Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte and Agatha Christie combine in this weird, witty new series
This Is Not a Murder Mystery ★★★
Question: How many surrealists does it take to solve a murder? Reply: Lobster Phone. Pan-European production of Belgian origin, This Is Not a Murder Mystery A whimsical, humorous genre mash-up that reinvents 1930s classics English country house detective story With a cast that includes the subversive giants of 20th century art. Agatha Christie In terms of speculative historical fiction, it’s full of well-known artists and dogged detective work.
Cocaine, infidelity and unbridled creativity – please meet motivation, alibi and deductive questioning.
Fact and fiction intertwine in this six-episode limited series, which is somewhat generously described as “inspired by true events.” The year is 1936 and a groundbreaking exhibition is being prepared in the stately pile of Lord James’s in Sussex, featuring soon-to-be famous pioneers of the surrealist movement. Living under the same roof are friendly rivals such as Salvador Dali (Inaki Mur) and his wife Gala (Regina Bikkinina), Man Ray (Frank Bourke), photojournalist Lee Miller (Florence Hall) and Max Ernst (Mike Hoffmann).
The narrow-minded new member of this crazy group is the Belgian painter. René Magritte (Pierre Gervais). When he wakes up in the morning after a night full of debauchery, his head is covered with a white cloth, just like the rich heiress Sheila Legge (Lauren Versnick) in bed. This is a copy of one of Magritte’s most famous works. loversAlbeit with a terrible distinction. There’s blood on Sheila’s shroud from the night’s murder.
Magritte not yet seen lovers He is determined to not only prove his innocence to everyone, but also solve the case. And after clearing him as a suspect, Scotland Yard detectives (played by Stephen Tompkinson and Donna Banya) start digging. Book manuscripts, bank accounts, and mysterious lockets are all incorporated into the plot.
Art historians and surrealism enthusiasts will shake their heads at the exhibition by Christophe Dirickx and Matthias Lebeer. Fiction definitely outweighs reality and some events have been combined. For example, Man Ray and Miller’s farm ended in 1932; Lord James, on the other hand, was a fictional reflection of the poet and wealthy surrealist patron Edward James. But the fun is in the friction and fuss: everyone calls the wiry, manic Dali “Sal”; Soon the mansion where they are imprisoned is a baroque wonderland; and knowing that there are many references to art (the title of the series also makes reference) a famous work by Magritte).
This series is part of a growing genre that uses historical figures as a bold starting point: think Woody Allen’s 1920s vacation midnight in paris (featuring Dali and Man Ray as characters) or Regina King’s Black power summit One Night in Miami It depicts Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. It’s a broad canvas that allows for biographical references, sly judgments, bemused interpretations and wild embellishments. One of the points of emphasis here is how much abuse can be attributed to a historical figure. Surrealism gave voice to the unconscious, but can period dramas do the same?
After all, what remains is This Is Not a Murder Mystery There are so many possibilities. While it tries to engage with them all, the show never quite masters anything in particular. It’s a clever character study, a loving homage to the classic murder mystery, and an undercurrent of satire. However, no element is superior. And although the characters’ (some revered) works are featured, the dialogue doesn’t delve too deeply into the surrealist process. This is a mystery that can be solved.
This Is Not a Murder Mystery It airs on SBS On Demand.
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Craig Mathieson is the TV, film and music writer for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X.
