Sparkling Cyanide (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Tristram Powell

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Laura Lamson (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 October 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Crime

Plot Keywords:

Potassium Cyanide | Undercover Agent | Computers | Computer | Grief

Cast

Pauline Collins	...	Dr. Catherine Kendall
Oliver Ford Davies	...	Col. Geoffrey Reece
Kenneth Cranham	...	George Barton
Jonathan Firth	...	Mark Drake
Susan Hampshire	...	Lucilla Drake
Clare Holman	...	Alexandra Farraday
James Wilby	...	Stephen Farraday
Lia Williams	...	Ruth Lessing
Rachel Shelley	...	Rosemary Barton
Justin Pierre	...	Carl 'Fizz' Fitzgerald
Joseph Scatley	...	Sam Knight (as Joseph Scattley)
Richard Clifford	...	Maitre D'
Chloe Howman	...	Iris Marle
Ruth Platt	...	Rebecca Knight
Jack Fortune	...	Phillip McCain
Dominic Cooper	...	Andy Hoffman
Roger Frost	...	Henry Barlow

Directed by
Tristram Powell

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Agatha Christie		novel
Laura Lamson		screenplay

Produced by
Phil Clymer	....	executive producer: Chorion PLC
George Faber	....	executive producer
Nick Goding	....	line producer
Suzan Harrison	....	producer
Charles Pattinson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
John E. Keane		(as John Keane)

Cinematography by
James Aspinall		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Don Fairservice

Casting by
Jill Trevellick

Production Design by
Tim Hutchinson

Art Direction by
James Lewis

Costume Design by
Barbara Kidd

Makeup Department
Lois McIntosh	....	makeup artist
Mary Southgate	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Bennett	....	first assistant director
Ashley Jackman	....	third assistant director
Gary Talbot	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Barry Gates	....	dressing props
Jennifer Griggs	....	stand-by art director
Ian Hill	....	construction manager
Roy O'Connor	....	property master
Mike Smith	....	property buyer

Sound Department
Robert Bourke	....	dubbing editor
Michael Maroussas	....	dubbing editor
David Old	....	dubbing mixer
Ashley Reynolds	....	boom operator
Andrew Sissons	....	sound recordist
Wayne Brooks	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Brierley	....	camera operator
Terry Eden	....	best boy
Brian Jones	....	gaffer
Andy Kendall	....	grip
Penny Shipton	....	clapper loader

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lee Croucher	....	costume assistant
Marion Weise	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Phil Brown	....	post-production
Maya Papovich	....	on-line editor
Paul Staples	....	colorist
Paul Hyman	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Roger Arscott	....	location manager
Matt Betteridge	....	location security
Dan Connolly	....	location manager
Marissa Cowell	....	script supervisor
Sammi Davis	....	production coordinator
Marilyn Goldsworthy	....	production accountant
Maggie Murray	....	assistant accountant
Gillian Nesbitt	....	publicist
Shelagh Pymm	....	publicist
Christian Reynish	....	assistant location manager
Anastasia Timeneys	....	production secretary
Jack Williams	....	script editor

Production Companies

• Company Pictures
• Chorion (in association with)

Distributors

• Independent Television (ITV) (2003) (UK) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2006) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Kemistry  titles

Runtime:

Finland:96 min (excluding commercials) | UK:120 min (including commercials)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Company Pictures

Movie Connections:

Version of Sparkling Cyanide (1983) (TV)

Tune in, turn on, switch off

This Christie adaptation was flagged as "in a modern setting, with a contemporary twist". There was so much twist they forgot to tell the story, which is a good one. Characters were introduced briefly, with thumbnail descriptions in voice-over, instead of being allowed to show us who they were. Then the "contemporary, modern" angle was shoved in our faces. "And this is my wife, Alexandra, a high-flying barrister, you know, not like in the olden days when women didn't have jobs, and here's Rosemary's sister, who's a personal trainer to the stars and has a black footballer boyfriend, not like in the book which is old fashioned, twee, quaint and weedy and she's a debutante who possible works as a secretary." Instead of a dashing male detective we have two old buffers obviously based on Christie's characters Tommy and Tuppence - former secret service agents who are occasionally called out of retirement. Of course they have to use computers and mobile phones the second they are introduced, and get themselves offstage with "You shadow the husband, I'll go and DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, you know, that modern thingy that they didn't have when Christie wrote her books I mean in her day they probably sent messages by a man in a cleft stick and were hopelessly dull and oldfashioned and never never did anything interesting like having sex." Actually the original Christie story is teeming with adultery - read the book! Read the book! And then watch the enjoyable 1983 film with Anthony Andrews which has the sense to stick to Christie's story. Updating from the 50s to the 80s, and moving from England to America, makes perfect sense. But avoid the TV version with David Suchet, filmed as The Yellow Iris, which muffs the story badly, introducing an unnecessary trip to wartorn South America (!?) and not even showing the second dinner party (filling in time with an equally otiose "South American" dance rehearsal).