be mentioned that all concerned appear to give it their best shot (Hector Elizondo, as small-town sheriff Ben Cotton, and Jason Miller, as Owen Fitzstephan, are both standouts) as this "event" lurches from situation to situation; unfortunately, best shots here have a tendency to fall short of the mark, rather like a trapeze artist who can never quite make that third midair somersault in time or a high-wire artist with chronic nosebleed. The end result is a traveling circus, gamely striking its tent and moving on but getting . . . you guessed it!

This did have the last actor to play Charlie Chan in a movie series. However, it was Roland Winters, not Sidney Toler. Nevertheless, mystery buffs should see this on DVD and not VHS as you will see the entire series. It is a lot less confusing that way.

James Coburn is brilliant in it. You will see a young Star Trek: Next Generation "Data" here. I think this may before he appeared in Night Court.

So get a DVD copy of this and take your time watching it. You will see an intricate mystery, actually multiple mysteries, unfold before your eyes. It may even take a couple of viewings to get it all.

While slow paced it could only be presented that way for maximum enjoyment. The story has an extra treat as you get a glimpse of life in bygone times. It is fairly authentic to those by-gone times.

Enjoy.

I was somewhat disappointed by this movie. I love Dashiell Hammett but the video I say, just over two hours, looks like it was edited by Picasso. There were some scenes that just didn't make sense. I would really like to see the entire movie if there is one available because I found the atmosphere and acting first rate though Coburn is as far from the Continental Op as a man could be. Frank Cannon would have been more appropriate. I understand why people are confused by this movie. At its present length it makes as much sense as a Richard Simmons workout video.

ITS THE CURSE MAN - THE CURSE OF BAD EDITING

The Dain Curse is a lovely 1970s miniseries that is convincingly set in the 1920s. All of the hanging light fixtures and golden curtains are detailed to perfection. An edited three hour version of this is available on Prime right now, and I must admit there's a bit of confusion between what must have been the first and second episodes.

James Coburn plays the Marlboro Man ...I mean Hamilton Nash...a man in late middle age who has the hots for a mentally ill woman who can't be a day over 35. Nancy Addison was also a strange choice for the unstable morphine-addicted daughter of a wealthy man who is ostensibly still a virgin despite her impulsive, erratic behavior and advanced age. That's part of the problem - did Nancy Addison EVER look young? It's almost as if she were born a glamorous but overly tanned forty. I can't even find early photos of her online from the 1960s on Guiding Light.

Anyway, The Dain Curse is a murder mystery in the Mid-Century style, with a sort of pseudo-noir hard boiled detective feel. If you can focus on the chandeliers and overlook the stilted acting it's not a bad way to spend a few hours.

I'm not surprised other reviewers found this mini-series confusing if they watched this video version: it has over half the scenes cut from it. The original series ran over four nights at six hours. Minus the commercial time, it clocks in at just over 4 1/2 hours. This video release is only 2 hours, 17 minutes long (despite the fact that the box says 193 minutes!)

In it's original form, it's a near masterpiece of mood, style, and suspense with a terrific cast. Every time you think the mystery has been solved, a new mystery begins. And unlike most mystery movies today, when you finally arrive at the end and learn who the real villain is, it all makes perfect sense.

So if you ever have a chance to catch it on some cable station, or if the DVD ever comes out, don't miss it. But skip the ripoff video!