"Agatha Christie: Poirot" Hercule Poirot's Christmas (1995)

Director:

Edward Bennett

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Clive Exton (dramatisation)

TV Series:

"Agatha Christie: Poirot" (1989)

Original Air Date:

1 January 1995 (Season 6, Episode 1)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

The tyrannical patriarch of a dysfunctional but wealthy family summons his adult children for a Christmas reunion, but prior to the holiday his throat is slashed apparently by one of them.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Detective | Manor House | South Africa | Choir

Cast

David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Philip Jackson	...	Japp
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Simeon Lee
Simon Roberts	...	Alfred Lee
Catherine Rabett	...	Lydia Lee
Eric Carte	...	George Lee
Andrée Bernard	...	Magdalene Lee (as Andree Bernard)
Brian Gwaspari	...	Harry Lee
Sasha Behar	...	Pilar Estravados
Mark Tandy	...	Sugden
Olga Lowe	...	Stella
Ayub Khan-Din	...	Horbury (as Ayub Khan Din)
John Horsley	...	Tressilian
Scott Handy	...	Young Simeon
Liese Benjamin	...	Young Stella

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Chilham Castle, Chilham, Kent, England, UK

Company:

Carnival Films

Trivia:

Alternate titles for "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" include "Murder for Christmas" and "A Holiday for Christmas."

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sugden is at the room where Pilar is being interrogated, he says: "I better find Sgt Coombes" and leaves immediately the room. Later, when Poirot explains the solution, this scene is shown again, but Sugden, after saying that, doesn't leave immediately the room and waits a few seconds.

Quotes:

Hercule Poirot: Chief Inspector, you have been thinking again. I have warned you of this before.

Wildly unpredictable but unevenly paced Poirot mystery

The owner of a mining company, a rich old man with a guilty past, gets murdered in his own room, a few days before Christmas. The suspects: every member of his large family that had been assembled on the same house for the holidays. But there is another guest in the house - Hercule Poirot.

For anyone (like me) who hasn't read the Agatha Christie book adapted here, this must be one of THE most unpredictable stories Miss Christie ever wrote - and that's saying something! Your jaw may well drop to the floor when the murderer is revealed. Still, this episode is not 100% satisfying. The pacing seems uneven: too slow during the investigation process, and then too rushed during the revelations (we don't get enough scenes of Poirot piecing everything together). Two supporting actors stand out: Vernon Dobtcheff, who is so creepy as the old man you can see why everyone would want him dead, and Sasha Behar as the lively Spanish girl (with the sexy accent to boot - very good job for an English actress). (**1/2)