Teresa reviews “Finessing the King” (1983) and believes it doesn’t come up trumps. Fidelity to text: 3 1/2 daggers Two short stories are combined, Bingo Hale shows up, as does an elderly waitress and a handgun. Quality of movie on its own: 3 daggers I didn’t like it, but I didn’t dislike it either. It […]
Teresa reviews “Lord Edgware Dies” (2000) and finds it’s the best of the three versions, with some reservations. Fidelity to text: 3 ½ daggers Events are rearranged, Jane Wilkinson impersonates Lady Macbeth, a thieving butler leads our gang on a fatal chase, but almost everything important is there. Quality of movie on its own: 4 […]
Teresa reviews “The House of Lurking Death” (1983) and found it packed full of plot. Fidelity to text: 4 1/2 poison bottles It’s all there, with added plot to flesh out characters, plot, and motivation, plus a school of red herrings. Quality of movie on its own: 3 1/2 poison bottles This should have been […]
Teresa reviews “Thirteen at Dinner” (1985) and loved seeing David Suchet before he put on the mustache. Fidelity to text: 4 knives It’s really close to the novel. The major change is to the date, the minor ones add a film within a film and remove why murder was preferred to divorce. Quality of movie […]
Teresa reviews “The Affair of the Pink Pearl” (1983) and believes that there’s no place to go for it than up. Fidelity to text: 2 1/2 thieves Text? Which text? The opening episode combines three stories into one episode, while ignoring the overall arc tying the short story collection together. Quality of movie on its […]
Teresa reviews “Ordeal by Innocence” (1985) and likes the Miss Marple version better. Fidelity to text: 2 1/2 blunt objects Hester gets youthened, Mary and Philip Durrant hate each other, Tina gets whitewashed, Maureen turns into a single slut and the changes just keep on coming. Quality of film on its own: 2 1/2 blunt […]
Teresa reviews “The Manhood of Edward Robinson” (1982) and discovers Agatha Christie wrote screwball comedies before Hollywood. Fidelity to text: 3 thieves Greatly expanded over the slight plot, giving Edward a new best friend, Maud a character arc, and Noreen a more complex way to avoid boredom. Quality of movie on its own: 4 thieves […]
Teresa reviews “Murder with Mirrors” (1985) and finds it the best of the three versions, but not the best of all. Fidelity to text: 3 guns I expect characters in adaptations to disappear and be combined, simpler plots, and name changes. I don’t expect fiery deaths of nonentity characters who suddenly become criminal-minded zealots. Quality […]
Teresa reviews “Jane in Search of a Job” (1982) and finds its an amusing adventure that needed a bit more froth. Fidelity to text: 3 thieves The film is greatly expanded over the story. In particular, the rescuing hero gets a name and a backstory. Other characters grow, and still more appear to flesh out […]
Teresa reviews “A Caribbean Mystery” (1983) and found it a faithful, slow cruise to the islands. Fidelity to text: 4 1/2 poison bottles Some minor characters disappear and everyone turned into Americans, but it’s all here, setting the stage for subsequent adaptations. Quality of movie on its own: 3 1/2 poison bottles It’s a little […]