A young widow is left in sole possession of her late husband's fortune, her brother who dominates her refuses to let her share it with her in-laws, so they enlist Poirot to prove her missing... Read allA young widow is left in sole possession of her late husband's fortune, her brother who dominates her refuses to let her share it with her in-laws, so they enlist Poirot to prove her missing first husband might not be dead.A young widow is left in sole possession of her late husband's fortune, her brother who dominates her refuses to let her share it with her in-laws, so they enlist Poirot to prove her missing first husband might not be dead.
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- TriviaThe title is from the words of Brutus in William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", which Poirot (in the novel) quotes: "There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to Fortune". (Poirot is explaining "it is very Shakespearian".)
- Goofs(At about 21:40) When Poirot examines the two newspapers at the inn, the headlines and main articles are different, but the other pieces on the front page are identical in both "editions" - obviously the same mock-up.
- Quotes
Hercule Poirot: Do you know that the priest, when he is buried, he is always facing his parishoners? Oui. Because when the Day of Judgment, it comes, and the dead, they all arise, he can greet them, and lead them through the Gates of Paradise. Tis a beautiful idea.
Rosaleen: He shan't be leading me.
Hercule Poirot: You must not say that, ma chere. Despair is a sin.
Rosaleen: I'm cut off from the mercy of God.
Hercule Poirot: No, no, no, no, no. Nobody is cut off from the mercy of God... ever.
- Crazy creditsIn the end credits actor Elliot Cowan is credited as 'Elliot Lowan'.
- ConnectionsVersion of Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie: Le Flux et le Reflux (2011)
There are some outstanding things here. First and foremost, David Suchet; by far the best thing of the adaptation, for he was absolutely outstanding here as Poirot. Here he acquired a perfect mix of the comical Poirot, which he does so effectively and the serious which he does even better. Second, the production values. The photography is excellent, the effects are well done and the scenery and costumes as is always the case with this series is top notch. Thirdly, the music is very good, beautiful in some places and haunting in others. Fourth, the direction from Andy Wilson is excellent in general. Out of the supporting performances, Elizabeth Spriggs and Tim Piggott Smith are the most impressive, and I love Jenny Agutter and she does a good job. Also Amanda Douge is stunning.
Some other things were merely acceptable. The quality of the script is not as good as it is in an adaptation like Five Little Pigs or After the Funeral, but Poirot does have some truly funny and even moving parts that Suchet, the great actor that he is, delivers brilliantly. Everything else ranges from acceptable to rather uncharacteristic of Agatha Christie. Eva Birthistle as Rosaleen does well, she performs effectively in some scenes, but Rosaleen isn't quite the same as she is in the book in terms of looks. The pacing is not exactly fast paced, as a matter of fact this is an example of an adaptation that starts quite slowly, but it does pick up.
However, there were other things that didn't work at all. I for one, didn't like the portrayal of David Hunter. Instead of the cynical, calculating and lecherous jerk he is in the book, he is as one reviewer summed up a cold blooded lunatic and I for one found it obvious that he was a villain in some way. Plus Elliot Cowan overacts so wildly, I found it hard to relate to his character at all, it was like Robert Hardy in the Inspector Morse episode Twilight of the Gods all over again. Some of the plot changes were baffling and implausible too, Rosaleen's drug addiction was a head scratcher, and the German air raid idea was implausible. Don't get me started also on the suicide of Major Porter, whose idea was it for him to do it right next to someone, it made no sense. But the biggest flaw, and the weakest scene of the whole adaptation was the ending, what a let down. I can watch it for Suchet's denouncement speech, which is a revelation in terms of delivery, but the plot changes like Cards on the Table and Murder of Roger Ackroyd ruined it, and it misses the point of the book completely.
All in all, some good things, but there are things that just didn't work. 5/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jan 19, 2010
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- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
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- 1.78 : 1