I have been an Agatha Christie fan since I began reading her mysteries in the early 1960s while serving in the Army. I thoroughly enjoy great movie mysteries, and saw her early Poirot films that starred Peter Ustinov (Death on the Nile, 1978; Evil Under the Sun, 1982; and four TV films in the 1980s). I don't know if it was the direction or the actor's interpretation of the role, or a combination, but Ustinov's Poirot comes across as flat and ho-hum.
Enter British television and accomplished English actor David Suchet in 1989. I think the TV series and full-length movies about Dame Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot are the best mysteries ever put on film. Suchet's interpretation and portrayal of the character is outstanding. His meticulous study of Christie's sleuth, and the producers' attention to detail and authenticity of settings give viewers a sense that we are living in the time and place and in the company of the "real" sleuth as he solves mysteries that baffle all others.
In its long tenure, the Poirot mysteries have entertained hundreds of millions of people. And, they are likely to do so well into the future. Suchet had a supporting cast of fine actors and characters in many of his Poirot films. Hugh Fraser was his frequent sidekick, Captain Hastings. Philip Jackson was an early skeptic who soon turned friend as Chief Inspector Japp. And Pauline Moran played Hercule's secretary, Miss Lemon.
Everything about the short Belgian "Frenchie" is to like. His appearance and never-changing clothing. His short steps and stiff upright carriage. His fussiness over his appearance. His waxing poetic over a situation. His vanity and ego. His sincere proper manners and comportment. His comfort and reassurance of someone in trouble or hurting. His touch of humor at times with friends, and his failure to see humor when Hastings or Japp think something is funny. His accent and looks of bewilderment when stumped. The determined look when he puzzles through a scheme to trap or uncover the culprit. And his knowing smile when his "little grey cells" begin to unravel the mystery.
I've enjoyed good mysteries all my life, and no doubt I'll continue to enjoy new mysteries in the time ahead. And, of all the mystery writers to date, Agatha Christie remains the best. Of all of her stories, I have only once been able to accurately guess the culprit right up to the end. Her stories don't have gore. They usually are quite simple, albeit with many red herrings. But the solutions require use of the brain and attentiveness. The settings are wonderful. Her's is great entertaining mystery. Hercule Poirot is her most captivating and entertaining sleuth. And, British actor David Suchet brings Poirot to life as the most interesting, intelligent, and beloved sleuth of all time. For all of his years solving crimes in England, he learned and lived English customs. He would have afternoon tea with people he visited. And, I noted in some of his last films, that he had a taste for a tisane. In the middle of the afternoon, he would remind Miss Lemon that it was time for his tisane. Not tea, but a tisane (aka, herbal tea).
Agatha Christie and David Suchet have given us a most memorable character for all time. If ever one needed help with a great mystery, there was one person to seek – Hercule Poirot. He could be found at 568 Whitehaven Mansions, Sandhurst Square, London, W1. Or, one could reach him by telephone at TRA-8137.
Enter British television and accomplished English actor David Suchet in 1989. I think the TV series and full-length movies about Dame Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot are the best mysteries ever put on film. Suchet's interpretation and portrayal of the character is outstanding. His meticulous study of Christie's sleuth, and the producers' attention to detail and authenticity of settings give viewers a sense that we are living in the time and place and in the company of the "real" sleuth as he solves mysteries that baffle all others.
In its long tenure, the Poirot mysteries have entertained hundreds of millions of people. And, they are likely to do so well into the future. Suchet had a supporting cast of fine actors and characters in many of his Poirot films. Hugh Fraser was his frequent sidekick, Captain Hastings. Philip Jackson was an early skeptic who soon turned friend as Chief Inspector Japp. And Pauline Moran played Hercule's secretary, Miss Lemon.
Everything about the short Belgian "Frenchie" is to like. His appearance and never-changing clothing. His short steps and stiff upright carriage. His fussiness over his appearance. His waxing poetic over a situation. His vanity and ego. His sincere proper manners and comportment. His comfort and reassurance of someone in trouble or hurting. His touch of humor at times with friends, and his failure to see humor when Hastings or Japp think something is funny. His accent and looks of bewilderment when stumped. The determined look when he puzzles through a scheme to trap or uncover the culprit. And his knowing smile when his "little grey cells" begin to unravel the mystery.
I've enjoyed good mysteries all my life, and no doubt I'll continue to enjoy new mysteries in the time ahead. And, of all the mystery writers to date, Agatha Christie remains the best. Of all of her stories, I have only once been able to accurately guess the culprit right up to the end. Her stories don't have gore. They usually are quite simple, albeit with many red herrings. But the solutions require use of the brain and attentiveness. The settings are wonderful. Her's is great entertaining mystery. Hercule Poirot is her most captivating and entertaining sleuth. And, British actor David Suchet brings Poirot to life as the most interesting, intelligent, and beloved sleuth of all time. For all of his years solving crimes in England, he learned and lived English customs. He would have afternoon tea with people he visited. And, I noted in some of his last films, that he had a taste for a tisane. In the middle of the afternoon, he would remind Miss Lemon that it was time for his tisane. Not tea, but a tisane (aka, herbal tea).
Agatha Christie and David Suchet have given us a most memorable character for all time. If ever one needed help with a great mystery, there was one person to seek – Hercule Poirot. He could be found at 568 Whitehaven Mansions, Sandhurst Square, London, W1. Or, one could reach him by telephone at TRA-8137.