Columbo: an origin story (2018)

Columbo is my and my wife&#x27;s favorite series. There are many things that separate it from most. Nowadays there is a big focus on series where every episode ends with an addictive cliffhanger. I hate that. You can watch a single episode of Columbo and be satisfied. There are a few things mentioned from other episodes here and there, but overall nothing important. I also love how the lieutenant is above all kind. Lately everything has to be dark and quirkiness is used to explain how someone is directly rude. I like the fact that they did not bend and show Mrs Columbo (I now that there was a separate show with that title).<p>I&#x27;m sure, that it will get a reboot sometime in future. I just hope that it will not receive the same treatment as Star Trek with Discovery. I would appreciate i.e. Natasha Lyone to make it something different enough not to look like a cheap uncanny valley copy. But kindess and clear separation of episodes is a must.

One of the earliest (and also one of the best) Columbo episodes (&quot;Murder by the Book&quot;, 1971) was directed by Steven Spielberg. If you watch it, it is <i>immediately</i> clear (even during the initial shot) that this episode is simply in another league. Not only when compared to other Columbo episodes, but also when compared to other TV shows during that era (see for example this short documentary [0]). It is crazy to think that Spielberg was only 25 when he directed this.<p>If I remember correctly, the quality of that Columbo episode was what really started Spielberg&#x27;s career. He got the offer to direct a TV movie afterwards, and he presented Duel [1] (also in 1971), which is simply a masterpiece and got a theatrical release after the TV success. It established Spielberg as a major film director. Just watch the title sequence: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=d0707XtiFPs" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=d0707XtiFPs</a><p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=Gb62FxCH-Ks" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=Gb62FxCH-Ks</a><p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Duel_(1971_film)" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Duel_(1971_film)</a>

I hate Columbo because in the Double Exposure episode they explain the cue marks that appeared during movies to indicate to the projectionist they need to switch reels, and after that I couldn&#x27;t not notice those cue marks (Fight Club did the same reveal, much later).<p>But really, I love Columbo. RIP Peter Falk. 10 years already.

When I read Dostoevsky&#x27;s &quot;Crime and Punishment&quot; in school, I mentioned to my teacher that the investigator reminds me of Columbo. I only remember my teacher answering me, that Columbo is one of the few crime series to be of good quality.<p>Almost fifteen years later I read this:<p>&gt; “The Columbo character was based squarely on Porfiry Petrovich, the astute but meandering lead investigator in Dostoevsky’s Crime &amp; Punishment.”<p>Which makes me kind of happy :-)

Although the writing was superb, I don&#x27;t think Columbo would have been such a good show without Peter Falk.<p>He had talent, and natural charisma. I don&#x27;t think I have ever seen him in a bad performance, even before Columbo.

I was always disappointed that Apple never got Peter Falk to appear on stage at WWDC and say &quot;<i>Oh, there&#x27;s one more thing Mr. Jobs…</i>&quot;.

&gt;They based the character squarely on Porfiry Petrovich, the astute but meandering lead investigator in Dostoevsky’s Crime &amp; Punishment – a book both had studied at college.<p>Perhaps, but I would find it difficult to believe that the creators of Columbo hadn&#x27;t also seen the 1955 French film <i>Diabolique</i> (also known as <i>Les Diaboliques</i>). This film features a detective who seems very friendly and not very competent but who is cleverly setting up a rhetorical trap for the murder suspect, very much like how Columbo acts.

My wife and I discovered columbo in 2014ish. Ever since then we have become crazy fans. I have all the episodes from 1968 thru 2003 on DVD, ripped with subtitles and backed up on multiple SSDs and also backed up to Amazon glacier just in case... Columbo plays in our house every weekend since 2014, we are probably watching the series 7th or 8th time now and it never feels boring. My biggest regret is that, I found columbo after peter Falk died. I would have loved to meet him or just write to him when he were alive. Peter Falk was a legend, I almost feel like we are related and share some weird bond. Thanks Peter Falk and the whole Columbo crew for a masterpiece show.

This series is one of the very rare ones in which my favorite actor, Patrick McGoohan, makes a couple of guest appearances, and even directed one episode.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;columbophile.com&#x2F;2020&#x2F;08&#x2F;30&#x2F;episode-review-columbo-agenda-for-murder&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;columbophile.com&#x2F;2020&#x2F;08&#x2F;30&#x2F;episode-review-columbo-a...</a>

Pay attention to the camera &amp; directing the next time you watch an episode, it&#x27;s an absolute masterpiece.<p>One example to look out for is the back-and-forth between Columbo and the baddie. They would usually stand in opposite ends of the room and shot from two (sets of) cameras. One camera is closer to Columbo and the other is closer to the baddie, so when the detective is &quot;winning&quot; an argument, he&#x27;ll look bigger on the screen and vice versa.<p>This usually starts with a shot where Columbo looks super small somewhere in the back of the room, then he&#x27;d ask his famous &quot;just one last question&quot;, and then they switch the setup. Now Columbo is bigger in the front, and the baddie looks small while they are in trouble.

For an extra blessing of Peter Falk should look for Wim Wender&#x27;s <i>Wings of Desire</i>. It&#x27;s an incredibly touching addition to an already profound film.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;u7s-H4EqP4I" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;u7s-H4EqP4I</a>

I never watched the show back in the day. I knew what it was but I was not into this sort of thing in my youth.<p>Decided to give it a try last month and I am already on season 2 and find it enjoyable.<p>A few things that stand out to me:<p>1. Male characters tend to be in their 50s or older.<p>2. Women are mostly gorgeous but somewhat the same type<p>3. Even though it was all filmed almost 50 years ago and some stories are ridiculous, over the top, it all seems more believable than whatever modern crime show my wife is watching. These old, pretentious, hilariously over the top rich assholes are more believable to me than &quot;normal&quot; modern TV characters that seem to have it all in their 20s while also looking like models.<p>4. Everyone is white lol

I discovered Columbo just a year or so back and I love it. Peter Falk is the big draw, but I also appreciate the relatively low intensity of the show. Scenes are allowed to unfold at a pace that would seem too slow or baggy for today&#x27;s shows. It&#x27;s a perfect evening watch to unwind after a long day.

That “buy me a coffee banner” is so annoying on mobile. Awful to just keep it there nonstop.

I learned conversational English by watching subtitled Columbo shows.

In a minor dev related way, projects where clients keep piliing on requirements during dev, that&#x27;s a Columbo. Just one more thing...

amazing, just downloaded recently and in the middle of episode 1 just now...

I agree, sadly there is nothing like Colombo produced these days, the CSI series are tangentially similar but using hitech instead of old school police work. Interesting movie recommendation would be murder on the orient express , old or new version are equally good.