Teresa Reviews “The Adventure of the Western Star” (1991)

Fidelity to text: 3 jewel thieves

The movie star changes nationality and a suspicious diamond buyer shows up, as do Japp and Miss Lemon. There are other changes and enhancements, not all of which work.

Quality of movie on its own: 2 1/2 jewel thieves

They can’t all be gems. Murky, overly convoluted, and motivations were decidedly unclear.

This episode was beautifully shot, acted, staged, and individual scenes sparkled. Too bad the story as a whole didn’t hold together. Remember, I’m not that bright. I need a clear storyline. We’ll start with the first rhinestone in the necklace and work our way to the hen’s egg-sized flawed diamond.

Chief Inspector Japp did not appear in the original short story, but he does here. The scriptwriter came up with a clever way of fitting him into the story. Japp is investigating the other added main character, suspicious German arms dealer and diamond collector, Henrik Van Braks. Japp has had his eye on this man for some time, along with Hoffberg, the shady gem dealer. Van Braks collects diamonds, and he’s not fussy about their provenance. Van Braks also has friends in high places so Japp has to be careful how he treats this suspect.

The movie star becomes Marie Marvelle, Belgian cinema goddess and my word! Watch Poirot fanboy all over her. It’s amusing to watch one of the world’s great detectives behave like a teenager meeting his adored idol. The tea he prepares for Miss Marvelle’s visit to the office is sumptuous, precisely organized, exquisite; all the better to impress the glamorous diva. Sadly, no one else is impressed by stars of the Belgian film industry. Even more sadly, Miss Marvelle stands Poirot up, demanding that he meet her at her hotel instead. Saddest of all, Miss Lemon’s sole role is arranging and then disposing of the sumptuous tea.

In her hotel room, Miss Marvelle tells Poirot an absurd story — tosh as he puts it — about mysterious messages from Chinamen seeking to steal back her fabulous diamond, the Western Star. Her dear husband, Gregorie Rolf, gave her the hen’s egg-sized rock when they married three years previously. He claimed he bought it from a Chinaman in San Francisco who was so desperate to unload the gem that he sold it for a tenth of its value.

The bizarre story prompts Hastings to recall that Lord and Lady Yardly — who are going to host Marie Marvelle and her hubby at the ancestral castle — met three years ago in California. According to the gossip, Lady Yardly got exceedingly friendly with Marie Marvelle’s hubby.

Soon thereafter, Lady Yardly shows up at Poirot’s office. The great man is out, so Hastings takes the opportunity to interview her. He asks leading questions and discovers that Lady Yardly has also received mysterious, threatening letters from Chinamen about her own fabulous, hen’s-egg-sized diamond, the Star of the East. Twin diamonds, both stolen from an exotic idol in the mysterious Orient. Hastings is overcome, both by the story and his own cleverness in ferreting out the truth from Lady Yardly.

While Poirot and Hastings visit the Yardleys’ home, Lady Yardly’s diamond is yanked from her neck by a mysterious and invisible Chinaman, and the plot begins to founder on the seas of motivation.

I understand why Van Braks wants to add another spectacular diamond to his personal museum. We all have to have a hobby, and rich arms dealers can afford fabulous diamonds the size of hen’s eggs.

I understand why Hoffberg, shady diamond dealer, is willing to work both sides of the street. As long as he doesn’t come under Inspector Japp’s official scrutiny, he can buy, sell, and get rich. Even better, criminal sales of stolen diamonds don’t require paying taxes or other fees. Hoffberg gets to keep more money, and he has gets rich arms dealers beholden to him. I understand why Hoffberg is afraid of Scotland Yard: He doesn’t dare get caught.

I understand why Lord Yardly wants to sell the Star of the East diamond. It’s been in the family for generations but he needs the money to keep the estate going. It’s not entailed so it can go under the auction block. The star is a family heirloom and Lady Yardly wants to keep it but he really, really needs the money. Lord Yardly emits distinct Bertie Wooster vibes; he admits he’s not that bright especially in financial affairs.

Unlike in the story, he seems devoted to Lady Yardly, adores their kids, and there’s no gossip about his carrying on with film stars in California.

I also understand why Marie Marvelle is concerned about The Western Star being stolen by Chinamen. It’s a big, valuable piece of ice. I understand why she wants to film a movie at the Yardly estate; the set dressing is all done. I even understand why she wanted to keep the Western Star, rather than permitting Poirot hang onto it for safekeeping. She’d be seeing that husband-stealing hussy, Lady Yardly, make eyes at Gregorie over dinner. Wearing the Western Star would put that aristocratic slut in her place.

I even understand why Lady Yardly didn’t want to sell The Star of the East. She’d given it to Marie’s husband in exchange for incriminating letters she wrote during their affair. Any jeweler would recognize the diamond as being a flashy imitation. Her own dear hubby, sweet but dim, might not forgive her. Divorce and losing her children loomed. Of course, so does having the ancestral mansion fall down around their ears due to lack of money for upkeep.

What I did not understand was Gregorie Rolf’s motivations. He’s the clasp, holding the gemstones together. He’s a lying, cheating, thieving scoundrel in a full-length fur coat, green sharkskin suit, and spectator shoes.

Why does he care what happens to Lady Yardly? She can say whatever she wants about his blackmail and his answer is easy: “I don’t know what that aristocratic crazy lady is talking about.” We are never shown a single reason why he would care what happens to her.

I know why he’s selling a real hen’s-egg-sized diamond to Van Brak. He wants the money. But why? So he can abandon his gorgeous queen of Belgian cinema? Marie Marvelle adores him or at least that’s what we see onscreen. We don’t see a single scene showing them fighting over his affairs. He’s got no reason to abandon her and fly off to Johannesburg with a suitcase full of money. He’s a successful movie star and a producer. Yet there he is, abandoning his career and fleeing Britain for South Africa. It’s as though there’s plenty more plot that didn’t get filmed; i.e., the plot where Gregorie Rolf meets Lady Yardly at the airport and they run off to Johannesburg together. He abandons his shrewish wife and she dumps her doofus husband and their bratty kids.

Apparently not. As I said at the beginning, I like a crystal-clear plot. This was one flawed diamond. You’ll enjoy it as long as you don’t look too close.

Bonus: Poirot Trivia!

The Cubist painting in Poirot’s apartment is “The Piano (Velazquez)” by Pablo Picasso. While it looks contemporary to the show’s mid-1930s setting, it was painted in 1957.