Sad Cypress (2003)

The other reviews do a good job summarizing this fine movie. So I'm "casting" this book with actual people from Agatha Christie's own real-life romantic tragedy...Fickle Fiancé' Roddy Winter...could be played by Agatha Christie's charming but unfaithful first husband Archie Christie.Elinor's aunt Madame Wellman could be cast as Agatha's late mother. Like Elinor Carlisle, Agatha Christie faced a double loss of two beloved people. In Agatha's case, it was her recently deceased beloved mother and -- soon after --the departure of her fickle husband Archie.Hercules Poirot...does not have a direct counterpart in Agatha's real life marriage breakup.. His advice to Elinor is wisely given... Perhaps he represents various unnamed friends who gave her support.Actually, Dr. Lord, who has admired Elinor from afar, I'd definitely cast as Max Mallowan, Agatha's beloved and faithful second husband. Dr. Lord radiates loyalty and good character. He brings in Hercules Poirot and (partial spoiler) Hercules Poirot...ultimately saves Elinor from execution for the murders of Madame Wellman and Mary Garrard.Mary Gerrard, the new love of Fickle Roddy Winter, represents the actual young woman who captured her husband's heart while she, Agatha, was away settling her late mother's estate.I think it unsurprising that Mary is...murdered. However, Mary is shown as a pleasant young woman who accepts Roddy's attentions but declares "I did not lead him on." Elinor feels guilty because she wanted dead...but she will learn...there's a difference between desire...and action.The actual murderer is, of course, eventually revealed. However, Elinor's resignation at her murder conviction almost keeps Poirot from getting from her...the key info needed...to find the actual murderer.So...this is a very human drama with love/loss as a repeated theme...Madame Wellman's lost love; Elinor's lost Roddy Winter; Roddy's soon-murdered new love..Mary Gerrard.Christie does not make simple good/bad characters. I hope writing this book helped her work through her personal pain. This book was published over 10 years after her marriage broke up. Her second marriage...to Max Mallowan...was a success. I "imagine" Elinor Carlisle and the kind Dr. Lord in a similar good marriage...

8 out of 10 for the story. I liked the novel. But the role of Mary and Roddy, oh it was so bad. No emotions shown. So stiff. It's so different from the characters in the novel, I wonder if the director meant to change the way Mary and Roddy portrayed. Mary and Roddy were supposed to be a really nice person and they favored Elinor so much, but in this series they look like they hate Elinor. Aside from the characters, there is a slight change in the story plot. The murderer didn't supposed to poison Poirot. Of all episodes I watched, I personally think this one might be the farthest from the original story... But it's still fun to watch.

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.

A quite engrossing if, as usual, contrived mystery. I do agree that David Suchet is the ultimate Hercule even if he's losing much of his energy. In fact, I think that "Curtain" would be the ideal Hercule for him to do at this or a little later point.I disagree with a review that said that it was more fun with Japp, Hastings and Lemon. I thought they were brought into the earlier productions by the short hairs and not convincingly all the time.I do agree that the Suchet "Death on the Nile" was disappointing but I'd recently seen the Ustinov again (I didn't really like him in the part.) and was only too familiar with the story so I gave up early on.I thought the acting was generally good and everyone was well-cast.8 out of 10.