Agatha (1979)

A fictional account of the real life, eleven day, never explained 1926 disappearance of famed murder mystery writer Agatha Christie is presented. On a cold winter day, her damaged car with ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Apted

Writers:

Kathleen Tynan (screenplay), Arthur Hopcraft (screenplay),

Stars:

Dustin Hoffman, Vanessa Redgrave, Timothy Dalton

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dustin Hoffman	...	Wally Stanton
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Agatha Christie
Timothy Dalton	...	Col. Archibald Christie
Helen Morse	...	Evelyn Crawley
Celia Gregory	...	Nancy Neele
Paul Brooke	...	John Foster
Carolyn Pickles	...	Charlotte Fisher
Timothy West	...	Kenward
Tony Britton	...	William Collins
Alan Badel	...	Lord Brackenbury
Robert Longden	...	Pettelson
Donald Nithsdale	...	Uncle Jones
Yvonne Gilan	...	Mrs. Braithwaite
Sandra Voe	...	Therapist
Barry Hart	...	Supt. MacDonald

Storyline

A fictional account of the real life, eleven day, never explained 1926 disappearance of famed murder mystery writer Agatha Christie is presented. On a cold winter day, her damaged car with her expensive fur coat is found abandoned at the side of a country road. While the authorities initially suspect that she could have committed suicide, her pompous husband, Col. Archibald Christie, who is less than cooperative with the authorities, is adamant that she is still alive. What he doesn't tell them is that he recently asked her for a divorce so that he could marry his secretary, Miss Nancy Neele. Although the divorce request was not a total surprise since she knew of the extramarital affair, Mrs. Christie still did not want to grant him the request since she still loves him. Concurrently, American newspaper columnist Wally Stanton was scheduled to conduct an interview with Mrs. Christie. Since he can no longer do so with her disappearance, Stanton instead tries to find out himself what ...

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Plot Keywords:

suicide attempt | divorce | newspaper columnist | health spa | electric chair | 

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Taglines:

A fictional solution to the real mystery of Agatha Christie's disappearance.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Mistério de Agatha

Filming Locations:

Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sweetwall, First Artists, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Julie Christie was originally cast as Evelyn Crawley, but due to a roller-skating injury she was forced to bow out.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood Remembers Dustin Hoffman (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Gilbert & Sullivan Medley"
Music by Arthur Sullivan (uncredited)
Arranged and conducted by Howard Blake

User Reviews

Agatha Christie meets "The Twilight Zone"

Until I saw "Agatha", I had never even heard of the story of Agatha Christie disappearing - or hiding - in 1926. The movie offers a possibility of what might have happened, portraying the author (Vanessa Redgrave) secretly checking into a health spa under a false name, while detective Wally Stanton (Dustin Hoffman) investigates.

I will admit that this movie is nothing special. If anything, it's sort of just a way to pass time. But it is interesting not only learning about this part of history, but seeing this speculation of what might have happened (the movie reminds us that this is only speculation). The only other cast member whom I recognized was Timothy Dalton as Agatha's husband Archibald. Not a masterpiece by any stretch, but worth seeing nevertheless.