Little Murders

Little Murders

Year: 1971

Runtime: 108 mins

Language: English

ComedyCrimeCrude humor and satireIntense violence and sexual transgressionGags jokes and slapstick humor

Darkly comic, the film follows a young, nihilistic New Yorker as he endures a summer of 1970s urban decay—constant violence, obscene phone calls, leaking rusty pipes, power outages, growing paranoia and ethnic‑racial tension that grip the city.

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Timeline & Setting – Little Murders (1971)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Little Murders (1971). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1970s

Set against a contemporary urban backdrop, the narrative captures a city on edge with frequent crime and public unease. The atmosphere mirrors late-1960s to early-1970s tensions, where social upheaval and existential questions permeate daily life. This period framing emphasizes the fragility of meaning in a chaotic urban setting.

Location

New York City, Chicago

The story unfolds in New York City, a dense urban landscape marked by noise, crime, blackouts, and a sense of urban decay. This NYC backdrop amplifies Patsy’s attempts to mold a partner and the couple’s escalating violence. Chicago appears as a secondary locale when Alfred returns to his family, highlighting contrasts between two interconnected urban environments.

🏙️ Urban chaos 🗽 NYC setting 🚨 Street crime

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:06

Main Characters – Little Murders (1971)

Meet the key characters of Little Murders (1971), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Patsy Newquist — Marcia Rodd

A 27-year-old interior designer who tries to mold men to fit her expectations. She is ambitious, impulsive, and emotionally driven by fantasy, chasing a stable marriage with Alfred. Her attachment to control and status drives much of the plot and escalation.

🎯 Desire 🕹️ Control 💬 Manipulation

Alfred Chamberlain — Elliott Gould

A photographer described as a devotee of excrement, he is emotionally numb and passive, tolerating violence around him. He gradually seeks to feel again, proclaiming worship for Patsy just before tragedy strikes. His transformation becomes the catalyst for the city’s violence to spill outward.

📷 Art 🧊 Detachment 🕰️ Transformation

Rev. Henry Dupas — Donald Sutherland

An existentialist clergy figure who officiates Patsy and Alfred’s wedding, turning sacred rites into a performance of absurd meaning. His involvement highlights the film’s critique of ritual and belief under social strain.

⛪ Ritual 🎭 Existential 🧭 Guidance

Mr. Chamberlain — John Randolph

Alfred’s father, who denies memory of his childhood and remains emotionally distant. His detachment underscores generational gaps and the failure of familial memory to anchor personal identity.

👨‍👦 Family 🧠 Detachment

Carol Newquist — Vincent Gardenia

Patsy’s mother, a figure in the eccentric New York family whose presence underscores social pressures surrounding marriage and acceptance. She navigates the wedding chaos with a mix of concern and pragmatism.

👩‍👧 Family 🗽 NYC Culture

Marge Newquist — Elizabeth Wilson

Patsy’s mother, part of the chaotic family ensemble. She represents generational attitudes toward love, duty, and conflict within a volatile urban setting.

👪 Family 🗣️ Dynamics

Kenny Newquist — Jon Korkes

Patsy’s brother, part of the chaotic household, contributing to the film’s offbeat family energy. His reactions help reveal the family’s eccentric dynamics.

🧸 Sibling 🗯️ Energy

Lt. Miles Practice — Alan Arkin

A ranting, highly stressed police detective overwhelmed by the city’s slew of unsolved murders. He embodies the frustration of law enforcement confronting urban chaos.

🚨 Police 🧠 Tension

Mrs. Chamberlain — Doris Roberts

Alfred’s mother, a figure in the family network who observes, comments on, and participates in the city’s violent turn as the plot unfolds.

🧓 Family 🌀 Chaos

Judge Stern — Lou Jacobi

A judge in the story’s legal milieu, adding to the satirical exploration of authority and order amid societal breakdown.

⚖️ Authority 🗽 Satire

Checkpoints Officer — Martin Kove

An uncredited police officer who contributes to the city’s surveillance and security atmosphere during a crime-ridden period.

🚓 Law 🧭 Surveillance

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:06

Major Themes – Little Murders (1971)

Explore the central themes of Little Murders (1971), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🌆 Emotional Numbness

Patsy and Alfred personify a disconnect between feeling and action. Alfred is emotionally vacant, passive, and tolerant of violence, while Patsy attempts to mold him into a conventional partner. Their relationship quality rests on control, fantasy, and a desperate search for connection in a cold city.

💥 Violence

The narrative is threaded with sudden brutality, from street mugging to a sniper-style murder of Patsy. A wedding ceremony dissolves into a mass confrontation, illustrating how violence saturates everyday life. The film treats violence as a social symptom rather than an isolated anomaly.

🎭 Existential Absurdity

The wedding officiated by an existentialist Rev. Dupas erupts into chaos, underscoring the hollowness of rituals under social strain. Characters drift between rational conduct and inexplicable acts, satirizing the rituals and meanings people cling to. The city’s absurdity becomes a mirror for personal disconnection.

👪 Family Dynamics

Patsy’s family life exposes pressures of social conformity and marriage as a rite of passage. Parents and siblings react with bewilderment to the engagement, revealing eccentric dynamics and unspoken tensions. This family chaos intensifies the film’s critique of traditional support systems in a collapsing urban landscape.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:06

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Little Murders Summary

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Little Murders (1971) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

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