Teresa reviews “Murder in Three Acts” (1986) and wishes the movie had more than a strong performance from Tony Curtis. Fidelity to text: 3 poisoned cocktails Updating to 1986, moving from Cornwall to Acapulco, swapping Hastings for Satterthwaite, name and nationality changes, but the biggest issue is the most subtle. Quality of movie on its […]
Teresa reviews “The Sunningdale Mystery” (1983) and finds, despite some upgrades, still the same old model. Fidelity to text: 2 1/2 hatpins The short story consists solely of a conversation in a teashop overheard by Inspector Marriot. Since that makes boring TV, expect added characters, scenes, motor cars, and horses. Quality of movie on its […]
Teresa reviews Dead Man’s Folly (2013) and wishes it had speeded up the pace and lost the new ending. Fidelity to text: 4 nooses The usual compression of characters, text, timing, and date changes you expect. The tacked-on Hollywood ending implied special people are above the law. Quality of movie on its own: 3 nooses […]
Teresa reviews “The Clergyman’s Daughter” and found it a charming adventure with a treasure hunt, hostage-taking, and mysterious doings. Fidelity to text: 3 poltergeists The plot expanded, hotel guests checked in, boyfriend and fiancé made appearances, and a Hollywood ending was tacked on. Quality of movie on its own: 3 1/2 poltergeists I wanted more […]
Teresa reviews Dead Man’s Folly (1986) and found it a remarkably faithful adaptation. Fidelity to text: 4 drownings Aside from the date change, adding Hastings, and the usual compressions needed for film, it’s amazingly close. Quality of movie on its own: 4 drownings I liked it and not just because there were boats galore. It […]
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 […]