What is your favourite Agatha Christie adaptation? PART 2.

I was just about to make this thread, so happy to see someone else has taken the initiative. I was really enjoying our conversation on Part 1.

Anyway, I am moving steadily through the Poirot series still, and have recently finished off seasons 7, 8 and 9. Not too hard to do as the first two seasons only have two episodes each.

These two series come after a four year (I think) break, and you would think they would come back feeling refreshed, but actually, I found them to seem more like the series was running out of steam. I found every episode in this hard to watch in some way, which is really a shame because all four of them are from great novels, and I would argue at least three of them are classic novels. So what went wrong? Spoilers abound below.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was always going to be tough to do, but they could've made a much better job of it - amp up the friendship between Poirot and Dr Shepherd, try and keep Caroline as a character much closer to the novel version (who was basically a precursor to Miss Marple) so we don't have that stupid denouement.

Lord Edgware Dies is actually really disappointing, because that is a fantastic novel that deserves a good adaptation (afterwards I watched the 1934 version available on YouTube, but didn't love that one either, it didn't seem to take the text very seriously). It's a big problem getting Fiona Allen to play Carlotta. I always thought Tracey Ullman would've been a good choice. The impersonations weren't very convincing at all, why Jane would be captivated by them I have no idea.

Season 8 was slightly better. I don't mind Evil Under the Sun so much (I know people don't like Patrick Redfern in this because they are comparing him to Nicholas Clay and his bulging arse in the movie, but I thought he was ok). Murder in Mesopotamia could've been better too. Why, oh why didn't they shoot the original "face at the window" scene to make it actually creepy like in the book. I had a hard time believing anyone would be scared by that (except for wondering who it was who was putting the mask there, I guess). I like it when Hastings is in these, but it totally sidelines the nurse, who is a great character in her own right.

A lot of the acting was just ok too, nothing special. Usually one or two standouts an episode and other than that, kind of a cast of nobodies. How they convinced people they should come back after these is interesting. None of them were terrible, but none of them were very enjoyable either. The one point of interest I noticed was how they were upping the gore a bit in these, which really felt at odds with the am dram feel of them.

Then I got into season 9. And wow, I REALLY enjoyed this season. The change in tone and the filming style was very welcome, and I rushed through these four episodes very pleasurably. I have said all I have to say on the other thread about Death on the Nile and how I think it suffers in some ways (like a feeling the cast are rushing their lines etc), but it's decent enough. The other three episodes were excellent though. I think Sad Cypress might be my favourite, but I love that story. I don't love The Hollow as a novel, but the adaptation was really great.

I know the newer series has its pitfalls too, and in fact this season may be the last strong one we have, but I am so glad to have moved into this later, darker tone now, which I wasn't expecting when I started.

The one with Glenn Close and Gillian Anderson was campy fun

Also the one with Aiden Turner, Douglas Booth, and Toby Stephens because pretty is pretty.

I also like the two 80s films with Ustinov et. al.

And I like the Suchet Poirot series but mostly for the set designs. The British do better period television dramas than we do in the U.S. although premium cable shows do seem to go all out.

[quote]The one with Glenn Close and Gillian Anderson was campy fun

Crooked House. I watched that one recently and enjoyed it too. I like seeing the Christie's that don't fall into the usual Poirot or Marple series, they often have a very different feel to them.

Miss Marple: “A Murder is Announced” with Joan Hickson as Miss Marple. It’s such a fun, compelling mystery with great little subplots and incredible characters. The actors are all just perfectly cast and they’re the reason I keep watching it. It’s my go-to watch when I’m depressed or not feeling well. “A Body in the Library” from the same tv series is also really good.

"Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is such a cosy, season tale. Love watching it every December

I kind of like "Appointment with Death" (Suchet as Poirot), but the American accents (over-enunciated, drawn-out) can be irritating. Then you've got Elizabeth McGovern with her English accent: "White slave-ahs!"

R6 that's one of the most reviled adaptations as it veers so much from the source.

^and it veers so much from a really excellent source too, which is I think why it's so reviled.

I honestly don't know what they were thinking, the new plot was bonkers! Same with Marple's Sleeping Murder, made it almost unrecognisable

Agreed, R9. There are some Christies (particularly the later ones) where a little bit of a rewrite would help from novel to screen, but those two? Appointment with Death and Sleeping Murder are some of Christie's top stories (that also haven't been done to death) and really don't need much done to them. Two of my favourites, so I am particularly annoyed with what they did with them.

Maybe I'll read "Appointment with Death."

Since this is a "new" thread, will throw out some recommendations (my faves, all Suchet / Poirot):

1. Hallowe'en Party.

2. Cat among the Pigeons.

3. Mrs. McGinty's Dead.

The All-Black version of Ten Little Indians.

Mrs McGinty's Dead was superb. Hallow'een Party really improved on the book and had good tension. My only complaint was that the gardener was meant to be an adonis in the novel, not so much in the movie.

Wow, R13. The guy who played the gardener was great, but I can see how he was supposed to be an Adonis. (I haven't read the book, Halloween Party.)

The gardener in Cat among the Pigeons was an Adonis-type, though.

Hickson. "Murder at the Vicarage."

Beyond adaptations, generally I'll trade all but five Poirots for "Gaudy Night" and Busman's Honeymoon."

The American accents in the Poirot series are generally overdone by the British actors, R6. The Brit actors always play it louder and over the top. Big, inappropriate smiling and just dickish overbearing behavior. Classless and base in every interaction. More cursing too -- Elliott Gould roared goddamn a couple of times in The Mystery of the Blue Train).

I guess that's how they view Americans in general. I can't recall one sympathetic portrayal of someone from the U.S. -- not surprising given how often Poirot himself is dismissed as a mere "foreigner." I'm just glad the series was made long before cancel culture due to the casual racism and xenophobia. I was stunned to see a black woman in the above mentioned TV movie. Of course she turned out to be a woman who slept with rich white men for money.

I watched the Ustinov Death on The Nile last night for the first time in years. Gorgeous costumes and lots of Egypt location shooting - not to mention the galaxy of stars! Particular highlights:

Mia Farrow doing a wide-eyed English waif and almost carrying off the accent

Pre-Downton Pre-Damehood Maggie Smith as a Coded Lesbian

Luminous Lois Chiles

I just finished re-watching ALL of the Poirots (TV), all of the Marples (Hickson-McEwan-Mackenzie), the 1980s Tommy and Tuppence movies, the 2010's Partners In Crime, miscellaneous other adaptations (the Malkovich Poirot for one), and even some of the French adaptation (Les Petits Meurtres and the other series.) Still working on the rest of the short story Tommy/Tuppences from the '80s. (They look REALLY cheap.) I think I've seen nearly everything ... I'm completely caught up with "Grantchester," "Father Brown," and "Death in Paradise." I even finished all of "DCI Banks," "Miss Fisher" and "Inspector George Gently." Now I'm on to lesser shows like "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates" (although Hyacinth is delightful) and "Murdoch Mysteries" (Canadian, not British.) Any suggestions for other similar shows I might enjoy?

[quote] The American accents in the Poirot series are generally overdone by the British actors, [R6].

On "After the Funeral," there's an Italian character and the Italian accent is so crappy. It's obvious that the actor was British. I've seen other bad accents (more Italians and a Russian or two). It's almost arrogant (on the part of the filmmaker) how bad these accents are.

R18 How about Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse and A Touch Of Frost?

The ‘74 Murder on the Orient Express, I’ve seen it at least six times & I’m always mesmerized by it. Flawless cast, impeccable costumes, wonderful scenery. I don’t get why so many were turned off by Finney, he’s a revelation in the role, totally unrecognizable.

I thought the actress playing Honoria in "Murder Is Easy" was too young for the role.

In the ITV version she certainly was R22. There's a version from the 1980s with DL fave Olivia de Havilland.

The '74 MotOE is pretty decent, though not a favourite of mine. However that early scene at the train station as all the characters arrive and then the train pulls away to that amazing music - that's a fucking fantastic scene.

Death on the Nile is one I must've seen 10-12 times, and always enjoy it. Everything about it is perfect.

The other 4 Ustinov films aren't nearly as quality as his first two. What a shame.

Especially those made for TV ones that are set in the 80s. I really struggled with Murder in Three Acts. Dead Man's Folly was... ok... I guess. Probably only benefited from being set in the UK, unlike the other two.

Also, when they tried to go back to the "all star, set in the time of the novel" movie thing with Appointment with Death, it just wasn't done that well. It's kinda boring, that movie.

r20 Thanks. I forgot to mention that I'd seen all of the "Midsomer Murders" already, but I haven't seen either of the other two. I will definitely give them a try.

R25 I loved Murder is Easy, one of the 80s CBS flix, I think I saw it 20 times, it was great, though I wish they wouldn’t have cast an American as the lead. I can still hear Lesley Anne Down saying “DOCTOR Humblebee?”

The all-Black Americanized version of Death on the Nile set in New York City, Dead N*gg* on da C Line.

R27, I agree with you there. I have trouble with the Poirot 80s ones with Ustinov, but I actually quite enjoy some of the 80s ones like Murder is Easy, Sparkling Cyanide, and even The Man in the Brown Suit, with Stephanie Zimbalist, Edward Woodward, Tony Randall and where Rue McClanahan basically just plays Blanche on a cruise trying to solve a murder mystery (the actors are having a ball and it really shows and helps with the enjoyment).

R29 I must watch MITBS, sounds like a hoot!

Ok, last night I got around to watching the 1980s version of Appointment with Death.

I was expecting another in the line of Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun, but... I mean, what WAS that? It was like some kind of bad TV movie, having more in common with the Ustinov updated 80s episodes than the Ustinov movies. The music was hilarious - 80s kinda jazzy stuff. The directing was appalling, and the whole thing feeling really flat and uninteresting. Why is it so hard to adapt this particular story? It's a REALLY good one!

R31 it was directed by Jack Michael Winner who had about as much directing skill as a squeaky fart.

By *hack* Michael Winner

I feel like I've heard the name, but looking at his filmography, I've never seen anything else of his, I don't think. And after Appointment with Death, I don't think I will!

R34 he was more of a personality than anything. Priveleged rich guy who fell into directing, restaurant reviews, writing for newspapers etc. He had no discernible talent but thought it was his right to do as he pleased.

Hickory Dickory Dock

So he was a cliché, basically, R35. 😉

From the history of that production that Catherine and Kemper spoke about on All About Agatha, it sounds like it was a miserable experience for everyone involved, particularly John Gielgud and Lauren Bacall.

When I think of Mrs Boynton, I think of someone really large and grotesque, not really Piper Laurie. And someone older, struggling to get about, gleeful in her sadism, rather than aggressive and angry all the time.

I do hope they can do a good adaptation of this before I die, I'd love to see it.

Has anyone seen, or read the play of this, by the way? Christie completely changes the murderer and the motive in it. It actually still works well (though my preference is the book).

Ok, today I finished making my way through season 10 of Poirot! It was actually a bit of a revelation.

I haven't seen many of these episodes more than once, since they were first aired. When I looked at what was up, I despaired, especially after the really great season 9. "Oh this is the series where only After the Funeral is any good!" I thought.

Actually, I ended up enjoying the first three episodes very much. Yes, things were changed a bit, but they weren't bad. There were aspects of all I didn't like, but in general they were really well done. After the Funeral is still the standout, but The Mystery of the Blue Train wasn't bad, and the biggest shock to me? Cards on the Table is actually GOOD for a good hour, hour and 10. It just goes off the rails towards the end, starting around the time they start suggesting one of the detective characters might be a suspect too, and being confirmed with the switching of Rhoda and Anne's characters, and finally the whole stupid denouement part with the gay subplot that felt almost homophobic (unlike the addition of homosexuality to say, Five Little Pigs, which worked). But yeah, until then I was actually pretty impressed. I don't understand why they didn't at least have Superintendent Battle as one of the characters though. They may have chosen not to have Colonel Race because they couldn't get James Fox again and he was only in it the last season, but still.

The dud though, is still Taken at the Flood. It's the first episode that feels closer to an episode of Marple than any of the other Poirot's, though it's not quite as ridiculous. I will give it that they fixed up some of the troubling stuff from the novel (not a favourite of mine in any case), but the writer completely gets the whole point of the novel wrong. "There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood leads on to fortune..." David Hunter is an opportunist. The adaptation has no reason to be called "Taken at the Flood" with the changes they made.

I'm not sure why All About Agatha complained about Eliot Cowan's looks though. Yeah, he didn't look like what I imagined David Hunter to look like either, but he still made me bone up. Anyway... onwards and upwards, next on to season 11 and the execrable Appointment with Death!

[quote] Now I'm on to lesser shows like "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates"

How DARE you!!!! Actually some of the episodes are really quite excellent stories with fine supporting casts. Hetty's world is full of realism and not a pretty place.

My favorite is Evil Under the Sun. Nostalgia for that era depicted and also nostalgia for the seventies, when the film was made.

I always liked the Suchet's The Mystery of the Blue Train

Taken at the Flood...yes, the "it looks like a Marple" line is perfect. And it is not a good thing.

The Blue Train was Christie at her laziest, just recycling the plot of her short story and not even changing it much in the process. At least when she recycled the plot of Yellow Iris for Sparkling Cyanide she changed the motive and the killer.

For all the snide criticism from Brits about how bad American actors are at playing Brits, their own actors are just as awful at playing Americans. There hasn't been a single convincing portrayal of an American in any of the Christie adaptations. Even the characters meant to be Canadian sound like confused West Country folks.

Didn't Agatha write "Blue Train" as her marriage was collapsing and she needed to do it to fulfil a contract?

That's right, R43. She says in her autobiography that the moment she wrote that was the moment she felt she went from a kind of 'hobbyist' novelist to a professional - someone who has to write, even when they don't feel like writing and don't much like what they're writing. She went to the Canary Islands to write it, I think, and on top of everything else collapsing around her, it sounds like she had conflicting feelings about her daughter too, who she wanted to both spend time with, and also had to send off by herself so she could get work done. Except Rosalind kept coming into the room every 5 minutes anyway, bored and looking for something to do.

While she was trying to keep her marriage together in the face of it falling apart and Archie clearly not wanting to be there, she had to provide two books to the publishers. She took a handful of short stories and turned it into The Big Four, with some linking parts between chapters, and then she took "The Plymouth Express" and expanded it to The Mystery of the Blue Train. She was very unhappy with both efforts and seemed to be particularly embarrassed when people told her they liked Blue Train.

The guy* who wrote the screenplay for Taken at the Flood, also did Appointment with Death and The Labours of Hercules. Hmmm. This explains a lot.

*No pun intended. His name is Guy Andrews.

I have watched all the Suchet Poirots.

Is it ever explained why Miss Lemon left Poirot's employ? I know Hastings left to farm in Argentina.

I do think my favourite episodes are the early ones because of the humor that Miss Lemon and Hastings bring. Ariadne Oliver is a worthy replacement as Poirot's sidekick though.

Yes R46 Miss Lemon is unfortunately let go from her employ after she beat Captain Hastings with her sculpture of the Egyptian cat. He had foolishly upset her filing system.

When will Christie get canceled for the racism or transphobia or the lack of sufficient diversity in her novels or whatever else the mob can think of? She has already been criticized for racism, so the other talking points can't be far behind.

Are there any novels or plot points that are inherently difficult to film convincingly without potentially giving away spoilers that the book wouldn't?

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For me the Miss Sainsbury Seale scenes in OTBMS from Suchet's series have been very problematic because it was obvious that the woman Poirot met at the dentist's wasn't the same woman who walked up to Blunt on the street. Similarly I've felt that the Suchet versions sometimes include a prolog that gives the plot away. OTBMS did this as did Hercule Poirot's Christmas.

R49, yes that choice in One, Two, Buckle My Shoe perplexed me too. Why show the original Miss Sainsbury Seale at all? I knew the ending to that one when I watched it, but I found all those scenes, beginning in India and then the initial trips to the dentist to make the whole thing really obvious. Not sure if those who hadn't read the book would agree, but that's how I felt.

There are similar elements in other novels too. I'm having trouble recalling some at the moment, but I know I was thinking about one rather recently.

Oh my god R47, I remember that episode! Pauline Moran really did a stellar job playing a woman pushed to the brink by Captain Hastings' foolishness, I could almost have believed she would've killed Hugh Fraser for real!

Finished season 11 of Poirot last night. Very similar feelings to season 10. It was pretty great for the most part, up until Appointment with Death. Oh. My. God. The guy who did the screenplay for this (and Taken at the Flood amongst others) is insane. It doesn't even feel like a Christie. Also, compare it to Third Girl, which was also changed quite a bit. Third Girl is actually enjoyable for the most part as it feels like a Christie, the parts that are changed are due to problems with the novel (which is not one of her best) and they keep in all the "Christie" bits ("You're too old!" "Woman demanding an abortion" etc). Third Girl is also enjoyable because it is a heavily Mrs Oliver led episode. Not the best adaptation, but fun for the most bit.

Appointment with Death changes so much (from an excellent novel) and doesn't even keep the little Christie-ish bits. Raymond doesn't even say to Carol: "You do see don't you, that she's got to be killed?" Why change that? There's no "I've never forgottten anything, not an action, not a name, not a face..." bit either. The Sarah King character who is excellent in the novel, is unimpressive here (even Jenny Seagrove in the 1988 version is much more true to life). White slavers and child beating nannies? Andrews doesn't understand the firs thing about the novel, in that it's all about psychological abuse, but maybe he doesn't trust his own abilities to portray that?

The first two episodes were fantastic though. I knew I loved Cat Among the Pigeons, but Mrs McGinty's Dead was a surprise to me, as I hadn't remembered enjoying it that much before. Another Mrs Oliver episode, and I love that they included all the irrelevant, but hilarious parts of her trying to adapt her novel to a play. Those are lovely touches straight from the novel that really work.

I think this is what I'm learning - if you're going to change elements of the story, it has to be in service of the shift from novel to screen, and you are best off balancing those changes out with the real Christie-ish elements from the novel. None of the first three episodes are completely faithful adaptations, but they feel like Christie and they are fun to watch. Appointment with Death was neither of these.

I had to check that Guy Andrews didn't do the screenplay for any Marples, because his Poirot episodes come across like someone writing for Marple, but apparently he didn't!

Season 12 done as of yesterday. I can't believe I've nearly completed the whole series.

Once again, a fairly cohesive and strong series, I thought. I will say, I've never loved Three Act Tragedy as a story. It's funny because it was written smack bang during her peak, or building up to her peak, and it's not bad at all. It's just the story doesn't interest me as much.

By contrast, no one would argue that The Clocks and Hallowe'en Party are her best written works, but I love the ideas behind those stories, especially HP that it really helps me enjoy them more. These adaptations were very good, the screenwriters took the best from those novels and fixed the problematic parts up pretty well, so they still feel like Christie (unlike what the Marple series did). These two are very 60s though and there are elements that are included that probably don't fit in the 30s settings, but still. Enjoyable.

I may be an outlier here, but I really like the Suchet adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. With the movie already existing, why not go on a journey of examining Poirot's moral compass and how this case challenges that. It's dark, and I like how damaged the passengers are. It does seem weird in the movie how everyone is clinking champagne and winking at each other at the end. At the end of the TV episode you can see how these characters will be carrying this with them for the rest of their lives.

The bit in Istanbul at the start with the stoning makes no sense. This is secular Turkey where Atatürk had done away with all that kind of thing, it especially wouldn't happen in the middle of Istanbul. But I can forgive it.

I watched One, Two, Buckle My Shoe last night. And yes, the whole Indian prologue is really dumb. It gives away the whole motive without adding anything.

Yeah, that was a really strange choice, I agree R54.

Well, it's done, the Poirot project I began last year during the early stages of covid I managed to finish yesterday with my rewatching of Curtain.

Season 13 all up? Well Dead Man's Folly and Curtain to me are top episodes, really enjoyable, really well done. I liked them very much.

Elephants Can Remember and The Big Four - adaptations of not very good books but pretty decent in what they were. I enjoyed watching them, thought they were fine, and can maybe see myself revisiting them occasionally in the future. Interestingly, the whole "more exciting" addition to Elephants didn't interest me at all. But I loved the scenes of Mrs Oliver visiting the "elephants" and them talking about their memories. There were some great characters and acting there, and just lovely little scenes in their own right.

The Labours of Hercules though. Really didn't enjoy that one. Bored. I think the first time I saw it I was interested because I wanted to see how they would put the short stories into one movie, but on rewatching it was just not fun. I think I dozed off during the denouement. It was, of course, written by Guy Andrews, of the execrable Appointment with Death and Take at the Flood, so no surprises there.

All up, it was a fun thing to do, to go chronologically through the series. My overall feeling, which surprised me, is that while I enjoyed it all, I do think the later episodes are by and large, better. They have a couple of the worst episodes made (Appointment with Death etc), but I think I just enjoyed them more.

The worst seasons were those in the middle. It started to flag a bit during season 6, but it was seasons 7 and 8 where the whole thing felt not very enjoyable. The show needed the change that began in season 9.

I'm almost halfway through the new Marples now as well, but I have a lot less desire to sit down with those, haha.

Disney released a new trailer for Death on the Nile. Heavy on Gal Gadot, VERY light on our favorite cannibal. You'd think Jennifer Saunders had the bigger part, just based on this.

It's really a shame that this is saddled with him and Branagh. It's such a great cast and with terrific production values.

Marple got awful in the middle

[quote]I may be an outlier here, but I really like the Suchet adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express

You're not. I thought it was great.

A new adaptation of Why Didn't The Ask Evans starts soon.

Will Poulter, Lucy Boynton, Hugh Laurie and Jim Broadbent STAR.

So I'm just watching the 1982 version of "Murder Is Easy" with Olivia De Havilland, she's quite the ham!

There haven’t been much adaptations lately, there will be another one from Brannagh but i have my fears as he absolutely does not get Agatha Christie, he centers it all in Poirot, played by himself.

His recent Death on the Nile was a disappointment. It is one of those movies where the trailer is so much better than the actual movie. Gal Gadot as Linnett was better than expected, and a more prominent role but otherwise it was a mess. Instead of concentrating on the center triangle, he introduced a subplot that attracted all the attention from the motive and the murderers. Ema Mackey was terrible as Jackie but her role was much cut. In fact in all 3 adaptations Jacqueline de Bellefort was never a success in casting. In the much loved Ustinov Version. Mia Farrow did well but was miscast, all pale and washed up. Still much better than the frump one in the Suchet version or Mackey last year.

All three actors playing Simon Doyle have been gorgeous in their own way, I'd volunteer to give each of them a bed bath as they recovered from their injuries

WOKE BBC ADAPTATION WITH BROWN FOLK ON AT CHRISTMAS

Murder is Easy is a major new adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel made by Mammoth Screen (The Serpent, World on Fire) and Agatha Christie Limited (And Then There Were None, Death on the Nile) for BBC One and iPlayer, in a co-commission with BritBox International. The two-part thriller is adapted by Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and directed by Meenu Gaur (Zinda Bhaag, World on Fire).

The 30-second trailer features Fitzwilliam (David Jonsson) meeting Miss Pinkerton (Penelope Wilton) on a train to London, who tells him that a killer is on the loose in the sleepy English village of Wychwood under Ashe. When Miss Pinkerton is found dead on her way to Scotland Yard, Fitzwilliam travels to Wychwood to investigate, where he meets residents including Bridget (Morfydd Clark), Lord Whitfield (Tom Riley), Major Horton (Douglas Henshall), Dr Thomas (Mathew Baynton), Reverend Humbleby (Mark Bonnar), Mrs Humbleby (Nimra Bucha), Rose Humbleby (Phoebe Licorish) and Mrs Pierce (Tamzin Outhwaite).

Evil Under the Sun (1982) is a camp dream come true. The cast is unbelievable.

I always thought an early/mid-aughts Kirsten Dunst would have made a terrific Jackie opposite Sienna Miller as Linnet.

Winona Rider and Goop would have been a great Jackie and Linnet respectively in the 1990s.

During the first year of Covid I watched all the Suchet Poirots as part of an online group rewatch. I had only seen a few originally and any books I read was so long ago, I’ve long forgotten them. I liked the 30s era production a lot, the locations they found (the seaside hotel that could be reached by that strange boat (?), still exists) and Miss Lemon and especially Captain Hastings. I don’t know why but he seemed like such a noble but tragic figure. When the series moved on, Ariadne Oliver was fine and I wish she’d been used more. I think Poirot works better when he has a regular sidekick.

Ustinov's Poirot is terrible. He plays it cutesy and gently comical. At lease he's better than godawful Branagh though.

Is there a good adaptation of “And then there were none?”

I love Ustinov in Evil under the Sun. But that hot ass in the black Speedo is a distraction.

A Mirror Cracked with fat Liz Taylor and still handsome Rock Hudson is a hoot.

Did anyone watch that new series with Lucy Worsley where she delves into Agatha herself? First episode was on PBS last Sunday. I'd never seen Ms. Worsley before; for the first half hour I was not convinced she was a biological female.

The 1980s Nemesis with the brilliantly creepy Margaret Tyzack as evil Clothilde. And more lesbians around than an Ellen Degeneres barbecue.

I just saw that yesterday, R73! With the incomparable Joan Hickson at her dottiest and snarkiest best and a hot actor playing the homeless son.

[quote]Is there a good adaptation of “And then there were none?”

The 2015 BBC adaptation is closest to the book R69 and has a good cast, including Charles Dance, Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, and a towel-clad Aidan Turner as Philip Lombard.

The DL trifecta, R75! Where can I watch it?

R30, Man in the Brown Suit is on YouTube. It’s about what you’d expect a late 80s TV movie to be like.

Someone has posted the full 3 hours of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE on YouTube R76.

You can also find the 1945 film version there. It's another good adaptation, despite the altered ending.

Best Marple for me: the Hickson "Nemesis."

Clothilde: "Shall I make you another milky drink?"

Jane:" I wouldn't drink it if you did."

I love the 2015 BBC adaptation of "And Then There Were None."

Last year there was a collection of new Marple short stories, "Marple: Twelve New Mysteries," written by various authors. I hope some of them become films.

R75 wow what a babe!

[quote] I love Ustinov in Evil under the Sun. But that hot ass in the black Speedo is a distraction.

Show some respect and mention him by name: Nicholas Clay as Patrick Redfern.

In contrast, in the Poirot "Evil," Michael Higgs plays Patrick Redfern. Casting was a headscratcher.

Someone in another thread described it as "exciting as a wet fart in white shorts."

I can watch that movie over and over again just for that ass. And the high camp bitch fights, of course.

FYI all British homosexuals, And Then There Were None is available on iPlayer. I've started rewatching.

As a last minute casting Maeve Dermody was fantastic. It's disappointing she hasn't done more but was in the Hugh Laurie adaptation of Why Didn't They Ask Evans.

I wonder who pulled out for Dermody to be replace?

I find the BBC “And there were none seized” too slow and dragged out. And that ominous background music starts getting on your nerve. Fine men though.

I really like the 1940s movie version of And Then There Were None, even though it uses the ending where nog everyone dies. I like June Duprez.

[quote]I find the BBC “And there were none seized” too slow and dragged out. And that ominous background music starts getting on your nerve. Fine men though.

On second viewing the first episode was a bit laboured but it needed to introduce all the characters and set the premise. It could easily be condensed into a 200 minute movie.

Miranda Richardson plays a cunt so well.

Miranda Richardson is a s cunty as she was as Queen Elizabeth I in Black Adder.

The 2015 version of And The. there were none is great My favourite part is the cook ominously severing the lobsters. Unfortunately It was all downhill in the ohter Phelps adaptations.

Re Death on the Nile, it is a difficult book to adapt as it has a major love triangle and several other subplots and too many secondary characters. For this reason, there is no screen version absolutely faithful to the book. Stupidly, the Branagh version removed a lot of the secondary subplots and added a major new one, that completely distracted from the mian one, so when the big reveal came up was much less dramatic.

[quote]WOKE BBC ADAPTATION WITH BROWN FOLK ON AT CHRISTMAS

[quote]Murder is Easy is a major new adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel made by Mammoth Screen (The Serpent, World on Fire) and Agatha Christie Limited (And Then There Were None, Death on the Nile) for BBC One and iPlayer, in a co-commission with BritBox International. The two-part thriller is adapted by Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and directed by Meenu Gaur (Zinda Bhaag, World on Fire).

Well this got dreadful reviews all round. Yes there was anti woke and anti anti woke outrage but most people on Twitter just said it was simply boring and poorly adapted.

Tbh I liked all the bright colours and summer feel at the start of the new "Murder Is Easy" adaptation, but turned over after 20 minutes as it felt a bit flat.

At least it seemed a little more faithful than the Marple (!) Adaptation. Maybe I'll give it a chance when I have more time

This Guardian/Observer article published today is what I mean about "anti anti-woke" sentiment.

Very little about the adaptation itself but it's a way to attack the Telegraph, Daily Mail and Spectator and their culture wars.

And talk about damning with faint praise in the series itself. "Fairly fresh" is the most enthusiastic comment about the adaptation. There's information about the lead actor David Jonsson's attitude towards colour blind casting but no assessment from the journalist on whether his performance justified the change in the character's back story.

A about the drama but feels the need to attack the Telegraph, Daily Mail and Spectator.

New BBC adaptation of Towards Zero announced, possibly to be shown over Christmas?

Anjelica Huston, Matthew Rhys and DL fave Oliver Jackson Cohen lead the cast

There was a loose 90s version filmed as Innocent Lies with Stephen Dorff and Joanna Lumley and a French movie version in the 00s with Melvil Poupaud which I never got to see and it was adapted into a Marple with Geraldine McEwan. The late Julian Sands, Emma Thompson's husband, Saffron Burrows, Tom Baker and Eileen Andrews were the stars.

A Caribbean Mystery and Nemesis are 2 of my favorite Miss Marple books& shows. I want to be sent to the West Indies for 5 months to get over my chest cold. Miss Marple did not miss much of what went on around her.

My ex-in-laws told me that was actually done "back in the day" in English society. My ex-In-laws stayed in Palm Beach for years in the winter, then it changed. My neighbor calls me Miss Marple because during parties, I always watching the crowd. I used to tell Marian, cruising the parties for men.

More, more, again, again!

[quote]British actress Mia McKenna-Bruce is set to lead the cast of “The Seven Dials Mystery,” Netflix‘s upcoming Agatha Christie series written by “Broadchurch” creator and former “Doctor Who” showrunner Chris Chibnall. Joining McKenna-Bruce are Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman.

There's also this...

[quote]Iconic Poirot actor David Suchet will replicate an international expedition crime writer Agatha Christie took in the 1920s in a five-part doc series.

[quote]In "Travels with Agatha with Sir David Suchet", the actor will replicate Christie’s journey, which spanned former British Empire territories Canada, Hawaii, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia as part of a trade mission. Each episode will feature one of the five countries. Filming will begin this summer, with delivery scheduled for the end of the year.

r96 Hawaii is a country?

Hawaii was a country until 1893.

Hope Towards Zero is fun, the casting looks intriguing and is one of my favorite Christie books. For a moment i thought they went and done a spoiler there, r93, but then i saw who was who and they didn’t.

Re Lucy Worsley is a hack. She wrote a biography of Agatha Christie and admits that she hasn’t read all the books. She claims she is an historian so her perspective and interest was on someone like Agatha Christie who lived through almost all of last century. She is also very affirmative in everything she says, even when she has no basis for it.