Agatha Christie's Poirot and Other Detective Fiction Discussion (Novels, Stories, Film, TV & Radio)

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  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,634


    I plan on reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles soon, for the first time.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    edited November 2022 Posts: 25,133
    they_were_ten.jpg

    Ils étaient dix
    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12577566/
    A contemporary adaptation of the world's best-selling detective story. Ten people, five women and five men, are invited to a luxury hotel on a desert island, and they quickly realize that they have been cut off from the rest of the world. Why were they drawn into this trap? Everyone has committed murder; today, under the hot island sun, they will pay for their crimes.


    This just appeared on my suggestion feed, its a French adaption of And Then There Were None from 2020. I was not aware of this adaption until now, its available on the ALL4 app for UK viewers. Going to watch it now, its one of my favorite novels.

    Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz star's I am a big fan of the actress I think Matilda would make a great Bond girl.
  • Posts: 1,993
    The 1945 film adaptation of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE remains my favorite despite its departure from the novel's ending. The problem of another version of this film is the story is so well known, suspense and surprise are almost nonexistent. For me a remake needs to go back to its source, both in time and setting. A chilly environment best accompanies this story. The trick is how to surprise film goers.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    edited November 2022 Posts: 25,133
    CrabKey wrote: »
    The 1945 film adaptation of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE remains my favorite despite its departure from the novel's ending. The problem of another version of this film is the story is so well known, suspense and surprise are almost nonexistent. For me a remake needs to go back to its source, both in time and setting. A chilly environment best accompanies this story. The trick is how to surprise film goers.

    It's my favorite also, I watch Rene Clair's film at least once year its incredibly atmospheric with a great cast. I was watching the Oliver Reed version earlier I sometimes struggle with that adaption despite many familiar faces.
  • Agent_Zero_OneAgent_Zero_One Ireland
    Posts: 554
    Any of you familiar with Inspector Morse? I love the David Suchet Poirot, but Morse is still king for me.
  • Posts: 1,993
    Any of you familiar with Inspector Morse? I love the David Suchet Poirot, but Morse is still king for me.

    Morse is an interesting series. Which of course leads on to Lewis and Endeavour.

    As I approach the end of the Poirot series, I am struck by the tonal shift of the episodes. The early one hour episodes have a much lighter aspect. The ninety minutes episodes no longer featuring Hastings, Lemon, and Japp are much more serious. Poirot has packed on the pounds and is less tolerant. He frequently makes us aware of the loneliness of his life, something also to be noted in the Morse series. Suchet's development of the character is a master class in acting. It's especially interesting to note when his normal walking stride becomes mini-steps.

    This must have been an expensive series to produce. The number and variety of vintage autos continually impresses me, as well as the locations.

  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,040
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    I plan on reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles soon, for the first time.
    Unless you already own it, you can get it free on Project Gutenberg, also in Kindle format. I know because I read it years ago that way when I was in a hospital.

  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,634
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    I plan on reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles soon, for the first time.
    Unless you already own it, you can get it free on Project Gutenberg, also in Kindle format. I know because I read it years ago that way when I was in a hospital.

    Thank you for the information. I do own a physical copy of it. I’m just trying to find the right time to read it.
  • Posts: 15,123
    CrabKey wrote: »
    Any of you familiar with Inspector Morse? I love the David Suchet Poirot, but Morse is still king for me.

    Morse is an interesting series. Which of course leads on to Lewis and Endeavour.

    As I approach the end of the Poirot series, I am struck by the tonal shift of the episodes. The early one hour episodes have a much lighter aspect. The ninety minutes episodes no longer featuring Hastings, Lemon, and Japp are much more serious. Poirot has packed on the pounds and is less tolerant. He frequently makes us aware of the loneliness of his life, something also to be noted in the Morse series. Suchet's development of the character is a master class in acting. It's especially interesting to note when his normal walking stride becomes mini-steps.

    This must have been an expensive series to produce. The number and variety of vintage autos continually impresses me, as well as the locations.

    I remember watching the early episodes and thinking Suchet's Poirot was sometimes almost parodic.
  • Posts: 1,993
    Ludovico wrote: »
    CrabKey wrote: »

    I remember watching the early episodes and thinking Suchet's Poirot was sometimes almost parodic.

    I agree. Watching the first episode and then watching one of the last episodes would prove most revealing, n'est-ce-pas?

    For me one of the most important features of film actor is the eyes, which was one of SC's strongest features in the Bond series. Same with Suchet. Those later, longer episodes focus quite a bit on his facial reactions, particularly his eyes.

  • Posts: 15,123
    CrabKey wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    CrabKey wrote: »

    I remember watching the early episodes and thinking Suchet's Poirot was sometimes almost parodic.

    I agree. Watching the first episode and then watching one of the last episodes would prove most revealing, n'est-ce-pas?

    For me one of the most important features of film actor is the eyes, which was one of SC's strongest features in the Bond series. Same with Suchet. Those later, longer episodes focus quite a bit on his facial reactions, particularly his eyes.

    I don't think he was parodic at The Mysterious Affair at Style's though. Even though the source material was rather weak, I thought Suchet's performance was solid in it. He pretty much sold me Poirot then and there. The following episodes came off as quite jarring as if I was watching a more serious version of the Pink Panther.
  • Posts: 1,993
    Ludovico wrote: »
    CrabKey wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    CrabKey wrote: »

    I remember watching the early episodes and thinking Suchet's Poirot was sometimes almost parodic.

    I agree. Watching the first episode and then watching one of the last episodes would prove most revealing, n'est-ce-pas?

    For me one of the most important features of film actor is the eyes, which was one of SC's strongest features in the Bond series. Same with Suchet. Those later, longer episodes focus quite a bit on his facial reactions, particularly his eyes.

    I don't think he was parodic at The Mysterious Affair at Style's though. Even though the source material was rather weak, I thought Suchet's performance was solid in it. He pretty much sold me Poirot then and there. The following episodes came off as quite jarring as if I was watching a more serious version of the Pink Panther.

    I need to rewatch that first episode. But there is certainly a difference between the 60 minute Poirot and the 90 minute Poirot.
  • Posts: 380
    Inspector Morse was of course John Thaws second TV detective. He was also the tough as nails Jack Regan in The Sweeney. Two more disparate characters you couldn't possibly imagine but Thaw was such a great actor they both felt so real. Sadly missed. Lewis was a great follow up though
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,152
    Always loved Regan in The Sweeney. Watching it now is like looking at a completely lost world.
  • Posts: 5,994
    A YouTube clip about the one James Bond story written by Agatha Christie :

  • Posts: 15,123
    Gerard wrote: »
    A YouTube clip about the one James Bond story written by Agatha Christie :


    I've read it years ago. I wonder what Christie thought of Fleming's Bond.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,280
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Gerard wrote: »
    A YouTube clip about the one James Bond story written by Agatha Christie :


    I've read it years ago. I wonder what Christie thought of Fleming's Bond.

    Sadly I don't think she approved from what I can remember, even though Fleming mentioned her in OHMSS. I remember @Revelator shared Dame Agatha's thoughts on the Fleming Bond novels a while back.
  • edited December 2022 Posts: 2,918
    Good memory!

    From a Sunday Times profile of Christie (Nov. 10, 1963):
    She reads three of four books a week and is particularly fond of Elizabeth Bowen and Muriel Spark. She doesn't care much for Ian Fleming. "I think the plots are rather poor."

    As for Fleming, he disliked detective stories in general: “I think they’re frightfully dull. What I like is some amusing background and that sort of thing—not a lot of nice English bobbies sitting around drinking tea.” (Evening Standard, June 16, 1960):

    He mentioned Christie in his Sunday Times interview with Simenon (arriving soon in the Fleming interviews thread):
    But of course we've still got in England the old-fashioned detective story--the Agatha Christie type of story, with the suspects and the poisoning and all the rest of it. I personally can't read them, because I'm not interested enough in who did it. But lots of people, the Oxford don and the Cambridge don, go on writing this sort of book. Up to a point in America too--Rex Stout and Erle Stanley Gardner. They're all exactly the same, the Erle Stanley Gardner ones. I can't read them. But Stout I always read because his Nero Wolfe is such a splendid monster.
  • Posts: 15,123
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Gerard wrote: »
    A YouTube clip about the one James Bond story written by Agatha Christie :


    I've read it years ago. I wonder what Christie thought of Fleming's Bond.

    Sadly I don't think she approved from what I can remember, even though Fleming mentioned her in OHMSS. I remember @Revelator shared Dame Agatha's thoughts on the Fleming Bond novels a while back.

    And Fleming via Bond seemed to think rather kindly of Dame Agatha. But as writers, they could be more apart. Christie's villains looked like everybody, Bond's like monsters. Christie's stories had no sex or very little abd vety subdued, Bond plenty. The violence is very different in both works.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,280
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Gerard wrote: »
    A YouTube clip about the one James Bond story written by Agatha Christie :


    I've read it years ago. I wonder what Christie thought of Fleming's Bond.

    Sadly I don't think she approved from what I can remember, even though Fleming mentioned her in OHMSS. I remember @Revelator shared Dame Agatha's thoughts on the Fleming Bond novels a while back.

    And Fleming via Bond seemed to think rather kindly of Dame Agatha. But as writers, they could be more apart. Christie's villains looked like everybody, Bond's like monsters. Christie's stories had no sex or very little abd vety subdued, Bond plenty. The violence is very different in both works.

    I think that Fleming is a much more literary writer than Christie. Whereas Christie is primarily interested in the plot machinations and red herrings requisite in a good detective novel Fleming is a much more sensual and descriptive writer. His paragraphs are denser. Of course I've only read a few of Christie's novels but that was the impression that I was left with.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,040
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    I think that Fleming is a much more literary writer than Christie. Whereas Christie is primarily interested in the plot machinations and red herrings requisite in a good detective novel Fleming is a much more sensual and descriptive writer. His paragraphs are denser. Of course I've only read a few of Christie's novels but that was the impression that I was left with.

    I can see what you mean (I hope). I do love Agatha Christie, but Fleming's writing does draw me more into the story than Christie's. Of course Fleming doesn't have to worry about whodunit and so is free to disregard goings-on...he doesn't have to keep a secret but can freely dispense his action stories without the need to hide some final disclosure.
  • Posts: 1,993
    Fleming makes an appearance in the BBC production of Marple's A Caribbean Mystery. Amusing, but had nothing to do with the plot.
  • Posts: 15,123
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Gerard wrote: »
    A YouTube clip about the one James Bond story written by Agatha Christie :


    I've read it years ago. I wonder what Christie thought of Fleming's Bond.

    Sadly I don't think she approved from what I can remember, even though Fleming mentioned her in OHMSS. I remember @Revelator shared Dame Agatha's thoughts on the Fleming Bond novels a while back.

    And Fleming via Bond seemed to think rather kindly of Dame Agatha. But as writers, they could be more apart. Christie's villains looked like everybody, Bond's like monsters. Christie's stories had no sex or very little abd vety subdued, Bond plenty. The violence is very different in both works.

    I think that Fleming is a much more literary writer than Christie. Whereas Christie is primarily interested in the plot machinations and red herrings requisite in a good detective novel Fleming is a much more sensual and descriptive writer. His paragraphs are denser. Of course I've only read a few of Christie's novels but that was the impression that I was left with.
    Christie is pretty much journalistic as a writer. Her stories are pretty much gossiping with added murder. I'm not saying this as a slight: I used to enjoy them tremendously. But as a writer, Fleming is far superior, even though he is not a great plotter.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    edited December 2022 Posts: 25,133
    I am doing a Ustinov Poirot rewatch over Christmas, started with Evil Under the Sun. There is a lot to like with this entry, Guy Hamilton's solid direction, excellent cast, stunning locations and Cole Porter's music.

    My current ranking of Ustinov's film are as follows, they could change after the rewatch...

    1. Death on the Nile (1978)
    2. Evil Under the Sun (1982)
    3. Dead Man’s Folly (1986)
    4. Murder in Three Acts (1986)
    5. Thirteen at Dinner (1985)
    6. Appointment with Death (1988)

  • edited December 2022 Posts: 2,918
    By the way, the afore-mentioned Fleming-Simenon interview has now been uploaded to the board. Maigret's fans should enjoy it as much as Bond's.
  • Posts: 5,994
    After Arsène Lupin and Sherlock Holmes, the latest in a series of "books as partworks magazines" is the Complete Works of Agatha Christie, published, in France, by Haachette Collection. First issue : Murder on the Orient Express :

    https://www.hachette-collections.com/fr-fr/collection-agathachristie/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwJWdBhCYARIsAJc4idBNUYxYY83ldUcyWVRkTOWDTkdtlfgbRNnnNUzLM8XiUCDznjG_yhsaAgRSEALw_wcB
  • Posts: 5,994
    Right now, in Paris, there's a theater play about the life of the Queen of Crime : Lady Agatha, which plays at the Théâtre Saint Georges (of course).

    https://www.theatre-saint-georges.com/lady-agatha/

    The pitch : during the Blitz, Agatha Christie postpones the writing of her latest mystery novel, and starts writing an autobiography. So, we see her life, in her own words. The play started in october, and is still playing.

    AGATHA_web_12-10-22.jpg
  • edited January 2023 Posts: 2,918
    For Cannon fans, the Cannon diet:

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,280
    Revelator wrote: »
    For Cannon fans, the Cannon diet:


    "Good chicken."
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