Columbo: Murder, A Self Portrait

I'm not in the television or visual art business, but I must remark about the interesting composition of what the television viewer sees on the television screen during this singular episode of Columbo. The on screen artwork props are quite tacky, except for the final portrait that appears in the ending credits. But, different scenes in this story are characteristic of various artists when creatively blending the lighting, shading, qualities of color, staging, props, and so on. One scene mimics Norman Rockwell, even. Maybe this is just in my head, but somebody behind the production of the scenes created a television classic. I'm willing to wager that if you were to show this episode to a handful of art enthusiasts in a communal setting, the resulting observations would interestingly quite descriptive.

"Columbo: Murder, a Self Portrait" was one of the Columbo movies that aired during the early 90's as a part a Saturday night rotation on ABC with "B.L. Stryker" with Burt Reynolds and Telly Savalas's revival of "Kojak". Most of the two-hour installments of "Columbo" tended to drag, in spots, but "A Self Portrait" moves at a brisk pace, benefiting from effective and inspired performances from guests Patrick Bauchau, Fionnula Flannagan, Shera Denese, George Coe, and Isabel Lorca. Falk's friend Vito Scotti makes one of his frequent appearances on the show, this time playing a bartender.

Written by Robert Sherman and directed by James Frawley, the film also sports a great Patrick Williams' score.

And even Columbo's pet "Dog" makes a brief, yet memorable, appearance.

One of the major highlights are the different "interpretations" of the dreams of the principals. Fascinating lighting, setting, and camera-work make this a "Columbo" to remember.

I am a Columbo-fan, and this episode is really one of the best. Max Barsini (played by Patrick Bauchau (Dr. Sydney Green in the drama series "The Pretender" (1996-2000)) has a secret and his wife knows what it is. Max murders her, "pretending" it was an accident. Max also has an alibi: he was painting at Vito's. The case is clear, but then comes a police officer to solve the case: Lt. Columbo.

I was really enjoying this movie. A cast is excellent, many of my favourites (Peter Falk, Shera Danese, Patrick Bauchau to name a few) were here and did a wonderful job. Now I could see behind the scenes of painting artists...

For all Columbo-fan, this movie is a must see!

By the time "Murder, a Self Portrait" was made, more than 20 years had passed since the first "Columbo" movie. This, combined with a relatively unexciting case make this a must-see for fans. Others might just wanna try one of the earlier installments.

When the episode begins, you see that the artist Max Barsini has a most unusual living arrangement. His marriage seems very open and strange. His ex-wife lives next door and is very actively involved with Max's second wife as well as his lover...and the four of them eat and spend their time together! At first, it appears as if they are one big happy, albeit strange, family. However, when the first wife wants to leave and start a new life, Max's narcissism and co-dependence kick in and he murders her....making it look like a simply drowning. However, Columbo is on the case....and there seems to be nothing like a simple death to him!

The guest actors in this one are okay....but not particularly memorable or exciting to watch. The same goes with the finale, which has little in the way of fireworks or excitement.

OK, so i enjoyed this Columbo movie a bit more than the previous ones. Partly because of the lovely scenery, the awesome house by the ocean and a much better musical score than the previous movies from '89. The villain is a narcissistic needy jerk thru-out, a painter, perfect for a guy controlling three different women in his life. His ex-wife, his current wife and his mistress. The actress playing the ex-wife has the most impact and believability. The mistress is the weakest link. The whole thing still doesn't compare to vintage Columbo but it's better than some earlier offerings. Best moment: Columbo sits for the artist and is put in an uncomfortable position. Peter Falk's understated humor is just wonderful. He knows how to milk a scene in a subtle way.