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Suchet - Ustinov

poison_orange_peak 16 Aug 09 at 12:04 a.m. GMT

I hope Suchet re-films all of the Poirot stories that have been made with ither actors like Ustinov and What's-His-Face (He's so bad, I can't remember his name!). Ustinov didn't even have an accent! Not even a FRENCH one! He really should do Murder On The Orient Express. He has already re-done Evil Under The Sun and others like that, but he needs to be in the most well-known one ever! Let's start a petition - write a post in this sbuject so we can fight for a better Orient Express! XD

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myami 17 Jul 10 at 7:31 p.m. GMT

Well he has now -- and it sucked :(

I do think that David Suchet is the best Poirot -- but I don't think the new mystery theater adaptation of Murder on the Orient express worked. The 1974 version, for all it's flaws, was the most entertaining Poirot movie of all time. This one was, quite simply, uninteresting.

I can somewhat follow David Suchet's reasoning in portraying an ageing Poirot the way he has -- old, severe, unrelenting; perhaps it's a likely place where the old Poirot would end up -- but unfortunately this character is very hard to like. All the charm is gone leaving behind a bitter old man. 

The rest of the cast struggle to make any impact -- can't really blame them; they're competing with the outstanding ensemble cast that the 1974 movie had who had all turned out memorable, if stylized, performances.

The changes to the story added nothing. You could make a case for the stoning scene to set up Poirot's character; every thing else was a waste. As was this movie -- a massive disappointment and a waste of time.

Tommy_A_Jones 20 Aug 09 at 1:08 p.m. GMT

Thankyou Pale Horse, I will look out for the DVDs

Pale_Horse 19 Aug 09 at 7:05 p.m. GMT

WINNEBAGO1901

What is the Peter Haining book you mentioned, If I haven't got it I will try and get it.

Think it is called Agatha Christie's Poirot: A Celebration of the Great Detective. Also some info on the Marple films in the latest bio of Christie. The Trevor films, or some of them, and the Randall film are going to be released on DVD as part of the complete works advertised on this site.

Tommy_A_Jones 18 Aug 09 at 11:06 a.m. GMT

Thankyou for the information Pale Horse, I have never seen Tony Randal or Austin Trevor as Poirot but would love to, I knew she liked Margaret Rutherford as a person as she dedicated a book to her, I think it was 'The Mirror Crack'd. What is the Peter Haining book you mentioned, If I haven't got it I will try and get it.

Pale_Horse 17 Aug 09 at 2:26 p.m. GMT

WINNEBAGO1901

I have just lookedc up Zero Mostel on Google, as Robert Morley played Hastings to Tony Randal's Poirot it would have looked odd him playing Poirot, but I can see how Tony Randal just might have played Hastings well

According to Peter Haining, in his book on Christie, Mostel was fired from the film after she objected to him. The film was being made to try an appease Christie who had agreed to the Margaret Rutherford films being made to save herself from bankruptcy (Rutherford had tax problems s well). Christie never liked the Marple films (though she liked Rutherford personally) and felt they became more absurd as they went on hence the switch to Poirot to please her and the guest appearance of Rutherford and her husband in The Alphabet Murders as a 'leaving present' for them.  

Austin Trevor, the first screen Poirot (who I have never seen in any of his Poirot films) also guest stars in the film as a butler.

Tommy_A_Jones 17 Aug 09 at 2:16 p.m. GMT

I have just lookedc up Zero Mostel on Google, as Robert Morley played Hastings to Tony Randal's Poirot it would have looked odd him playing Poirot, but I can see how Tony Randal just might have played Hastings well

Pale_Horse 17 Aug 09 at 1:52 p.m. GMT

Boomcoach

I would be interested in the source of your quote.  I am not doubting you, but I was wondering if it was from the mouth of one of her characters, or a description by Christie from an interview.

I agree that Suchet has softened Poirot, especially during the early series, when they also included Japp, Hastings and Miss Lemon in every production.  I think the later productions have less of the comedic Poirot.  I would still say that Suchet has come the closest, however, to the overall persona of Poirot, the fastidiousness, the avuncular Poirot,  and the quiet Poirot focusing inwardly on the little gray cells.

The quote is dated 1960 but no direct source is given so I suspect that it is from a novel and the nearest to 1960 is Cat Amongst the Pigeons or later on The Clocks. I have to agree the style of the TV films has changed and for the better (though AWD I thought feeble) with a slightly darker tone to the narratives.

WINNEBAGO1901

Well (I didn't know that about Tony Randal eing a last minute replacement gor Zero Mostel, I have heard ther name nbut don't know who Zero Mostel is, wasn't he a bulky man too? perhaps as Robert Morley was his Hastings it would have looked silly, If I am right Zero Mostel played King Tutt in the 60s Batman series, Am I right? by the way please remind me what IMO stands for I have forgotten. 

No Mostel was not in Batman though he was in The Producers. IMHO = In my humble opinion.

Tommy_A_Jones 17 Aug 09 at 12:47 p.m. GMT

Well (I didn't know that about Tony Randal eing a last minute replacement gor Zero Mostel, I have heard ther name nbut don't know who Zero Mostel is, wasn't he a bulky man too? perhaps as Robert Morley was his Hastings it would have looked silly, If I am right Zero Mostel played King Tutt in the 60s Batman series, Am I right? by the way please remind me what IMO stands for I have forgotten. 

Boomcoach 17 Aug 09 at 12:44 p.m. GMT

While I enjoyed the "Orient Express" movie, I will have to disagree with you on the matter of Finney.  Nowhere do I remember Christie describing Poirot as a "neckless version of Charlie Chaplin", which is what Finney looked like, and his seal-like outbursts were hard for me to watch.

I would be interested in the source of your quote.  I am not doubting you, but I was wondering if it was from the mouth of one of her characters, or a description by Christie from an interview.

I agree that Suchet has softened Poirot, especially during the early series, when they also included Japp, Hastings and Miss Lemon in every production.  I think the later productions have less of the comedic Poirot.  I would still say that Suchet has come the closest, however, to the overall persona of Poirot, the fastidiousness, the avuncular Poirot,  and the quiet Poirot focusing inwardly on the little gray cells.

Pale_Horse 17 Aug 09 at 10 a.m. GMT

Tony Randall had the unenviable task of being a last minute replacement for Zero Mostel and having a classic crime thriller turned into a black farce. In those circumstances he did remarkably well and turned in a neat comic performance - wrong for a serious crime thriller but ok for the film.

Albert Finney (my favorite I admit) come closest IMHO. He presents Poirot as a 'detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep' AC's words) and I don't feel Suchet has every achieved that quality and has 'softened' the character. MOTOE is the best of all the Poirot adaptations IMHO but then it does have ones of the gretest film directors of all time behind the camera.

Peter Ustinov was too bulky and shambling to be right for the part but was plausible enough in DOTN but later films encouraged him to play for laughs. It was a memorable performance if not Christie and as Ustinov told Christie's daughter who said Poirot wasn't like him at all - 'He is now !'

Alfred Molina played him as  conventional lead (a bit like Austin Trevor did) and the adaptation was very poor IMHO.

Tommy_A_Jones 16 Aug 09 at 1:50 p.m. GMT

Ustinov wasn't horrible just wrongly cast Alfred Molina was Horrible as was Geraldine McKewan but I have seen MKewan, Molina and Ustinov in roles better suited to them, but give me a choice of watching Ustinov, Molina or MKewan as MM I would pick Ustinov every time.

TheMole 16 Aug 09 at 11:33 a.m. GMT

Ustinov was horrible, LilyV! I mean Poirot w/ blond hair? It's absurd! I liked the Murder on the Orient Express movie. However, I would much rather see David Suchet as Poirot in Orient Express. I thought it was weird how they had Albert Finney walk: it was like a duck, and his head was practically leveled with his shoulders! LOL

Tommy_A_Jones 16 Aug 09 at 11:06 a.m. GMT

David Suchet is doing them all, I don't know who you are referring to but the re-make of Murder On The Orient Express was not nice and have heard that Tony Randall didn't do a good job of playing |Poirot although I haven't seen it but would love to just out of Curiosioty, personally I liked Albert Finney's Poirot, in alot of ways he was better than Peter Ustinov who was very entertaining but was too tall and didn't look or sound like my idea of Poirot.