"Three cases of murder" comprises three short and unrelated tales. The first tale is a horror/fantasy about a painting of a lonely house that's the pride and joy of a museum. The painting is more... well, more inhabited than one might suppose. In spite of its whimsical beginning, the tale grows quite creepy, in a suffocating and oppressive way. It also contains an original but strangely convincing take on what it means to be damned.
In the second tale, two long-time friends and business partners fall in love with the same woman, with dire results. It's a well-plotted thriller/crime segment, set in the real world, about the darkest impulses of the human heart.
The final tale means a return to the horror/fantasy genre. It concerns a well-established politician, feared for his rhetorical skill, who crushes an opponent's political career with a few choice remarks. Soon after he begins to suffer from recurring nightmares in which he finds himself utterly humiliated, to the opponent's gloating delight. The tale might be interpreted as some kind of allegory about the corrosive power of guilt, which can attack both the conscious and the unconscious mind.
All three parts are crisply and successfully directed. All three parts are well-acted too, with a stand-out performance by Orson Welles as the imposing politician pursued by nightmares. Much recommended.
In the second tale, two long-time friends and business partners fall in love with the same woman, with dire results. It's a well-plotted thriller/crime segment, set in the real world, about the darkest impulses of the human heart.
The final tale means a return to the horror/fantasy genre. It concerns a well-established politician, feared for his rhetorical skill, who crushes an opponent's political career with a few choice remarks. Soon after he begins to suffer from recurring nightmares in which he finds himself utterly humiliated, to the opponent's gloating delight. The tale might be interpreted as some kind of allegory about the corrosive power of guilt, which can attack both the conscious and the unconscious mind.
All three parts are crisply and successfully directed. All three parts are well-acted too, with a stand-out performance by Orson Welles as the imposing politician pursued by nightmares. Much recommended.