"Agatha Christie: Poirot" The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1990)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Ross Devenish

Writers:

Clive Exton (dramatisation) and
Agatha Christie (novel)

TV Series:

"Agatha Christie: Poirot" (1989)

Original Air Date:

16 September 1990 (Season 3, Episode 1)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

Hastings renews his friendship with Poirot and involves him in the mysterious poisoning of the mistress of a manor house married to a man twenty years her junior.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Hercule Poirot | Strychnine | Will | Detective

Cast

David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Hugh Fraser	...	Lieutenant Arthur Hastings
Philip Jackson	...	Inspector James Japp
Beatie Edney	...	Mary Cavendish
David Rintoul	...	John Cavendish
Gillian Barge	...	Mrs. Emily Inglethorp
Michael Cronin	...	Alfred Inglethorp
Joanna McCallum	...	Evelyn Howard
Anthony Calf	...	Lawrence Cavendish
Allie Byrne	...	Cynthia Murdoch
Lala Lloyd	...	Dorcas
Michael Godley	...	Dr. Wilkins
Morris Perry	...	Mr. Wells
Penelope Beaumont	...	Mrs. Raikes
David Savile	...	Summerhaye

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

London Weekend Television (LWT)

Quotes:

[Poirot has just pulled up in a cab outside and is waving his hands at the driver]
Mary Cavendish: What on earth is he doing?
Lieutenant Hastings: I think he's giving the driver a lesson.

Not so 'stylish' but a commendable representation of Poirot's first case

The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920, is a historic novel in 2 ways: It launched the literary career of the 'Queen of Crime'-Agatha Christie and it introduced to the world the greatest fictional detective after the legendary Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot. Beyond its historical significance and the fact that it was obviously well-written with a well-constructed plot, the novel is not really considered remarkable when you stack it up against some of Christie's far superior and far more famous works published over the next several decades (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, A Murder is Announced, And Then There Were None stand out as some exceptional works), but nevertheless, it certainly deserved an adaptation of some sort which is precisely what Granada did for the centenary of Christie's birth year...

STYLES tells the story of how the Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot(David Suchet), who is a refugee from his native land during the First World War, ends up being invited by his old English friend, Arthur Hastings (Hugh Fraser) to investigate the murder of a wealthy old woman, Mrs Inglethorp, who died under mysterious circumstances in her country house, Styles Court, in the middle of the night. Poirot puts his detective skills to good use, investigating the scene of the crime, interviewing suspects and witnesses, collecting evidence and ultimately using the little 'grey cells' of the brain to discover the hidden truths of the matter. There are certainly no shortage of suspects in this case: There is Mrs. Inglethorps eldest son to consider, not to mention his wife and younger brother; there is her protégée and of course her much younger second husband who is hated by the rest of the family. Clues are in abundance as well: a smashed coffee cup, a glass of cocoa, a burnt document, a piece of green thread... The differences between STYLES and other Poirot adaptations which Suchet acted in become apparent-there is the setting to consider; Poirot is no longer (or rather, hasn't yet reached) the Art Deco settings of 1930's London; his reputation is briefly hinted at but he still isn't considered the greatest and most famous detective of Europe; Hastings too is just getting used to the idea of playing the slow sidekick to a great mind. There are also certain differences derived from the fact that this is Christie's first novel, like the abundance of clues and tangible evidence, the vast number of red herrings (later Christie stories would have more subtle psychological elements), the excessive stereotyping of the characters etc. But all this shouldn't spoil your enjoyment of a well-directed and acted TV movie. A must watch for all Christie and Poirot fans!