OK, at least the plot and the setting are fairly true to the book. Otherwise, I wouldn't count this episode to the better half of the television adaptations of Christie's Poirot stories.
Murder in Mesopotamia happened to be the first Christie that I ever read. I believe I was 14 years old at the time. The atmosphere of it made a certain impact on me. The original story is told in the first person, by the nurse, and Poirot enters just about halfway through the novel. Despite the presence of the buffoonish character Bill Coleman, the rest of the characters appear to be on verge of nervous breakdown. The atmosphere is thus extraordinary tense.
Now, of course the TV adaptation ignores all of this, and instead lightens up the events, even throwing in Hastings, who wasn't meant to be a part of the plot at all.
The main protagonist of the story is the first victim, Mrs Leidner. Her personality is rather well outlined in the novel: an extremely attractive, alluring, scheming, paranoid, yet thoughtful woman. A complex nature, one might say. In this adaptation, on the other hand, a masculine, palpably not attractive and rather everyday woman plays the part. This omits the prerequisite of the plot quite effectively. Why would any man really become such a jealous fanatic over such a woman?
To fill in all sorts of gaps created by the producer and the director, drivel like Poirot hunting a mosquito in his room, and a sub-plot of him having a vain love interest in a Russian lady, are added.
Only one actor made a relatively decent effort, viz. the guy who played the murderer. He could have been the right choice for a serious adaptation of this, somewhat forgotten, but still great Christie novel.
Murder in Mesopotamia happened to be the first Christie that I ever read. I believe I was 14 years old at the time. The atmosphere of it made a certain impact on me. The original story is told in the first person, by the nurse, and Poirot enters just about halfway through the novel. Despite the presence of the buffoonish character Bill Coleman, the rest of the characters appear to be on verge of nervous breakdown. The atmosphere is thus extraordinary tense.
Now, of course the TV adaptation ignores all of this, and instead lightens up the events, even throwing in Hastings, who wasn't meant to be a part of the plot at all.
The main protagonist of the story is the first victim, Mrs Leidner. Her personality is rather well outlined in the novel: an extremely attractive, alluring, scheming, paranoid, yet thoughtful woman. A complex nature, one might say. In this adaptation, on the other hand, a masculine, palpably not attractive and rather everyday woman plays the part. This omits the prerequisite of the plot quite effectively. Why would any man really become such a jealous fanatic over such a woman?
To fill in all sorts of gaps created by the producer and the director, drivel like Poirot hunting a mosquito in his room, and a sub-plot of him having a vain love interest in a Russian lady, are added.
Only one actor made a relatively decent effort, viz. the guy who played the murderer. He could have been the right choice for a serious adaptation of this, somewhat forgotten, but still great Christie novel.