Columbo “Playback” (Japanese Title: Testimony of the Videotape) Original Title: Playback This video is part 3 of my analysis, and this will be the final chapter.
For those of you who love deep-dive theories, I suspect this video might be your favorite of the three. Or rather, I hope it will be. When my thoughts finally clicked into place here, I was once again struck by just how deep Columbo really is. I guess I was still just a kid when I first watched it.
Now then, that was a long introduction. Let’s get into the analysis of the end credits.
The drama ends when Inspector Columbo looks down and turns off the TV. The staff roll and Columbo’s profile fade out. Then, a piece by Chopin begins to play. The title of the piece is none other than “Ballade No. 1.” I didn’t know this myself, but among those in the know, some say this piece was themed around the November Uprising in Poland. And this is the exact same piece the victim was listening to while drinking her brandy.
However, when the victim was listening to it, it was a relatively up-tempo part of Ballade No. 1. During the end credits, it’s a part where the high notes ring out tragically. Because they sound so completely different, in my ignorance, I thought they were entirely different songs.
The November Uprising in Poland was an armed rebellion in the capital city of Warsaw to gain independence from Russia. It was initially successful, but in the end, it was crushed by the massive army Russia sent in.
It was here that it dawned on me. This represents the victim’s own uprising to take Midas Electronics back from Harold—that is, the culprit and current president—and return it to her biological son, Arthur. And her uprising is crushed.
But what if Arthur had actually become president? What would have happened if Midas Electronics had been taken back from Harold? Arthur doesn’t even know about his own company’s products, and his decision-making skills are weak. He seems like a nice guy, though. The daughter just runs away when things get complicated. She seems like a nice person, too. The culprit, Harold, actually has a point. Making Arthur the president is absurd. If the wife gets involved in management, she’ll instantly be eaten alive. Could it be…? Thinking this, I looked further into the November Uprising. It turns out that in Poland as well, the November Uprising failed due to issues with the chain of command, leading to re-occupation by Russia and many casualties. Just like how the mother-in-law became a victim.
And look at this episode, “Playback.” Directed by Bernard L. Kowalski, with music by Bernardo Segall. A director of Polish descent, and a music director who was a professional classical pianist known for playing Chopin. Could it be that these two secretly slipped the tragedy of the November Uprising in here? …And there goes my imagination running wild again, as usual.
The final scene. The daughter, left all alone, sheds a tear. The mother-in-law, who held everything together, is dead. Harold, who acted as president, is arrested. And left behind are two children entirely unsuited for management. There’s nothing but dark clouds ahead for Midas Electronics’ future. But what else could they have done? It kind of reminds me of “Any Old Port in a Storm,” doesn’t it? The older brother is too eccentric and bad at business, and the younger brother is hedonistic and doesn’t work. That winery was doomed either way. And it’s the exact same for Midas.
It’s such a melancholic, helpless ending to this story. Wow, to think that behind what I thought was just a critique of technology, such a heavy theme might have been hidden… Doesn’t it make you think Columbo is a drama with bottomless depth? Don’t you agree?