"Appointment with Death" is one of the darker mysteries that Agatha Christie wrote for her super sleuth, Hercule Poirot. With that and the absence of any of his usual associates, Poirot doesn't have the light touch of humor that usually makes its way into his TV movie mysteries.
In this tale, Poirot is again in the Middle East, where we know he isn't fond of the dusty and hot conditions. Still, they aren't as much a bother in this story, it seems, because there's just too much going on all around him. At the concluding session with all of the main cast - and various suspects, Poirot states flatly that the case has had many red herrings. He says, "This case, mes amis, it is full of the red...fish." The red herring of white slavery could have been left out, and a little more given to some of the background that is lacking, particularly of Dame Celia Westholme, for whom there is no apparent reason to be in the group. Even the way she arrives, mysteriously riding a camel that stops the vehicles on the way to the dig, suggests that the writers didn't know how else to bring her into the picture.
Indeed, there is very much packed into this story, and it weighs it down considerably. The audience sees flashbacks of several of the cast - those who were children abused by Lady Boynton. So, viewers have some idea of the haunted past and experiences of three of the adult children. But the film shows very little about how Poirot could have learned so much about all the characters and their pasts.
All of Christy's mysteries with Poirot are interesting. And, the cast and productions are superb always. In this film, the scenes shot in Morocco are stunning. And the busy-ness of the markets in Casablanca gives a sense of reality and being in the place and the scene. But this is one of a small number of Poirot mysteries that is too complex to be treated to the audience's satisfaction in less than 90 minutes. And, anything longer would tend to tire the audience.
Dame Christy and the moviemakers just put too much into this one story, So, it's weight - even after Poirot's logical explanation and unfolding of the mystery, still left me scratching my head. The murder plot itself was so clever and intriguing, that it should have stood alone as the focal point of this film. And the superb surprise ending screamed for eliminating some of the red herrings in this film.
I do wonder if one scene wasn't intended as a clue for readers and audiences about one of the characters. When Sister Agnieszka is talking with Jinny Boynton in the dig cave, she says, "The word King James renders as 'Angel' is in the Greek, 'anagkazo.'" I don't know if Anglican nuns wore such full habits as she wears in this film, but I think she was meant to be portrayed as a Catholic nun from Poland. She was apparently a student of Biblical archaeology. Or so, audiences were meant to think. But, her mention of "King James" might have been a hint that she wasn't what she appeared to be. A Catholic nun would most likely have quoted from the Septuagint as translated in English and used by the Catholic Church. But even then, she probably would have just said, "the Bible."
In her later stories with Poirot, Christy began to show glimpses of his faith. His handling and ostensibly praying of a rosary points to his Catholic background. While religion is not a frequent theme that runs through the Poirot mysteries, Christy uses his faith in key instances when it helps wrap up a story.
This story is a case in point. At the end, he gives consoling words to Jinny Boynton. "Mademoiselle, there is nothing in the world so damaged that it cannot be repaired by the hand off almighty God. I encourage you to know this, because without this certainty, we should all of us be mad." He then gives her a gift of a small pearl-bead rosary that she takes out of its velvet pouch.
In this tale, Poirot is again in the Middle East, where we know he isn't fond of the dusty and hot conditions. Still, they aren't as much a bother in this story, it seems, because there's just too much going on all around him. At the concluding session with all of the main cast - and various suspects, Poirot states flatly that the case has had many red herrings. He says, "This case, mes amis, it is full of the red...fish." The red herring of white slavery could have been left out, and a little more given to some of the background that is lacking, particularly of Dame Celia Westholme, for whom there is no apparent reason to be in the group. Even the way she arrives, mysteriously riding a camel that stops the vehicles on the way to the dig, suggests that the writers didn't know how else to bring her into the picture.
Indeed, there is very much packed into this story, and it weighs it down considerably. The audience sees flashbacks of several of the cast - those who were children abused by Lady Boynton. So, viewers have some idea of the haunted past and experiences of three of the adult children. But the film shows very little about how Poirot could have learned so much about all the characters and their pasts.
All of Christy's mysteries with Poirot are interesting. And, the cast and productions are superb always. In this film, the scenes shot in Morocco are stunning. And the busy-ness of the markets in Casablanca gives a sense of reality and being in the place and the scene. But this is one of a small number of Poirot mysteries that is too complex to be treated to the audience's satisfaction in less than 90 minutes. And, anything longer would tend to tire the audience.
Dame Christy and the moviemakers just put too much into this one story, So, it's weight - even after Poirot's logical explanation and unfolding of the mystery, still left me scratching my head. The murder plot itself was so clever and intriguing, that it should have stood alone as the focal point of this film. And the superb surprise ending screamed for eliminating some of the red herrings in this film.
I do wonder if one scene wasn't intended as a clue for readers and audiences about one of the characters. When Sister Agnieszka is talking with Jinny Boynton in the dig cave, she says, "The word King James renders as 'Angel' is in the Greek, 'anagkazo.'" I don't know if Anglican nuns wore such full habits as she wears in this film, but I think she was meant to be portrayed as a Catholic nun from Poland. She was apparently a student of Biblical archaeology. Or so, audiences were meant to think. But, her mention of "King James" might have been a hint that she wasn't what she appeared to be. A Catholic nun would most likely have quoted from the Septuagint as translated in English and used by the Catholic Church. But even then, she probably would have just said, "the Bible."
In her later stories with Poirot, Christy began to show glimpses of his faith. His handling and ostensibly praying of a rosary points to his Catholic background. While religion is not a frequent theme that runs through the Poirot mysteries, Christy uses his faith in key instances when it helps wrap up a story.
This story is a case in point. At the end, he gives consoling words to Jinny Boynton. "Mademoiselle, there is nothing in the world so damaged that it cannot be repaired by the hand off almighty God. I encourage you to know this, because without this certainty, we should all of us be mad." He then gives her a gift of a small pearl-bead rosary that she takes out of its velvet pouch.