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 […]
Teresa reviews “The Crackler” (1983) the last “Partners in Crime” episode, and thought it was a wonderful capstone to the series. Fidelity to text: 4 counterfeiters. The plot’s expanded but everything you see was hinted at in the text. Quality of movie on its own: 4 counterfeiters. Silly, fast-paced, with surprisingly sharp observations of policework […]
Teresa Reviews “Ten Little Indians” (1989) and discovers the third time is not the charm for this African-set thriller Fidelity to text: 2 weapons This is producer Harry Alan Tower’s third try. You’d think by this time he’d get the story right. No such luck. Quality of film on its own: 2 weapons What a […]
Teresa reviews “The Unbreakable Alibi” (1983) and finds it a charming episode about an unscrupulous woman and a dim, wealthy man. Fidelity to text: 2 1/2 thieves Major character rewrites, a made-up-from-whole-canvas subplot, and sudden death when previously no one died. Quality of movie on its own: 4 thieves Everything tied together, including seemingly superfluous […]
Fidelity to text: 1 spike You know it’s bad when a faithful series opens with a title card saying “based upon.” “Loosely based” or “the names match” would have been more accurate. Quality of movie on its own: 2 spikes Morocco (standing in for Syria) looks fabulous! The actors emote with the best of them. […]
Teresa reviews “The Case of the Missing Lady” (1983) and Fidelity to text: 2 1/2 kidnap The plot’s there, but hugely enhanced. Oddly, a Sherlock reference was removed, despite it being a Sherlock parody. Quality of movie on its own: 3 kidnap A bizarre tonal shift takes place near the end but then fails on […]
Teresa reviews “Appointment with Death” (1988) and finds it a disappointing adaptation. Fidelity to text: 2 1/2 poison bottles It’s reasonably close if you ignore that ridiculous chase through the souk, cardboard characters, and Agatha’s prose abandoned in favor of some hack screenwriter’s derivative imagination. Quality of movie on its own: 2 poison bottles Lethargic, […]