User Reviews

This is one of Agatha Christie's very finest novels, pretty universally regarded by her fans as one of the top ten she wrote. And the producers have brought it to the screen with sensitivity and creativity.

One complaint that fans have had about the TV adaptations has been the tendancy to significantly alter plot details and characters beyond what's strictly necessary to translate the plot to television. Here, the writers have made comparatively minor changes to the plot, almost entirely for dramatic effect. They get Poirot into the story much earlier, and unlike the novel, it does not have very many courtroom scenes, a smart decision that keeps the material dynamic. The one signfiicant change is that Mary Gerrard is a less sympathetic character here than in the book. But ultimately the adaptation retains everything noteworthy about the book: it's more emotionally involving than many, it's extremely character-driven, and Christie's solution to the mystery is genius.

One thing I especially like about this episode is that it presents a softer, gentler side of Poirot that is evident throughout the novels but often overlooked. While he is fussy and arrogant at times, Poirot is actually a very kind and sympathetic man, no more so than in this novel. And that is portrayed faithfully here in Poirot's relationship with Elinor Carlisle.

Which brings me to the other main point: the character of Elinor, both in the novel and here, is front and central. Ultimately, that means that the episode is going to sink or swim based on the casting of this key role. And Elizabeth Dermot Walsh is absolutely phenomenal: they could not possibly have done better, and her performance must surely be regarded as one of the very best guest-star turns in the entire series. Ms. Dermot Walsh perfectly captures the character of Elinor from the novel-her contained passion and her heartbreak-with a luminous, quiet and sorrowful beauty. (Suchet has said in interviews that Dermot Walsh was his favorite guest star of the series.) There's a scene between the two of them close to the end that's among the most moving in this series.

Accompanied by a beautiful, romantic musical score and a strong script, this is absolutely terrific television. Bravissimo.

Sad Cypress is one of my favourite Poirot episodes, along with Five Little Pigs and Peril At End House everything about this adaptation was stunning. I do admit I did cry two or three times. It is faithful to the book, apart from a slight misjudgement about the rose. The plot is quite a complex one, but it is very well constructed here. The look of Sad Cypress was absolutely exquisite- you can never go wrong with dazzling photography, splendid scenery and lovely costumes- this adaptation had all three of those things. The music was gorgeous, haunting yet tragic, and I think it was this that reduced me to tears. The script is very good, beautifully written, and does have a hint of faithfulness about it. The acting was exceptional, although he looked tired, David Suchet turned in an impeccable performance as Poirot. I do consider Suchet the definitive of the Poirots, like Jeremy Brett was the definitive Sherlock Holmes. Elizabeth Dermott Walsh was beautiful beyond words as Elinor Carlisle, just perfect for the role, and Rupert Penry Jones perfectly conveys his flawed character. Diana Quick and Phyllis Logan are fine actresses, and they were superb in their roles. The final solution was very well done, not quite as good in construction as the one in the book, but still effective. I have to say when I first saw this adaptation, I was extremely disturbed by Poirot's dream of Mary Gerrard and her decompsing face. All in all, highly recommended. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Hercule Poirot looks into the case of a woman accused for two murders: there is overwhelming evidence against her, her dislike for one of the victims - the girl who stole her fiancé's heart - is well-known, and she doesn't express any feelings of regret. Despite all that, a doctor, who is secretly in love with her, is convinced of her innocence and asks his old friend Poirot to help him prove it.

Let me put it simply: the story, direction, performances, music, and set design of "Sad Cypress" are of higher quality than approximately 90% of what is available out there. Dropping the (highly entertaining, it must be said) sidekicks, changing the tone to almost completely serious, and reducing Poirot's screen time in favor of the other characters (in fact, it could be argued that the beautiful Elisabeth Dermot Walsh is the central figure here) are all bold moves, and they pay off brilliantly, in this case at least. Up to this point in the series, and without having seen "Five Little Pigs" yet, the only episodes I would rank above this one are "Wasps' Nest" and "Lord Edgeware Dies".

A must-see if you love good cinema, even when it's made for TV. (***1/2)

David Suchet is a wonderful actor, he represents Hercule Poirot as anybody. I love Agatha Christie's novels. I never lose a movie with David Suchet, I saw him in Henry the VIII too, as cardinal Wolsey, very good performance. I like Peter Ustinov's performances too, of Poirot I mean, but David Suchet is insuperable. I am reading now The sad cypress and is very interesting as all the work of Agatha Christie, in a Spanish version. I enjoy the novels where Hercule Poirot is the protagonist. Miss Marple is very smart too but I prefer Poirot.

Congratulations for Mr. David Suchet and I can not wait to watch on TV his last movie.

Sincerely,

Helen Larrauri

Lima,Perú

Another one of those "as suggested by the novel" types of productions. After watching it, I went back and read the book. This version is kind of like what you'd get if you dropped the book in a blender, then started picking out bits and stringing them together. Although it strays considerably from the original, it begins and ends in pretty much the same place, and the arc of the original story stays generally intact. Plus since the book isn't one of Christie's better novels, it doesn't much matter. The production is done in a relentlessly dark and moody style that works OK, although why they made such a big deal out of the elevator in the house I don't know; its one of the things not in the original at all, and its an expensive prop that didn't add anything for me.

Having just reread the book, I was very curious as to how this episode would translate to the "Poirot" series, which I am watching through from beginning to end for the first time. "Sad Cypress" is one of the lesser known of the Poirot canon, but I have always thought it a minor masterpiece. This adaptation does not disappoint. Some will be caught by surprise by the surprise ending, and granted, the novel drops far more clues, but I thought it was all elegantly done. I came to the end of the episode with a smile on my face, and a warm glow in my heart, which implies to me that the makers of this episode succeeded where it mattered most.

The second episode of this ninth season of Poirot continues in the vein of the first episode. The framing is like that of a film more than a television episode, the tone is more serious, and the reoccurring supporting characters are not present (as they would be considered more televisual I guess). Similar to the previous episode, we open with a woman charged with murder before we then jump backwards in time to before it occurs. In this case Elinor Carlisle is the accused and we join her in the pre-court case days as she travels with her fiancé to see her wealthy aunt who is ill; they are motivated not only by concern, but also an anonymous note which says someone is trying to ingratiate themselves with the aunt and cut to the front of the inheritance queue. The couple take the advice of Dr Lord and engage Poirot to assist (he is bored with another case and agrees to look into it), but soon things go far beyond a threatening letter.

With the pleasure of Five Little Pgs fresh in my mind, I did come to Sad Cypress with high expectations. On the face of it, all is well since we have a film with a similar approach and feel as the previous one, but unfortunately the same cannot be said of the film where it matters – which is in the script. Generally speaking it is well written and engaging, and it builds events and suspicions well, however I thought that the conclusion was a bit messier than usual, even if I did enjoy the final confrontation for doing something a bit different. Outside of Elinor, the characters themselves are not so interesting, and it did make me remember how well the previous episode had done this. Poirot seems inserted too early into proceedings, although he is always welcome, but is not always seeming at home.

The production values remain high; the bigger scale of the series does appear to have also changed the set design and locations to be larger and more spacious in nature, but the period detail is still there and well captured. The film looks and sounds sharp too, with a good use of one special effect in a particularly memorable nightmare sequence. The cast are variable. Suchet maybe doesn't have the spark he has in other episodes, but is ever reliable and has some nice "Poirot" moments and lines, whether they be comedic or more reflective. Dermot Walsh is by far the best of the supporting cast, although McGann, Penry-Jones, Reilly and others all do decent work.

Sad Cypress continues to high standards of the series, however it is unfortunate that it follows the much better Five Little Pigs, because by contrast it is less effective at building the mystery, developing characters, and revealing who and how it was all done – all of which are pretty fundamental. It still engages on a level that I was happy with, but it didn't match the standard of the season opener.

I felt so frustrated after watching this episode, especially given all the great reviews it's got here. I almost felt cheated.

No doubt this episode contains some fine acting and sets, but there are so many things wrong with it! The creators have tried to stay true to the story but the way certain scenes have been portrayed, even someone of the meanest intelligence who has not read a Poirot before would be able to figure out who the real murderer is. The connection between the murderer and the victim is repeated in a forced-casual way at least thrice and any viewer would immediately know this point is significant.

My other gripe is that the victim, who is so beautifully and sympathetically portrayed by Christie is turned into a hard, scheming woman here, although they don't openly say it. Mary Gerrard in the book is a guileless beauty, caught between classes, confused about her standing in life, and innocent and naive to a fault. She's also essentially honorable. In the movie, she is none of these. I feel angry that the creators felt the need to make Mary an unlikable character in order to drum up sympathy for Elinor. Completely unnecessary, as Elinor is an elegant, tragic heroine in her own right.

My third gripe is how Poirot has been turned into a gloomy psychic/fortune teller of sorts. Just by reading an anonymous note, he keeps repeating that doom and gloom await but that he is too helpless to do anything. There isn't much detection he does either, simply pulling a rabbit out of the hat at the end (a fault the movie shares with the book, to be honest).

This is a Christie that had some excellent characters and setting but a loose plot, especially the array of suspects (almost none) and clues (again, almost none). The movie doesn't do anything to tighten things up but makes things even more obvious to the viewer.

I am disappointed enough to cry.

Elinor Carlisle and Roddy Winter are happily engaged. Elinor's aunt is receives is Laura Welman, wealthy but ailing and bed-ridden. Elinor receives an anonymous letter, warning her that someone will try to gain favour with Mrs Welman, to her expense. Her aunt's doctor, Doctor Peter Lord, contacts Hercule Poirot to investigate. Mrs Welman dies with no will, and, as her next-of-kin, Elinor receives everything. Elinor. Shortly before her death, Mary Gerrard, an old friend of the family, reappears after a long absence. Roddy falls for her and this ends his engagement to Elinor. Elinor is openly resentful of Mary ending her relationship with Roddy and says she wished Mary was dead. One afternoon, Mary stops by for tea and sandwiches with Elinor and a short while later is found dead, poisoned. After a thorough investigation, which Poirot assisted in, Elinor is charged with and ultimately found guilty of the murders of Mary and Mrs Welman. She is sentenced to hang. Doctor Lord insists that Elinor is innocent and implores Poirot to reinvestigate the case. Poirot agrees, resulting in a race against time to save Elinor.

Clever and intriguing. The number of suspects is quite small, but you're never sure which it is. Motives by anyone other than Elinor appear non-existent, making things more difficult. So, the murderer is very well hidden, making the case even more interesting.

Sad Cypress does have a similar story and feel to Mrs McGinty's Dead. However, Sad Cypress has a much more plausible plot, especially backstory and motive.

In the great tradition of the Poirot series, a great supporting cast. The notable names this time are Paul McGann (of Withnail and I and Hornblower fame) and Kelly Reilly (True Detective S2, among other things).

Sad Cypress follows on from the immense quality of Five Little Pigs, this truly was a purple patch for Poirot, in terms of production, writing, direction and overall feel.

Poirot is always enjoyable, for the intrigue, mystery, and of course the presence of the magical David Suchet. Never before though, has an episode pulled so tightly on the heart strings, never before have you felt such emotion, felt the hurt of a character so much, as you do with poor Elinor. You empathise with her at every stage, and genuinely feel her heart break, as her intended falls for the beautiful Mary.

Once again the flavour of the episode appeals hugely, the pacing, direction, characters, performances are all superb, I especially love the way the lift is brought to life from the book, it really does fulfil a purpose, it's not just there for the sake of it.

I particularly enjoyed the scene where Poirot confronts the killer, remarkable performances as the tantalising scene unfolds. I have to say I found Elisabeth Dermot Walsh's performance quite enchanting, she is brilliant as the central character. Phyllis Logan and Kelly Reilly impress also.

One of the best scenes in it, is Poirot's dream, where he witnesses the beautiful young victim turn into a skull, it was such a unique sequence for Poirot, but hugely memorable, very disturbing.

The art of storytelling and cinematography combined, this episode is sheer quality. 10/10.

This movie was just shown on the Biography Channel although it was released in 2003!

I agree that Suchet is 'slowing down' a bit as Poirot and I definitely do not like his current mustache!

However, I don't agree with one commenter on the roles of Japp, Hastings & Ms. Lemon re: their interaction with Poirot.

I personally think Ms. Lemon was in love with Poirot.

Hastings was the perfect 'foil' to Poirot in that he was so very 'English' and much more relaxed to Poirot 'fussiness'! Japp is a definite 'cop' and brought the police's role into the mix full bore. Police usually take the line that the simplest reasoning is the answer so again it's a great 'foil' to Poirot's little 'gray cells' which have to ferret out the idiosyncrasies of the different characters.

The movie was excellent! I knew who was going to die but the rest of it was a 'mystery' to me! I loved the ending - Suchet did a great 'dying' scene!

Sad Cypress has a great cast ranging from Diana Quick, Paul McGann, Rupert Penry-Jones and Kelly Reilly.

However despite framing the episode by having the suspect Elinor Carlisle found guilty of murder at the beginning of the episode, it has a leaden pace. The actual murder happens way into this film when the previous shorter episodes of Poirot would had revealed the murderer by then and Hastings and Poirot would be cracking a joke before the end credits roll.

Elinor visits her wealthy ailing aunt living in a mansion. She has bought her fiancé Roddy who is smittened by a young blond lady, Mary who is a friend of the aunt. Doctor Lord visits Poirot because Elinor has received some anonymous letters. Doctor Lord carries a torch for Elinor but she gets heartbroken as Roddy carries on with Mary.

However after her aunt's death Elinor becomes a the sole heir of her estate. Later when Mary is found poisoned, Elinor is the main suspect and she made her bitterness towards Mary rather plain.

I think this adaptation would had worked better in a shorter format. It was just too slow to get going and the reveal was rather messily done and rather contrived. It only livens up when Poirot springs into action to save Elinor from the gallows.

I became of Phyllis Logan after seeing her in The Good Karma Hospital, and great to see her in this fine and moving episode of Poirot. Those who are entranced by Fast and Furious movies please move on, because the graceful pace and style of Poirot ain't for you.

"Sad Cypress" has a fantastic plot and superb mystery. This wonderful crime solution by Belgian super sleuth Hercule Poirot is based on the Agatha Christie 1940 novel of the same title. Little more needs to be said about this film than that every aspect of it is excellent. While all of the cast are very good, Elisabeth Dermot Walsh is exceptional. She stands out in her role that runs the gamut of emotions, as Elinor Carlisle. And, one can't miss how Poirot's mustache is extending and straightening out.

I first saw this film when it aired on TV and just recently watched it again on DVD. I couldn't remember the outcome and it is another one with an Agatha Christie surprise for the conclusion. Still, the clues are all there. It just takes the world's greatest detective to put them all together and make sense out of them.

This is first-rate entertainment that beats the fast and furious, non-stop action thrillers that are the standard of modern times. Here are some favorite lines.

Elinor Carlisle: Aunt Laura, tell me something -honestly. Do you think love is ever a happy thing? Mrs. Welman: Oh, Elinor. Perhaps it always brings more sorrow than joy. But who could do without it? Anyone who has never really loved hasn't lived.

Hercule Poirot: I can understand the ache of the heart. It is a place very lonely.

Elinor Carlisle: It is certainly hard when the accident of another person's return - another person's beauty suddenly destroys your love.

Hercule Poirot: I sense, in my heart, the inevitability. And yet, what I Poirot do, hmm? Nothing.

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.

This episode had me at Lady felsham and the daughter from Calvary. A fantastic poirot probably my favorite episode without inspector Japp or Hastings or miss Lemon. I really like the sideways screen wipes because it reminds me of the original Star Wars. Brit box is fantastic.