Editing Sleuth (1972 film) (section)

==Production==
[[File:Lord Olivier 10 Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|[[Laurence Olivier]], who plays Andrew Wyke, in his dressing room on the set of ''Sleuth'' (1972)]]

[[File:AthelhamptonHouse.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Athelhampton House]], Dorset, used for the exterior scenes in the movie]]

Shaffer was initially reluctant to sell the film rights to the play, fearful it would undercut the success of the stage version. When he finally did relent, he hoped the film would retain the services of [[Anthony Quayle]], who had essayed the role of Wyke in London and on Broadway. [[Alan Bates]] was Shaffer's pick for the part of Milo Tindle. In the end, director Mankiewicz opted for Olivier and Caine.

When they met, Caine asked Olivier how he should address him. Olivier told him that it should be as "Lord Olivier", and added that now that that was settled he could call him "Larry".<ref name="USA Today">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20071011/d_cover11_side.art.htm|newspaper=USA Today|title=Follow these clues to the original 'Sleuth'|access-date=24 June 2012|date=10 October 2007}}</ref> According to Shaffer, Olivier stated that when filming began he looked upon Caine as an assistant, but that by the end of filming he regarded him as a full partner. According to [[Stephen Sondheim]] (who Shaffer had partly taken for inspiration for the original play when it came to his penchant for playing games), when he met Olivier sometime after the production had finished shooting, Olivier had said he based his performance on Sondheim.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/07/19/specials/sondheim-shaffer.html | title=THEATER; of Mystery, Murder and Other Delights }}</ref>

The likeness of actress [[Joanne Woodward]] was used for the painting of Marguerite Wyke.<ref name="USA Today" />

Much of the story revolves around the theme of [[crime fiction]], as written by [[John Dickson Carr]] (St John Lord Merridew = [[Sir Henry Merrivale]]), on whom Olivier's physical appearance is modelled, and [[Agatha Christie]], whose photo is included on Wyke's wall, and how it relates to real-life criminal investigations. Class conflict is also raised between Wyke, who has the trappings of an English country gentleman, compared to Tindle, the son of an immigrant from a poor area of London.

[[Bristol Myers Squibb]] (Palomar Pictures International) owns the rights to ''[[The_Heartbreak_Kid_(1972_film)|The Heartbreak Kid]]'' (1972) and ''Sleuth'' (1972).<ref name="nytimes/2001/video-programming">{{cite news |last1=Nichols |first1=Peter M. |title=HOME VIDEO; Programming The Housewives |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/03/movies/home-video-programming-the-housewives.html |access-date=23 October 2023 |date=August 3, 2001}}</ref>