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Andrew Wyke (Laurence Olivier) is a successful mystery novelist. He lives with his attractive wife, Marguerite (Eve Channing), in a palatial estate somewhere in the English countryside. Wyke is obsessed with games, not cricket or rugby, but the psychological games people play to gain and retain control. His obsession extends to complex board games that pit one man's intelligence and strategic abilities against another, and to complex mechanisms. His manor house is littered with antique automatons and mechanized dolls. His fascination with psychological manipulation certainly must help him in his chosen profession, but it gets in the way of intimacy and commitment; his mind games may be responsible for driving his wife into the arms of another man. When Wyke discovers that his wife has a lover, he invites the man, Milo Tindle (Michael Caine), to join him at his home for a civilized drink.

Tindle is the owner of two hairdressing salons, and is clearly not a member of Wyke's social class. He finds Wyke's civility shocking. Rather than being angry with the man who cuckolded him, Wyke is downright helpful. He grills Tindle on his prospects, explaining that Marguerite is high maintenance. When it becomes clear that Tindle may not be able to support Marguerite in the manner to which she's become accustomed, Wyke suggests an elaborate plan. Tindle is to steal Marguerite's jewelry and fence the booty for a princely sum to a fence of Wyke's acquaintance. Wyke will benefit from an insurance claim, the funds from which would compensate him for letting Marguerite go. It sounds to Tindle like the perfect crime, but all is not what it seems.

What follows is an escalating and dangerous game of cat and mouse. Police Inspector Doppler (Alec Cawthorne), Detective Sergeant Tarrant (John Matthews), and Police Constable Higgs (Teddy Martin) will be forced to summon all their skills to uncover the truth. The film's extremely clever plot is replete with unexpected twists and turns, and having set the stage (no pun intended), I'll not reveal any more. Both Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances. Each offers an intensity and range of emotion critical to capturing and holding viewers' attention during an extended battle of wits and words. The film's only potential risk was the intimacy of the camera as the deceits are executed in full view; only the very observant will pierce the deceptions to get ahead of the characters. This is a cerebral pleasure that should please in particular those unfamiliar with the intricate plot.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Previously released on DVD in a poor non- anamorphic version, this new Anchor Bay edition is a noticeable improvement. The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented in anamorphic video and the transfer is very nice. The film elements do exhibit a few minor problems. Imprecise registration caused a very slight random drifting of the film within the video image; you may not notice it unless you watch for it. The film is a bit grainy, but that simply contributes to the film-like appearance. As I commented in previous reviews, I suspect that the presence of film grain may motivate the telecine operator or the compressionist to adjust their equipment such that edge halos are either greatly diminished or are totally absent. Edge halos are, indeed, almost completely absent here. Detail is very good, from the texture of fabrics (such as in Andrew Wyke's jacket in the opening scenes) to small objects. Color is quite good. Skin tones are very natural, and chroma noise is absent. But color correction could not compensate for what appears to be a disproportionate fading of green in the film elements. The color of Wyke's garden and maze are a bit subdued. I didn't notice any blocking or mosquito noise.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

The theatrical release was presented in monaural and the disc preserves the original audio. Compression, slight harmonic and intermodulation distortions, and bandwidth limitations are all audible. John Addison's orchestral score, which was nominated for an Academy Award, sounds nasal and claustrophobic. The modest sound effects are a tad on the harsh side. But the essential element here is the dialog, and despite the lack of a convincing presence, every word is quite clear.

A second audio track is available in French mono. There are no subtitles, but English Closed Captions are included.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

I must begin this section by complimenting Anchor Bay for its decision to offer every supplement on this disc in anamorphic video. Even the one piece of material that was produced in the 4:3 aspect ratio is windowpaned, so I never had to change my projector's aspect ratio to enjoy all the extras. Well done, Anchor Bay.

The 1.85:1 theatrical trailer and a 1.33:1 television spot may be found here. Unlike the feature, which looks rather good, little has been done with these previews to improve their appearance. The colors are quite faded and the contrast is unnaturally high. The Talent Bios for Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, and Anthony Shaffer are very extensive, and each is supplemented with a filmography.

And then there is the delightful featurette entitled A Sleuthian Journey With Anthony Shaffer. Mr. Shaffer sits before the camera and talks to an unheard interviewer off-screen. He reminisces about the origin of the play, and his experiences with the film and the filmmakers. He's charming, open, and suitably modest. Running twenty-three minutes, this is a wonderful companion piece to the film. Sadly, Mr. Shaffer died last year.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts