Teresa reviews “Sparkling Cyanide” (2003) and gives it a red card for unsportsmanlike plotting. Read more of Teresa’s Agatha Christie movie reviews at Peschel Press. Also, follow Teresa’s discussion of these movies on her podcast. Fidelity to text: 2 ½ glasses poisoned champagne A reverie from Iris’s point of view became a modern police procedural […]
Teresa reviews “Murder on the Orient Express” (2017) and wishes that someone restrained Sir Kenny’s ego. Fidelity to text: 3 knives Did you know that Poirot is an acrobat, indulges himself in chases, wears a leather corset (in a thankfully deleted scene), and gets shot? I didn’t either. Quality of movie on its own: 3 […]
Teresa reviews “Murder on the Orient Express” (2010) and found this version forgot the true victims in the Daisy Armstrong case. Fidelity to text: 3 1/2 knives Add a suicide (caused by Poirot), a stoning (which he disregards), Ratchett supposedly repenting, and Col. Arbuthnot taking justice into his own hands. Quality of movie on its […]
Teresa reviews “The Pale Horse” (2020) and enjoyed Sarah Phelps’ changes to the Christie novel. Fidelity to text: 2 ½ poison bottles This is true to the spirit but not to the text. What is real? What is smoke and mirrors? Who can you trust? Quality of movie on its own: 4 poison bottles Hypnotic […]
Teresa Reviews “Murder on the Orient Express” (2001) and finds a rumpled Poirot who says, “Murder outside the law? Nah, it’ll be fine.” Fidelity to text: 3 knives Three fewer suspects, a date change to 2001, and our star’s 6 foot 2. But the story’s still there. Quality of film on its own: 3 knives […]
Teresa reviews The Pale Horse (1997) and found it enjoyable so long as you never read the book. Fidelity to text: 3 wrenches Bad witches transformed the leads into near unrecognizability and removed Ariadne Oliver. A good witch left most of the plot in place. Quality of movie on its own: 3 wrenches Choppy, uneven, […]
Teresa reviews “Dumb Witness” (1996) and finds the expanded story with racing boats and altered characters enriches the story. Fidelity to text: 3½ poison bottles Changes throughout made for a better, more satisfying movie and fixed two of Agatha’s mistakes. Quality of movie on its own: 4½ poison bottles Three boats and a dog, to […]
Teresa reviews “And Then There Were None” (2015) and thought Sarah Phelps version killed it. Fidelity to text: 4½ weapons The typical adaptation sticks with the play’s ending. This is the novel: gruesome, paranoid, atmospheric, horrifying, and, as God is my witness, the unlucky visitors earned their fates. Quality of movie on its own: 5 […]
Teresa reviews “Murder by the Book” (1987) and wishes the fantasy between Christie and Poirot was released in a clearer version. Fidelity to text: 3 hatchet jobs This is pure imagination, but solidly based on Agatha’s own writings and life. Quality of movie on its own: 3 hatchet jobs Our copy was terrible. Great acting […]
Teresa reviews “Hickory Dickory Dock” (1995) and found it as tantalizing as pig’s trotters. Read more of Teresa’s Agatha Christie movie reviews at Peschel Press. Also, follow Teresa’s discussion of these movies on her podcast. Fidelity to text: 2½ poison bottles Ch-ch-ch-changes galore. The plot, the characters, the subplots, the motivations, the relationships, even how […]