"Agatha Christie's Poirot" Five Little Pigs (2003)

Director:

Paul Unwin

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Kevin Elyot (screenplay)

TV Series:

"Agatha Christie's Poirot" (1989)

Original Air Date:

14 December 2003 (Season 9, Episode 1)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

Lucy Crale enlists Poirot to investigate the fourteen-year-old murder case in which her mother was hanged for poisoning her philandering painter father.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Hercule Poirot | Poison | Artist | Detective

Cast

David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Rachael Stirling	...	Caroline Crale
Aidan Gillen	...	Amyas Crale
Toby Stephens	...	Philip Blake
Marc Warren	...	Meredith Blake
Aimee Mullins	...	Lucy Crale
Julie Cox	...	Elsa Greer
Gemma Jones	...	Miss Williams
Sophie Winkleman	...	Angela Warren
Talulah Riley	...	Young Angela
Patrick Malahide	...	Depleach
Annette Badland	...	Mrs. Spriggs
Roger Brierley	...	Judge
Richard Teverson	...	Hollinghurst
Melissa Suffield	...	Young Lucy
Lottie Unwin	...	Young Caroline
Darien Smith	...	Young Amyas
Jacek Bilinski	...	Young Philip
Joel de Temperley	...	Young Meredith (as Joel De Temperley)

Directed by
Paul Unwin

Writing credits
Agatha Christie		(novel)
Kevin Elyot		(screenplay)

Produced by
Michele Buck	....	executive producer
Phil Clymer	....	executive producer: Chorion plc
Delia Fine	....	executive producer: for A&E Television Networks
Leila Kirkpatrick	....	line producer
Margaret Mitchell	....	producer
Emilio Nunez	....	supervising producer: for A&E Television Networks
David Suchet	....	associate producer
Damien Timmer	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Christopher Gunning

Cinematography by
Martin Fuhrer		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jon Costelloe

Production Design by
Stuart Walker

Art Direction by
Fleur Whitlock

Set Decoration by
Mark Rimmell

Costume Design by
Sheena Napier

Makeup Department
Carol Cooper	....	makeup designer
Rupert Simon	....	makeup artist
Sian Turner	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Fiona McGuire	....	executive in charge of production
Kate Stannard	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gareth Tandy	....	first assistant director
Paula Turnbull	....	second assistant director
Jessica Hurles-Laws	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
David Zealey	....	third assistant director: second unit (uncredited)

Art Department
Steve Ede	....	construction manager
John Hogan	....	prop master
Dougie Lankston	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Downer	....	supervising sound editor
Tony Jackson	....	sound recordist
Billy Mahoney	....	dubbing mixer
Sarah Morton	....	dialogue editor
Mike Reardon	....	sound maintenance
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer: New York (uncredited)
Nigel Squibbs	....	assistant dubbing mixer (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Alan Church	....	visual effects
Simon Giles	....	visual effects

Stunts
Ray Donn	....	stunt double: David Suchet (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Boorer	....	grip
Keith McNamara	....	focus puller
Mike Miller	....	camera operator
Phil Penfold	....	best boy (as Philip Penfold)
Larry S. Prinz	....	lighting gaffer (as Larry Prinz)
Rab Harling	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Ed Jones	....	clapper loader (uncredited)
Rupert Power	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Maureen Duff	....	casting
Claire Saunders	....	casting assistant
Gail Stevens	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tamar Zaig	....	assistant costume designer
Jason Gill	....	costume assistant (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Dan Coles	....	telecine colourist
Anya Dillon	....	assistant editor
Simon Giblin	....	on-line editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Nuala Alen-Buckley	....	production accountant
Adam Browne	....	location manager
Diane Chittell	....	production coordinator
Alan Church	....	titles
Simon Giles	....	titles
Phoebe Masters	....	assistant coordinator
Carol Thompson	....	script supervisor
Karen Thrussell	....	script editor
Derek Wax	....	script executive
Emily Chittell	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Elton Farla	....	unit medic (uncredited)
Lawrence Stevens	....	floor runner (uncredited)

Sound Department
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer

Other crew
Mark Albela	....	location manager
Daren Thomas	....	location runner

Production Companies

• London Weekend Television (LWT) (as LWT)
• A&E Television Networks (in association with) (as A & E Television Networks)
• Agatha Christie (in assocation with) (as Agatha Christie Ltd {a Chorion Company})
• Granada
• Granada Television (uncredited)

Distributors

• A&E Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• A&E Television Networks (2004) (USA) (TV)
• Chorion (2003) (UK) (all media) (as Chorion)
• Granada Ventures (2003) (UK) (all media) (as Granada Ventures)
• ITV DVD (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Malavasi Editore (2005) (Italy) (video)
• New Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• ARRI Lighting Rental  lighting (uncredited)
• Molinare Studio  sound post-production (uncredited)
• Pepper Post Production  post-production facilities (uncredited)

Runtime:

100 min | Finland:94 min | UK:93 min (11 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:12 (video rating) (2004)

Filming Locations:

Benington Lordship Gardens, Benington, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

London Weekend Television (LWT)

Trivia:

Meredith Blake is also the name given to a character in The Parent Trap (1998).

Goofs:

Continuity: We see young Amyas painting with his left hand. As an adult, he uses his right hand.

Quotes:

Hercule Poirot:It is surprising, is it not, how soon in life the die is cast.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie: Cinq petits cochons (#2.3)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

First GNOSSIENNE

Splendidly-crafted adaptation of one of the better Poirot books!

I saw this when it first aired in 2003, when I was 11, and I was very impressed, really I was. Two years ago, I read the book, and I personally think the book is up there among the best with Death on the Nile and Murder in Mesopotamia. What impressed me most with the TV adaptation, which I got on video recently, was that some of the scenes, like the hanging scene, were genuinely haunting, and that's what I want to feel in a mystery. The music score gave that haunted feeling and some poignancy, in an already complicated story. As far as I can remember, the overall structure was faithful to the book, and I also liked the actress of Caroline Crale, as you really feel for her, and Amias was certainly hissable here in the way they made him behave. Marc Warren and Gemma Jones also do well as Meridith and Mrs Williams. Also what the writers got right were Angela's disfigurement and although it was changed, the ending with Lucy in the lovely dress was very effective. As ever, David Suchet is impeccable as Hercule Poirot, and he is helped by a brooding script. However there were two things I didn't like about the adaptation- the idea of Blake being homosexual(I don't think that was in the book), and Julie Cox was perhaps too old for Elsa. All in all, technically and visually it's a delight to look at, and I enjoyed this adaptation very much, though I do prefer the book. 9/10 Bethany Cox.