The Oxford Murders (2008)

Director:

Álex de la Iglesia

Writers:

Jorge Guerricaechevarría (writer)
Álex de la Iglesia (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

18 January 2008 (Spain)

Genre:

Crime | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

At Oxford University, a professor and a grad student work together to try and stop a potential series of murders seemingly linked by mathematical symbols. |

Plot Keywords:

Student | Oxford | Murder | University Professor | Female Nudity

Awards:

5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Elijah Wood	...	Martin
John Hurt	...	Arthur Seldom
Leonor Watling	...	Lorna
Julie Cox	...	Beth
Burn Gorman	...	Podorov
Anna Massey	...	Mrs. Eagleton
Jim Carter	...	Inspector Petersen
Alan David	...	Mr. Higgins
Dominique Pinon	...	Frank
Tim Wallers	...	Defence Lawyer
James Weber-Brown	...	Doctor
Ian East	...	Howard Green
Charlotte Asprey	...	Mrs. Howard Green
Alex Cox	...	Kalman
Tom Frederic	...	Ludwig Wittgenstein
Michael Mears	...	Mathematician 2
James Howard	...	Newscaster
Danny Sapani	...	Scott
Doug Kirby	...	Security Guard
Sarah Crowden	...	Rude Shop Assistant
Bruce Jamieson	...	Soldier 1
Naomi Westerman	...	Argumentative student
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roque Baños	...	Conductor
Martin Nigel Davey	...	Professor Wilkes
James Fiddy	...	Inspector
Duane Henry	...	PC Spencer
Thomas Snowdon	...	Soldier 2
John Wark	...	Policeman 2
Glyn Angell	...	Student (uncredited)
Shane Nolan	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
John Snowden	...	Professor in Lecture (uncredited)

Directed by
Álex de la Iglesia

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jorge Guerricaechevarría		writer
Álex de la Iglesia		screenplay
Guillermo Martinez		novel

Produced by
Álvaro Augustín	....	producer
Priscilla Bertin	....	supervising producer: France
Mariela Besuievski	....	producer
Vérane Frédiani	....	co-producer
Gerardo Herrero	....	producer
Álex de la Iglesia	....	producer
Kevin Loader	....	co-producer
Elena Manrique	....	producer
Franck Ribière	....	co-producer
Rosa Romero	....	line producer

Original Music by
Roque Baños

Cinematography by
Kiko de la Rica		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Alejandro Lázaro

Casting by
Camilla-Valentine Isola
Gaby Kester

Production Design by
Cristina Casali

Art Direction by
Maria Chryssikos

Set Decoration by
Marshall Aver

Costume Design by
Paco Delgado

Makeup Department
Neill Gorton	....	prosthetic effects designer
Carmel Jackson	....	hair stylist
Carmel Jackson	....	makeup artist
Jan Sewell	....	hair stylist
Jan Sewell	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Kevin Jenkins	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jonny Benson	....	second assistant director
Dan Channing-Williams	....	third assistant director
Chris Croucher	....	additional third assistant director
Barrie McCulloch	....	first assistant director
Kenneth Thompson Marchesi	....	first assistant director: additional photography

Art Department
Caroline Barclay	....	stand-by art director
Pete Britten	....	art department (as Pete Brittan)
Rebecca Chidgey	....	art department assistant (as Rebecca Thompson)
Craig Falco	....	art department assistant
Kate Halsall	....	art department assistant
Shane Harford	....	stand-by props
Richard Hart	....	painter
Ray McNeill	....	property master
Richard North	....	art department assistant
Camise Oldfield	....	art department assistant
Hugo Slight	....	construction manager
Jo Sweeney	....	graphic designer
Louis Turner	....	dressing props: dailies
Alex Walklate	....	art department assistant
Steven Burkett	....	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jorge Adrados	....	assistant sound
Nicolas de Poulpiquet	....	sound re-recording mixer
Diego Garrido	....	sound re-recording mixer assistant
Danny Hambrook	....	sound recordist
Adam Laschinger	....	sound maintenance
Carlos Schmukler	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Neal Champion	....	special effects supervisor
Peter Hawkins	....	prosthetic effects
Jon Moore	....	prosthetics technician
Bernard Newton	....	special effects technician
Anthony Parker	....	prosthetic effects
Scott Peters	....	special effects technician
Nick P. Phillips	....	special effects technician
Joe White	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Félix Bergés	....	visual effects supervisor
Aníbal del Busto	....	digital compositor
Pablo Hernández-Meléndez	....	senior cgi artist
Inma Nadela	....	digital compositor
Guillermo Orbe	....	digital compositor
Ramón Ramos	....	digital compositor
Thorsten Rienth	....	digital compositor
Rafa Solorzano	....	visual effects supervisor
Carlos Trijueque	....	digital compositor
Daniel Trujillo	....	digital compositor

Stunts
George Cottle	....	stunt performer
Steve Griffin	....	stunts
Lee Sheward	....	stunt coordinator
Andy Wareham	....	stunt double: Podorov
Andy Wareham	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Nick Allsop	....	clapper loader: "b" camera
Ariana Bonavia	....	clapper loader: "a" camera
Jeremy Braben	....	aerial director of photography
Daniel-Konrad Cooper	....	video assist operator
Nicola Dove	....	still photographer
Ian Evans	....	pilot: camera helicopter
Darren Flindall	....	rigger
Eugene Grobler	....	balloon light operator
Yosu Inchaustegui	....	camera operator
Raúl Morales	....	focus puller: "a" camera
David Penfold	....	focus puller: "b" camera
Tom Scott	....	rigger
Paul Sharp	....	rigging gaffer
David Wall	....	electrician
Oliver Ward	....	camera technician: Wescam camera
Harry Wiggins	....	lighting gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Otzen	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Miguel P. Gilaberte	....	digital intermediate colorist
Cristina Pastor	....	assistant editor
Javier Ugarte	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Roque Baños	....	conductor
Roque Baños	....	orchestrator
Peter Cobbin	....	music mixer
Peter Cobbin	....	music engineer (uncredited)

Other crew
Paul M. Brennan	....	floor runner (as Paul Brennan)
David Campbell-Bell	....	assistant location manager
Daniel Castella	....	assistant to director
Daniel-Konrad Cooper	....	production assistant
Elton Farla	....	medical support
Emily Gardner	....	production runner
Sue Hills	....	script supervisor
Carlton Jarvis	....	medical advisor
Claudia Kalindjian	....	unit publicist
Stewart Kojima	....	floor runner
Gabby Le Rasle	....	production coordinator
Jaime Ortiz de Artiñano	....	business affairs
Lewis Partovi	....	assistant production coordinator
Sarah Teboul	....	production accountant
Karen Vicary	....	assistant accountant
Oliver Wiseman	....	floor runner

Production Companies

• Eurimages (financial support)
• La Fabrique de Films
• Telecinco Cinema
• Tornasol Films

Distributors

• Audio Visual Enterprises (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Odeon Sky Filmworks (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• Pachamama Cine (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• THINKFilm (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Entertainment (2009) (Greece) (DVD)
• Bazuca Films (2008) (Chile) (all media)
• Contender Entertainment Group (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Imagem Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Nordisk Film Theatrical Distribution (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Millennium FX

Other Companies

• ARRI Media  camera equipment provided by
• Abbey Road Studios  music recorded at
• Arion Facilities  dailies telecine transfers
• Audiolink Radio Communications  walkie talkies/mobiles
• Docfarla Medical Support  medical coordination
• Fatts  post-production script services
• Film IT  production management software (as Film Fabric)
• Helicopter Film Services  aerial filming and helicopters
• Mediscene  medical equipment
• Movie Lot, The  security
• Pro Arte Orchestra of London  orchestra

Also Known As:

Crimes à Oxford (France)
Los crímenes de Oxford (Spain: Castilian title)
Oxford Crimes (Spain) (working title)
Akolouthia fonon stin Oxfordi (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
I akolouthia tis Oxfordis (Greece) [el]
Los crímenes de Oxford (Argentina) [es]
Oxford Murders (Germany) (DVD title) [de]
Oxford cinayetleri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Oxfordin murhat (Finland) (DVD title) [fi]

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Spain | UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Spain:13 | Italy:T | Argentina:16 | Singapore:M18 | Germany:16 | Finland:K-13 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Eurimages

Trivia:

The "Bormat's Last Theorem" that is solved in the movie is clearly a reference to Fermat's Last Theorem. Like Bormat's theorem in the movie, Fermat's theorem was widely considered to be (one of) the most difficult problems of the last 300 years. It was solved fairly recently (in 1995 by Andrew Wiles). It was solved using elliptic curves, and the proof was first demonstrated at Cambridge. Like the proof of Bormat's theorem in the movie, the proving of Fermat's was a very big deal in the world of number theory.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the camera panning at >20min. when Wood is riding his bike and parks it by the fence and passes the tree, the camera cues anew. Wood's arm nearest the camera after he exits the tree does not match the way it was positioned when he entered behind the tree.

Soundtrack:

The King of Denmark's Galiard

A rather pretentious but not bad movie

Since previous reviews are visible it is impossible to write one as if casting a virgin glance to the movie reviewed. It is obvious that the majority of the reviews was negative although the overall ratings were not that bad.I have to say that the movie was tolerable and and even enjoyable and I think that negative criticism stemmed from the fact that the cast and the locale as well as the intellectual pretensions of the movie raised expectations that could not be met. It is very common from my experience that when films deal with weighty matters such as mathematics, philosophy or religion they do so in a schematic and simplified manner and that applies also to movies that were successes such as The Name of the Rose or The Da Vinci Code. I can not find a way that such matters could be worked out and presented in a movie that has to last for about two hours approximately in any other manner that would appear anything but schematic and frivolous to someone who has personal experience or knowledge of such matters-movies are entertainment an not mathematical treatises or religious tracts and therefore simplification is a structural deficiency of this artistic medium cosubstancial with it and impossible to overcome. Therefore do not blame someone for something he can not deliver because of his nature.

Criticisms have been leveled against the characters and actors. Some people found that Wood was not attractive enough to find a sexual partner-as he did in the movie. Who is to judge that. By that logic beautiful people-whatever that means- should mate only with their kind-something that everyday experience denies. The inspector appeared as silly to some- well after all as in the book he did not find the real solution! The Russian student appeared as a caricature but after all that was the choice made by the movie-maker. As for the professor, well what can I say he was professorial and coming from a more traditional country in my experience professors are expected to act in a rather uppish manner.

The central riddle of the movie became crystal clear to me when I read the book because truly filmic time is to fast for me in order to be able to comprehend mysteries and their solutions and that is a general experience I have with films probably due to my lack of visual intelligence and comprehension.

I liked the sexy appearance of Lorna and I think it added to the movie as a diversion from the platitudinous philosophizing of some of the central characters.I think the movie had some sex, a little mathematics, some academia, a bit of mystery, the allure of a historic university town and a final twist of the plot-not that bad after all.