The Oxford Murders

The Oxford Murders

Martin

Arthur Seldom

Lorna

Beth

Inspector Petersen

Kalman

Frank

Mrs. Eagleton

Scott

Mr. Higgins

Defense Lawyer

Doctor

Howard Green

Howard Green's Wife

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Mathematician 1

Mathematician 2

Newscaster

Security Guard

Shop Assistant

Soldier 1

Soldier 2

Policeman 1

Policeman 2

Percussionist

Student (uncredited)

Conductor (uncredited)

Oxford Student (uncredited)

Professor Wilkes (uncredited)

Inspector (uncredited)

Police Officer (uncredited)

Builder (uncredited)

Professor in Lecture (uncredited)

Orchestral extra (uncredited)

Argumentative Student (uncredited)

Filmed in nine weeks.

During the initial introduction between Martin (Elijah Wood) and Mrs. Eagleton (Anna Massey), they speak about her replica of the German Enigma cipher machine. Mrs. Eagleton states everything was done manually to break the Enigma messages. Mrs. Eagleton states "there were no computers in those days (World War II)" and "calculations were done by hand." Actually, the British, working in Bletchley Park, did build a computer called Colossus by January 1944. Colossus was constructed with up to 2,400 vacuum tubes and programmers used approx. 1" wide paper tape to store programming. By the end of the war, Bletchley Park was using 10 Colossus computers to break various German cipher machines, including Enigma.

Michael Caine was approached by director Álex de la Iglesia to play the leading role. Jeremy Irons was also considered for this part that, ultimately, went to John Hurt.

(at around 14 mins) In the classroom scene, Martin announces that he believes in the number pi, and explains that by this he means the golden section, related to the Fibonacci sequence. The goof is that this number is universally referred to as phi, not pi, which is reserved for the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle.

Bormat's Last Theorem should be Fermat's Last Theorem. It is very surprising since the script gives fairly accurate details of its proof down to the modular forms and elliptic curves. Further, it was solved by Andrew Wiles, not 'Henry Wilkins'.

(at around 20 mins) During the camera panning, when Martin is riding his bike and parks it by the fence and passes the tree, the camera cues anew. Martin's arm nearest the camera after he exits the tree does not match the way it was positioned when he entered behind the tree.

Arthur Seldom: [exasperated whisper] I don't know anything.

Arthur Seldom: Of all the vast mountains of knowledge that as of yet you have not scaled, Martin, this slope is one of the most slippery. Be careful.

Arthur Seldom: The only perfect crime that exists is not the one that remains unsolved, but the one which is solved with the wrong culprit