(no subject)

[layne67]

I watched Agatha Christie's Murder On The Orient Express the other day, the one with David Suchet as Poirot. I've always thought that Suchet is the best Poirot around, but his potrayal of the Belgian detective in MotOE left me feeling a little bit shocked. There was no sign at all of the "funny little man" in his Poirot there, no trace of the mountebank as he was often refered to as. He was almost ... frightening, and I'm not sure that I like him at all.

Then I watched the star-studded, 1974 Sidney Lumet movie version, and it was quite a relief to see Albert Finney playing Poirot as he should be played - lovable and funny, keen-eyed and OC to the utmost degree!

Lauren Bacall was superb as Mrs Hubbard. I remember being impressed, when I was reading the book, at the part when it was revealed that Mrs Hubbard was actually Linda Arden, and I thought Barbara Hershey didn't quite got it right, not the way Bacall did.

Jacqueline Bisset was exteremely lovely as the Countess but I thought she didn't quite nail the part of the vulnerable Mrs Armstrong's younger sister, the way Elena Satine did in Suchet's MotOE. And I prefer Suchet's Count Andrenyi to Finney's, too.

Murder on the Orient Express was the first of Agatha Christie's books that I read. I was 14 at that time and I remember being thoroughly flabbergasted to find out who killed Ratchett. Poirot had practically spelled it out and I still didn't get it! If that book weren't my first Agatha Christie, I probably would have seen it a mile away lol - least expected person and all.

And now I'm hankering to see the TV movie with Alfred Molina as Poirot and Meredith Baxter as Mrs Hubbard.

Has anybody seen the movie(s) without reading the book first? Did you manage to correctly guess who killed Ratchett? Any fans of Agatha Christie here? Who do you think made the best Poirot? And what is ( are ) your favourite Agatha Christie's books?

And also, I just found out that Ian Holm has also played Poirot! Now that I really want to see.

Comments

[arabia764.livejournal.com]

I'm a big AC fan, I'd read all the books by the time I was 16. David Suchet is definitely my favourite Poirot by far, especially the early ones with Captain Hastings.

Now if you want to talk Miss Marples I'm your girl. I once spent an afternoon with Nightporters and 2 other 'ladies of a certain age' discussing our favourite Miss Marples. It's Margaret Rutherford for me but I can put the rest in order!

[aredhelebenesse.livejournal.com]

I love Agatha Christie's stories! I also have seen film versions of them, long before I'd read the books. But I have no clue who the actors were. I only remember Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple, who was brilliant and the only real Miss Marple at all for me.

[i-o-r-h-a-e-l.livejournal.com]

Selamat berpuasa, dear Layne. :D

[nightporters.livejournal.com]

Shit! I'm a lady of a certain age? *shakes head* You got that wrong. I'm no lady.

Joan Hickson - Miss Marple.

I actually don't like the Poirot stories but my daughter force feeds me them.

[montmorency.livejournal.com]

Interesting analysis. I saw the 1974 movie years ago. I had loved Agatha Christie from books and from the Margaret Rutherford movies for years and years. But I didn't warm up to Poirot until long after seeing that movie. Eventually I started reading the books and came to love the character. And then I saw the awesome David Suchet play him, and for me that was PERFECT. :) I also adore his sidekick Hastings - the actor who plays him.

So we have different views on this!

In that 1974 movie, I sort of guessed what was coming... I knew it had to be more than one of them but I didn't totally figure it out.

[arabia764.livejournal.com]

Well, you might not be but I certainly am and so were the two National Trust ladies. But then I like being a lady of a certain age, it has a lot of advantages.

Joan Hickson? Oh no, much too dry.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Oh I love Miss Marple, too! Not as much as I love Poirot, but yes, I adore her. I haven't seen any of her movies yet but I have 'Chimneys' which I hope to watch soon.

My favourite Miss Marple is 'The Moving Finger'. I love that one!

'Murder She Wrote' made me think of Miss Marples :)

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Yay another AC fan!! I've only started to watch the TV series and the movies recently, before this it was all books! I think I have the whole collection of AC's books heheh.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I'm sure with all the activities lined up there, the days will simply fly and before you know it, it's buka puasa time!

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Oh I love Suchet's Poirot from the ITV series, it's just the one in MotOE that I didn't like. I thought he looked so different, he didn't seem like the usual Suchet at all!

Hastings!! I adore him :D

I have Chimneys lined up to watch, that'd be my first Marples movie. I've read the book but I can't quite remember how it went. I wonder whether I can spot who the murderer is!

And I also love the Tommy and Tuppence spy series!

[layne67.livejournal.com]

How I wish I can force feed AC on my family!! But unfortunately, I'm the only one in the family who's into books, the kids are all about their PS2 and 3 and computer games, and hubby doesn't read anything that's not sports-related :/

[montmorency.livejournal.com]

I see, my misunderstanding. No, I haven't seen him in MotOE. Nor have I seen the whole series, which reminds me to go and check netflix!

Agatha wrote so many great characters, didn't she? I'd forgotten Tommy and Tuppence. You make me want to hunt down those old books and read them again, or to try to find one that I have NOT read already.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Suchet's MotOE - here (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1554113/). But even though I didn't quite like Suchet's Poirot there, I much prefer its Mary Debenham, Colonel Arbuthnot, the Count and Countess Andrenyi to the 1974 movie's ones!

And Anthony Perkin's as Ratchett's secretary made me think of him in Psycho. I kept expecting him to mention Bates Motel lol.

[arabia764.livejournal.com]

If you haven't seen the films then you won't have a favourite actress who played her. Nightporters and I get very heated about that debate. Her fav actress is good but mine is better!

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I googled up Chimneys and Julia McKnezie played Miss Marple there. How is she?

You didn't debate on who's the best Poirot? :D

[ala-tariel.livejournal.com]

My ever favorite Agatha's novel is "The Man with The Brown Suit". They already made a film of it, with Stephanie Zimbalist as the main character, if I'm not mistaken.

But I really don't like films based on Agatha's books. The films turned ugly, way uglier than the books and they changed the story so much.

Have you watched "Appointment With Death"? The book is really beautiful. I had a very high hope when I found out they made a film based on the book. It's very disappointing! The story in the movie was like comedic and the actors played really bad! I don't remember who played Poirot there.

Now, I'd rather not watch films based on Agatha's books anymore. I don't know, but I don't want to be disappointed again.

[arabia764.livejournal.com]

I like Julia McKnezie, I think she's a terrific Miss Marple - not as good as Margaret Rutherford but then no on is as good as Margaret. The first and the best.

I did say my fav Poirot, it has to be David Suchet for me all the way.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've read those two books and I loved them very much! I love all of AC's books actually, with maybe a few exeptions here and there, but 99.5% of her books I love. I read them years ago, and I only started watching the movies/TV series lately, so most of the time I don't remember who the killers are, so it's like they're all new to me!

It's best to watch the movies/TV series without remembering the way they were originally written. And I think the ITV Agatha Christie's Poirot ( played by David Suchet ) is good!

[ala-tariel.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen any ITV's episode of AC's adaptations. are they good?

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I LOVE them. I thought David Suchet's potrayal of Poirot was really fantastic, he made Poirot came alive for me, he was just what I imagine him to be in my head!

Which was why I was surprised by his interpretation of Poirot in Murder On The Orient Express. It was completely different from his previous Poirot, and except for the physical appearance, it was like that wasn't Poirot at all!

[ala-tariel.livejournal.com]

Now I wanna watch it.

Too bad, our cable don't air that show. I guess someday.