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TV ADAPTATION REVIEW: POIROT­– THREE ACT TRAGEDY

29 Jun 11 9:30AM

TV ADAPTATION REVIEW: POIROT­– THREE ACT TRAGEDY

By Chris Chan

With Three Act Tragedy, a new season of Poirot starring David Suchet begins in the United States– and the news is all good.  In this entry, cocktail parties turn deadly as guests fall dead from poisoned drinks, and Poirot is compelled to solve a crime that is cleverly scripted and stage-managed.  A major impediment to the investigation is the fact that none of the murders seems to have any apparent motive!

Over the last several years, I have consistently enjoyed the Poirot series (for the most part), and I have defended it against the charges that the series has lost this way.  Some frequent complaints are that the series has gotten too dark and that too many changes have been made to the original plots. I can assure viewers that neither of these complaints can possibly be alleged against the new adaptation of Three Act Tragedy.

There are a few changes, the largest of which being the deletion of a major character.  Fans of the Harley Quin stories may be disappointed to learn that Mr. Satterthwaite, the high society sleuth, is not included in this adaptation.  The location of the denouement is changed, but given the overall setting and theme of this story, this is an inspired alteration.  All in all, however, this adaptation hews extremely closely to the original source material.

Three Act Tragedy is unique among Christie’s novels because the motive in the American version of the novel is substantially different from the British version.  I will not provide any spoilers as to the differences between the two, but American viewers who might think that the screenwriter capriciously changed the motive ought to know that this production simply uses the motive from the original British version of the novel.  Incidentally, I do not know why the changes between the American and British versions were made in the first place, but at a guess, American publishers felt that readers from the United States would be confused by an issue connected to British law.  Incidentally, the Peter Ustinov version of this tale, titled Murder in Three Acts, used the American motive.  Furthermore, the addition of a single sentence in Poirot’s summation addresses a concern that I had about the British version’s motive for murder, which I found thoroughly gratifying.

Visually, Three Act Tragedy keeps up the Poirot tradition of presenting period details in a stylish and artistic way.  The art direction of this episode ranks among the series’ best efforts to date, with a fantastic blend of color, artwork, and natural scenery.  From the picturesque coastline to the vivid murals to the stylish stage sets, the series’ creative team has distinguished itself with its efforts.

It should be noted that this review is for the version of the show that was recently released on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery! in the United States.  For some unknown reason, PBS has decided to crop four or five minutes from the movie, and a couple of the edits are rather obvious.  If you want to see the missing scenes, you’ll have to find the DVD’s. 

One slight drawback to this adaptation is based off a problem with the book.  Very few characters are given much screen time or anything else to do, save for Poirot, the retired actor Sir Charles Cartwright (a stellar Martin Shaw) and the young heroine Egg (Kimberley Nixon).  Most of the other performers have to make do with limited screen time and undeveloped characterizations, although I particularly enjoyed the small but pivotal roles of Suzanne Bertish as Miss Milray, the personal assistant with hidden depths, and Kate Ashfield as an enthusiastic and observant playwright.

Another criticism of some recent adaptations is that Poirot hasn’t been allowed to do much actual detecting, and that he seems to pull the solution out of thin air at the end, an argument that I think has some validity in a couple of new adaptations, but none regarding some other recent productions.  Thankfully, here we get to see Suchet in peak form, theorizing, exploring potential crime scenes, setting traps, and actively preventing the destruction of evidence.  One of my favorite moments in Three Act Tragedy is when Sir Charles commandeers an interrogation of a suspect, and Poirot wrinkles his face in frustration as his position as detective is being usurped.  It’s the little comedic touches like this that make Suchet’s performance so great to watch.

All things considered, Three Act Tragedy is a thoroughly enjoyable addition to a great long-running series.  Don’t let the word “Tragedy” in the title put you off– there’s nothing depressing about this production.

NOTE: Three Act Tragedy is the first of three new Poirot movies airing in the United States.  The Clocks and Hallowe’en Party will follow in the coming weeks, followed by the new Marple movie The Pale Horse.

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Boomcoach 21 Jul 11 at 6:06p.m.

My biggest issue with this episode is the way that it flew through the two murders.  We show Sir Charles before a poster (thus letting us know he is an actor, a few people arrive for drinks, then-WHAM-dead vicar ... shift to a dinner party, young love interest arrives, drinks are served - BANG - dead doctor.  Then the story goes forward.  Hope you didn't look away for a minute or two!

I felt that this was the weakest of this season's 4 new Christie productions.