Cards on the Table
- Episode aired Mar 19, 2006
- TV-PG
- 1h 32m
The enigmatic, sinister Mr. Shaitana, one of London's richest men, invites 8 guests, 4 of them possible murderers and 4 'detectives' to his opulent apartment.The enigmatic, sinister Mr. Shaitana, one of London's richest men, invites 8 guests, 4 of them possible murderers and 4 'detectives' to his opulent apartment.The enigmatic, sinister Mr. Shaitana, one of London's richest men, invites 8 guests, 4 of them possible murderers and 4 'detectives' to his opulent apartment.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe novel "Cards on the Table" (1936) features a crossover between four recurring characters of Agatha Christie. 1) Hercule Poirot was introduced in "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (1920) and was Christie's most frequently appearing protagonist. 2) Colonel Race, a secret agent of the MI5, was introduced in the novel "The Man in the Brown Suit" (1924). 3) Superintendent Battle of the Scotland Yard was previously among the main characters in the novels "The Secret of Chimneys" (1925) and "The Seven Dials Mystery" (1929). 4) Ariadne Oliver was introduced in the short story "The Case of the Discontented Soldier" (1932) as a freelance assistant to protagonist Parker Pyne. She had also appeared in the short story "The Case of the Rich Woman" (1932). Both of the stories were published in book form in the collection "Parker Pyne Investigates" (1934).
- GoofsDuring the party, Shaitana talks to a waiter and pushes him towards Poirot and Mrs. Oliver. When Shaitana pushes him, there is one cocktail glass on the tray carried by the waiter. When he approaches Poirot and Mrs. Oliver, there are two.
- Quotes
Hercule Poirot: The question is, can Hercule Poirot possibly by wrong?
Mrs. Lorrimer: No one can always be right.
Hercule Poirot: But I am! Always I am right. It is so invariable it startles me. And now it looks very much as though I may be wrong, and that upsets me. But I should not be upset, because I am right. I must be right because I am never wrong.
- ConnectionsVersion of Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie: Cartes sur table (2014)
The whole premise is interesting: 4 suspects, 4 sleuths, and an audacious murder committed in the same room as the other suspects.
The unraveling requires an analysis of the play of several hands of bridge and a psychological comparison of the suspects (rather like Philo Vance's analysis of a poker game in the earlier "The 'Canary' Murder Case", which may have been an inspiration for "Cards").
I am not a purist. One expects a couple of details of a book's plot to be changed for dramatization or conciseness. And sometimes, the coincidences Dame Agatha employs strain credulity.
However, this filmed version was so radically altered from the book, that despite having re-read it last year, I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next.
Although the murderer remained the same, much of the back story, and the motivations and ultimate fates of several characters (both main and secondary) were completely different.
It was followed by an airing of "The Under Dog." It reminded me that the film adaptations of the Poirot short stories are frequently much different than the written versions (this one has a larger role for Miss Lemon, who makes rather silly attempts at hypnotism); however, the novels are usually more faithfully done.
I hope "After the Funeral" (another favorite story of mine being released this year) fares better. Unfortunately, I've already noticed, by viewing the notes for the cast list here at IMDb.com, that the character responsible for setting the plot in motion is missing. Where is Cora Abernethie Lansquenet?
- lao-2
- Feb 20, 2006
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- Albert Memorial, Kensington Gardens, Westminster, Greater London, England, UK(Poirot, Miss Oliver and Supt. Wheeler walk around the memorial discussing the case. Later on Poirot and Colonel Hughes do the same.)
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