The Benson Murder Case
Encyclopedia
The Benson Murder Case is the first novel in the Philo Vance
series of mystery novels by S.S. Van Dine, which became a best-seller.
expert Joseph Elwell. It was considered a roman à clef
because the circumstances under which Elwell's body was found—he was shot to death in a room in his home which was found to be locked from the inside, and he was not wearing his toupee—are duplicated in the novel. Modern knowledge of ballistics
reveals that one of the central premises of the novel is fanciful, because the reconstruction of the height of the murderer is impossible.
"The first and best, partly because Van Dine had the real-life model of the Joseph Elwell murder (1920) to hold his fancy in check."
"Vance spots the murderer almost immediately but doesn't reveal him, allowing Markham and Sergeant Heath to fix the guilt on five successive persons by circumstantial evidence."
released The Benson Murder Case (1930) a film version directed by Frank Tuttle
and starring William Powell
as Philo Vance. The film was moderately faithful to the plot of the novel. Paramount also released a Spanish-language
version, El Cuerpo del Delito, written by Catalan
writer Josep Carner Ribalta (1898-1988) and co-directed by Cyril Gardner
and A. Washington Pezet.
Philo Vance
Philo Vance featured in 12 crime novels written by S. S. Van Dine , published in the 1920s and 1930s. During that time, Vance was immensely popular in books, movies, and on the radio. He was portrayed as a stylish, even foppish dandy, a New York bon vivant possessing a highly intellectual bent...
series of mystery novels by S.S. Van Dine, which became a best-seller.
Plot outline
New York dilettante Philo Vance decides to assist the police in investigating the death of another man-about-town because he finds the psychological aspects of the crime of interest and feels that they would be beyond the capacities of the police, even those of his friend District Attorney Markham. Vance investigates the circumstances under which the body was found and reconstructs the crime sufficiently to determine that the murderer is five feet, ten and a half inches in height. Together, Vance and Markham investigate Benson's business associates and romantic interests until Vance manages to pierce the murderer's alibi for the time of the murder and force a confession.Literary significance and criticism
The novel was very loosely based upon a real-life case that had made headlines, the unsolved murder of bridgeContract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
expert Joseph Elwell. It was considered a roman à clef
Roman à clef
Roman à clef or roman à clé , French for "novel with a key", is a phrase used to describe a novel about real life, overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the nonfiction and the fiction...
because the circumstances under which Elwell's body was found—he was shot to death in a room in his home which was found to be locked from the inside, and he was not wearing his toupee—are duplicated in the novel. Modern knowledge of ballistics
Ballistics
Ballistics is the science of mechanics that deals with the flight, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.A ballistic body is a body which is...
reveals that one of the central premises of the novel is fanciful, because the reconstruction of the height of the murderer is impossible.
"The first and best, partly because Van Dine had the real-life model of the Joseph Elwell murder (1920) to hold his fancy in check."
"Vance spots the murderer almost immediately but doesn't reveal him, allowing Markham and Sergeant Heath to fix the guilt on five successive persons by circumstantial evidence."
Film adaptations
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
released The Benson Murder Case (1930) a film version directed by Frank Tuttle
Frank Tuttle
Frank Tuttle was a Hollywood film director and writer who directed films from 1922 to 1959 ....
and starring William Powell
William Powell
William Horatio Powell was an American actor.A major star at MGM, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the popular Thin Man series in which Powell and Loy played Nick and Nora Charles...
as Philo Vance. The film was moderately faithful to the plot of the novel. Paramount also released a Spanish-language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version, El Cuerpo del Delito, written by Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
writer Josep Carner Ribalta (1898-1988) and co-directed by Cyril Gardner
Cyril Gardner
Cyril Gardner was a French-born actor, film director, editor and screenwriter.-Selected filmography:Director* Declassee * Grumpy * The Royal Family of Broadway * Reckless Living...
and A. Washington Pezet.
External links
- The Benson Murder Case at IMDB
- El Cuerpo del Delito at IMDB
- Quotes from The Benson Murder Case at Wikiquote