This is a beautiful looking production, wonderfully shot and - on the whole - very well acted. David Suchet's excellent Poirot enters the story somewhat earlier than in the book but that's not too surprising - the series is called 'Poirot' and fans will want to see him at the earliest opportunity. Being one of my favourite Poirot books, I had quite definite ideas of how these characters should look and feel and generally speaking I was happy with the results in the film. Elisabeth Dermott Walsh was really spot on as Elinor and Rupert Penry Jones catches Roddy's weakness very well. It was nice to see the excellent Phyllis Logan pop up as one of the nurses and Diana Quick is suitably sympathetic as the invalid Mrs Welman. Perhaps my only slight reservation is that the crucial role of Mary Gerrard is played as rather more 'knowing' than she ought to be and as a result rather less sympathetic.
Two disappointments, one very trivial and one not quite so. Much as I enjoyed the denouement, it didn't have the power of that in the book where the solution was revealed by a series of revelations within the courtroom. The film opts for a more exciting end but as a result it's less believable. The trivial disappointment is a lack of attention to detail, for the important supporting role of the Zephirine Drouhin rose is miscast - it should be bright pink and not crimson red! Seriously though, this is a very good film overall and well worth watching.
Two disappointments, one very trivial and one not quite so. Much as I enjoyed the denouement, it didn't have the power of that in the book where the solution was revealed by a series of revelations within the courtroom. The film opts for a more exciting end but as a result it's less believable. The trivial disappointment is a lack of attention to detail, for the important supporting role of the Zephirine Drouhin rose is miscast - it should be bright pink and not crimson red! Seriously though, this is a very good film overall and well worth watching.