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Xmas TV in the UK

andy_l 24 Nov 10 at 7:09 p.m. GMT

According to the ITV website, 3 new Agatha Christie films will be shown over the Xmas period: Murder on the Orient Express, The Secret of Chimneys and The Blue Geranium. Excellent news!

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MissQuin 06 Feb 11 at 10:23 a.m. GMT

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I finally got round to watching Blue Geranuim this week. After so far disliking all the Xmas adapts : Orient, Chimneys and Crack'd, I was wondering if this would be any good. I do think it was a much better adaptation than the others. I prefer the more serious tone to the very brashy, soap opera feel of Chimneys and Crak'd.

SPOILERS: But part of my recording skipped and I feel I may have missed something important. In the book the Nurse killed her patient because she was in love with the Patient's husband.

In the adapt the nurse killed Mary (patient) because of greed for money. But how was the nurse supposed to get any money? Because Mary was so unpleasant, she woludn't have left her anything in her will. The husband went to prison so he couldn't have married the nurse. So was there somethnig else I missed? Was it that she would just earn her money through blackmailing the other sister?

Tommy_A_Jones 27 Jan 11 at 4:39 p.m. GMT

I felt sad by it SPOILERS!

I didsn't like the disdcussions between the Passengers, I didn't like it seemed so slow before the Murder, I didn't like The Interviewing was rushed through and the verduct Poirot came to was also so quick, They obviously felt in this world of 'Celebrity' that as they had so many big names they had tp give them all huge scenes, The Albert Finney Film did this much more Sympathetically but there again that film had more time to do it in.

MissQuin 26 Jan 11 at 8:14 p.m. GMT

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finally forced myself to watch Orient Express. I'm disappointed and how gloomy it all was. The opening scene of Poirot shouting at a man startled me. Then I was even more shocked when a poor young man shot himself in the head, his blood splattered over a remorseless Poirot. Why does he have to be such a unpleasant misery? He's not that way in the books.  I wanted to sit back and relax and watch this, but that music grated my nerves so much, I was on edge. I feel kind of emotionally drained after watching it.

Tommy_A_Jones 19 Jan 11 at 3:02 p.m. GMT

I liked aspects of Joanna Lumley's performance but I thought she was more frivolous and silly than the put portrays Dolly Bantry but it suited the feel of the Piece, I liked Joanna Lumley's performance but thought Gwen Watford was more realistic, I liked the side-kick role that Joanna Lumley had as Dolly, I felt that Joanna Lumley is a Fan of Agatha Christie if that makes sense.

Bunch_Marple 19 Jan 11 at 8:18 a.m. GMT

I really liked Joanna Lumley as Dolly Bantry, she has much more charisma than the Joan Hickson version's actress. However of course, the film wasn't altogether gripping and I found my attention wandered. I might sound dreadful but I really laughed out lous at Julie McKensie's stunt when she was scared by the loud car, it was very funny!

Katherine 18 Jan 11 at 9:50 p.m. GMT

Caroline Quentin is 51. Lindsay Duncan is 60.

To have made sense of the actresses' ages, the child should have been at least in his twenties, and probably in his thirties!

As for Heather Badcock, I can't imagine any woman describing herself as being "just a girl" when she was in her late thirties!

Tommy_A_Jones 18 Jan 11 at 4:20 p.m. GMT

I think they chose someone who was too old anyway but IU felt they did in the Angela Landesbury version.

LovesMysteries 18 Jan 11 at 4:20 p.m. GMT

I much prefer the Joan Hickson version of The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side. Though some things from the book were cut out and though the Julia McKenzie version included some things that the Hickson version didn't have, I still love the BBC version. Actually that was the first Miss Marple film that I ever saw!

MissQuin 18 Jan 11 at 4:13 p.m. GMT

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The Mirror crack'd SPOILERS!!! If Heather wasn't allowed out, presumably some parent or guardian wouldn't allow her to go. So she surely must have been a minor. Which wolud be more than 12 or so years ago! Bad of them to make mistakes like that.

LovesMysteries 18 Jan 11 at 4:13 p.m. GMT

MissQuin

The worst possible thing they can do to a Chrisite adapt, is to have parts of it badly acted out.

And that happens a lot in the newer Christie adaptations, especially the Miss Marple films. They really need to get better actors who can act.

Tommy_A_Jones 18 Jan 11 at 4 p.m. GMT

I re-read your post and now understand it Miss Quin, The Type of person  Heather Badcock is she would think of herself as a Girl when she had that first fateful meeting with Marina Gregg, Anyway, The time the Adaptation is set was probably not when Agatha Christie set it, when ITV first making the Marple series they said the stories were set in the 50s but Murder At The Vicarage was Published in 1930 so if that is wrong Heather might not be the age she is in the book.

MissQuin 16 Jan 11 at 11:04 a.m. GMT

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That's a very good point Katherine! I wasn't giving the adapt my undivided attention. I was doing some paper filing while it was on. Yes, that's just how gripped I was! If there was good points it would be Julia McKenzie, Joanna Lumley (though her Dolly is different to the book) I still like her.

The worst possible thing they can do to a Chrisite adapt, is to have parts of it badly acted out.

What irks me is that whenever there's a police insepctor why are they always acompanied by a dumb assistant? It's not even funny. The boy in this adapt was too dopey to even have been allowed to join the Police. Plus his gormless gawping at actresses was not amusing.

Katherine 15 Jan 11 at 11:23 p.m. GMT

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No, I agree with you Nigel Harman was the worst thing about the new version of "Mirror Crack'd". He was very weak. (Along with the stunt casting of Will Young who was also pretty poor.)

Bizarre that Marina's son was so young as well - only 11 or so? And yet Heather Badcock said that she came to see Marina when she was "only a girl"!

MissQuin 14 Jan 11 at 5:16 p.m. GMT

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If you re-read my post you'll see I said the film's husband (Rock Hudson)  was good casting. The McKenzie husband (Nigel Harman) was not good. I expect he was put in it because of being fairly easy on the eye, although I don't fancy him. But I didn't find him charismatic.

Tommy_A_Jones 14 Jan 11 at 5:03 p.m. GMT

I agree about The Angela Landesbury version being Better (It's on my To Buy List) and I agree that Nigel Harmon was too wooden (Even though I thought the Character was wooden) but I am confused, at First you say he was badly cast then in your 2nd Paragraph you say he was well cast, I thought Martyin Jarvis pronouncing the Victims name the way he did was unnecessary and preferred the Opening in the AL version, Great Idea I thought. 

MissQuin 10 Jan 11 at 8:48 p.m. GMT

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I finally got round to watching The Mirror Crak'd. I'm sorry to say I was quite disappointed by it. I thought Marina's husband seemed too wooden. Other parts were way too over the top  I think the film version is my favourite (despite thinking Lansbury miscast as Miss M) I just love the vicious exchanges between Lola and Marina, claws really out. It reminds me a little bit of All About Eve.

Also the end of the film is really pulled at me, without being to sentimental, it was just sad. Then her husband (great casting) broke down, it was really moving. The end of the McK version was sad but let down rather by whats his name as the husband.

Tommy_A_Jones 05 Jan 11 at 3:34 p.m. GMT

David Suchet has already said that he will not do Adaptations of books Poirot isn't in so there is No chance he will be in an Adaptation of 4.50 From Paddington in fact there is mpre chance of Julia McKenzie re-making the Episodes Geraldine McKewan did than there is of Davisd Suchet doing any of the Poirot's. he shouldn't be in.

SpearmintHippo 05 Jan 11 at 10:18 a.m. GMT

GKCfan

 Bottom line, at minimum there's enough for nine more 90-minute episodes, and possibly more. 

lets face it, the way things are going at the minute, I wouldn't be surprised if they remade something like The 4.50 from Paddington, and put Poirot in that!

Gareth_G_Stafford 04 Jan 11 at 12:29 a.m. GMT

A Happy New year to all Christie Fans! 

I must say that David Suchet was excellent as ever as HP in Murder on the Orient Express. However I find it bizarre that The Clocks hasn't been shown yet - does anyone know why? 

GKCfan 03 Jan 11 at 11:43 p.m. GMT

There's no guarantee that there's only one more season of Poirot to go, although Suchet said something to that effect in a recent interview.  There are four novels. one collection of interrelated short stories, a play, and one stray short story left, plus a few stray short stories that are alternate versions of already filmed stories.  Bottom line, at minimum there's enough for nine more 90-minute episodes, and possibly more.