Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection, 1989
by James Frawley, Leo Penn, Sam Wanamaker
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andy Romano, Janet Eilber, Peter Falk, Robert Foxworth, Stephen ElliottDirector: James Frawley, Leo Penn, Sam Wanamaker
Brand: NBC Universal
Writer: Jerrold L. Ludwig
Writer: Richard Alan Simmons
Writer: Richard Levinson
Writer: Robert Sherman
Writer: Sy Salkowitz
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Published)
Format: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 466 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-04-24
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection, 1989
Movie Review: Second Generation Columbo -- Five 1989 TV Films
Summary: 5 Stars
Columbo began in 1968 with the TV film "Prescription: Murder" followed by 44 episodes aired between 1971-78. More than a decade later Peter Falk returned as Det. Columbo in what has come to be known as the "second generation" Columbo series. Five episodes aired in 1989, six in 1990 and thirteen more between 1991-2003. Hence, the first generation had 45 installments and the second generation 24, for a total of 69 Columbo segments.
This 3-Disc DVD collection features the five 1989 Columbo TV films, all 94 minutes in length:
(1.) "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine" (Original Airdate: Feb. 6, 1989). A magician/paranormal critic is beheaded by his own guillotine. The murderer is a vengeful psychic. This one is highlighted by the super-sharp Karen Austin, who played John Candy's wife in "Summer Rental" (1985). (You might not think she's anything very breath-taking at first, but wait til the scene where she lets her hair down).
(2.) "Murder, Smoke and Shadows" (Original Airdate: Feb. 27, 1989). A young, talented film director electrocutes a former friend who has evidence that could ruin his lucrative career. Fisher Stevens effectively plays the Spielberg-like filmmaker.
(3.) "Sex and the Married Detective" (Original Airdate: April 3, 1989). Lindsay Crouse plays a sex therapist/radio show host who murders her cheating lover by masquerading as a mysterious "lady in black" high-class hooker.
(4.) "Grand Deceptions" (Original Airdate: May 1, 1989). Robert Foxworth runs a military think tank and commits fraud against the wheelchair-bound owner, an elderly famous general. He's also having a long-running affair with the general's much-younger wife. Foxworth murders an investigator (commissioned by the general) who's tries to blackmail him and makes his death appear to be a military-games accident.
(5.) "Murder, A Self Portrait" (Original Airdate: Nov. 25, 1989). A successful artist enjoys life living luxuriously on the California shore with no less than three women: his ex-wife, played by Fionnula Flanagan, his present wife, played by Shera Danese, and his young model, played by Isabel Lorca. The three women -- a redhead, brunette and blonde respectively -- are all incredibly beautiful in their own unique way and age-bracket. The man obviously wants his cake and eat it too! He is so insanely jealous he murders his ex-wife when she announces that she's finally cutting all ties with him to pursue a relationship with her psychologist. Shera Danese is, incidentally, Peter Falk's lifelong wife, whom he married Dec. 7, 1977. She appeared in a total of six Columbo episodes, including two in the initial series, one of which was a prominent role in "Murder Under Glass" from 1978.
BONUS MATERIAL is limited to a piece on "America's Top Sleuths" -- a countdown of the most popular sleuths in TV and film.
COMMENTARY: I'm truly happy that these "second generation" episodes are finally coming out on DVD. I can only remember seeing a couple of them: "Grand Deceptions," which is on this collection, and "Columbo Goes to College," a 1990 segment which I've seen a couple of times. Many say that this more recent series is "sub-standard," but I just don't see this, at least with the ones I've seen -- which consists of the five episodes featured in this collection and "Columbo Goes to college." As far as I'm concerned, the stories, writing, actors, locations and sets are just as good as the earlier series. Some argue that the actors are no-names. Is Robert Foxworth a no-name? I think he's excellent (see him in the 1979 nature-runs-amok flick "Prophecy"). Is Karen Austin a no-name? I think not. Perhaps there are not as many major-league guests, but so what? There's certainly no significant drop in quality. Really, the only difference is that Falk is a bit older; but that just makes him appear even more disheveled, which naturally prompts the murderer to underestimate him to an even greater degree. The only criticism I can muster is that some of the stories may seem a bit padded at 94 minutes. I'm of the belief that Columbo works best at the shorter running time of 73 minutes (although there are exceptions), but this is a minor cavil. Besides, it somehow doesn't make sense to complain about MORE material.
BOTTOM LINE: This collection is a must for all Columbo fans. You can't go wrong. I should add, in light of the criticisms and uncertainty expressed in some reviews here, that my discs all play perfectly well.
As of this writing, there remains 19 episodes of the second generation to be released on DVD. They'll likely release a 1990 six-film collection and then divide the remaining 13 episodes in two other releases.
Summary of Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection, 1989
Legendary Peter Falk is back checking his pockets for clues as everyone's favorite trenchcoat wearing Police Lieutenant in five immensely popular TV movies on DVD for the first time ever in the Columbo TV Movie Collection 1989. Smart, witty and entertaining, Columbo is on the beat of unlikely criminals who always think they can outsmart TV's most probing and perceptive detective. Join a dossier of guest stars, including Fisher Stevens and Lindsay Crouse, in this landmark TV movie set that opens a new chapter on the Columbo legacy! Disc One "Columbo Goes to the Guillotine" There's much more than meets the eye when Columbo investigates the death of a magician who supposedly was killed by one of his own clever magic tricks. "Murder, Smoke and Shadows" Columbo searches for clues on the cutting-room floor when he suspects a high-powered film director of hiding evidence of murder. Disc Two "Sex and the Married Detective" Does the heart rule the head, or vice versa? Columbo ponders the answer to this timeless question and others when he must out-wit a sex therapist involved in a crime of passion. "Grand Deceptions" Rank and reputation prove to be particularly difficult obstacles when Columbo looks into the murder of a respected military General by one of his overly-ambitious Colonels. Disc Three "Murder, a Self Portrait" It's no murder-by-numbers when Columbo investigates the deadly relationships between a savvy artist, his troubled ex-wife, his attention-starved current wife, and his live-in model. Starring: Peter FalkSimilar DVD Movies
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