"Agatha Christie's Poirot" The Mystery of the Blue Train (2005)

Director:

Hettie Macdonald

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Guy Andrews (screenplay)

TV Series:

"Agatha Christie's Poirot" (1989)

Original Air Date:

11 December 2005 (Season 10, Episode 1)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

Poirot investigates the brutal hammer murder of Ruth Kettering, an American heiress and the theft of a fabulous ruby on the Blue Train between Calais and Nice.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Heiress | Ruby | Maid | Hammer Murder

Cast

David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
James D'Arcy	...	Derek Kettering
Alice Eve	...	Lenox
Nicholas Farrell	...	Knighton
Bronagh Gallagher	...	Ada Mason
Tom Harper	...	Corky
Jane How	...	Lady at Ball
Samuel James	...	Steward
Helen Lindsay	...	Sister Rosalia
Oliver Milburn	...	La Roche
Jaime Murray	...	Ruth Kettering
Roger Lloyd-Pack	...	Inspector Caux (as Roger Lloyd Pack)
Etela Pardo	...	Dolores
Georgina Rylance	...	Katherine
Josette Simon	...	Mirelle Milesi
Lindsay Duncan	...	Lady Tamplin
Elliott Gould	...	Rufus Van Aldin
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andy Callaghan	...	Champagne Waiter (uncredited)
Russell Loten	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Gareth McChlery	...	Dancer (uncredited)

Directed by
Hettie Macdonald

Writing credits
Agatha Christie		(novel)
Guy Andrews		(screenplay)

Produced by
Michele Buck	....	executive producer
Phil Clymer	....	executive producer: Chorion Plc.
Helga Dowie	....	line producer
Delia Fine	....	executive producer: A&E Television Networks
Trevor Hopkins	....	producer
Emilio Nunez	....	supervising producer: A&E Television Networks
David Suchet	....	associate producer
Damien Timmer	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Stephen McKeon

Cinematography by
Alan Almond		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jamie McCoan

Casting by
Maureen Duff

Production Design by
Jeff Tessler
Paul Spriggs		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Denise Ball
Pilar Foy

Costume Design by
Sheena Napier

Makeup Department
Christine Greenwood	....	makeup designer
Susan Parkinson	....	makeup artist (as Sue Parkinson)
Kate Roberts	....	makeup artist
Sian Turner	....	make-up: David Suchet's

Production Management
Alasdair Whitelaw	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sean Clayton	....	second assistant director
Jack Ravenscroft	....	first assistant director
Stuart Renfrew	....	first assistant director
Stephen Woolfenden	....	first assistant director (as Stephen Wolfenden)
Paul Vallespi	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Richard Barratt	....	stand-by props
Paul Gilpin	....	supervising art director
Jim Grindley	....	property master
David Lewis	....	production buyer (as Davis Lewis)
Joanne Ridler	....	stand-by art director
Gus Wookey	....	construction manager
Emma Godwin	....	assistant production buyer (uncredited)
Jim Grindley	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jamie Caple	....	dialogue editor
John Downer	....	supervising sound editor
Billy Mahoney	....	dubbing mixer
Ashley Reynolds	....	sound maintenance engineer ({script executive} closing credits error) (as Derek Wax)
Andrew Sissons	....	sound recordist
Adam Powell	....	foley editor (uncredited)
Filipa Principe	....	foley editor (uncredited)
Nigel Squibbs	....	assistant dubbing mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
David Harris	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Jonathan Hills	....	visual effects

Stunts
Nick Wilkinson	....	stunt coordinator
Ray Donn	....	stunt double: David Suchet (uncredited)
Dean Forster	....	stunt performer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Gavigan	....	best boy (as Rob Gavigan)
Stuart Godfrey	....	grip
Miles Proudfoot	....	focus puller
Sean Savage	....	camera operator
Steven Swannell	....	lighting gaffer (as Steve Swanell)
Peter Davies	....	generator operator (uncredited)
Martin Foley	....	camera operator (uncredited)
François Vigon	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jason Gill	....	costume
Charlotte Mitchell	....	costume
Philip O'Connor	....	dresser: David Suchet's (as Phil O'Connor)
Gabrielle Spanswick	....	costume

Editorial Department
Dan Coles	....	colourist
Adam Harvey	....	assistant editor
Sion Penny	....	on-line editor (as Siôn Penny)

Music Department
Mike Sheppard	....	music consultant (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Mark Beeton	....	unit driver (uncredited)
Sean O'Connor	....	driver: David Suchet (uncredited)

Other crew
Sam Baker	....	assistant coordinator
Sue Elliot	....	production services: French
Paul Harris	....	choreographer
Gail Kennett	....	production executive
Simone Le Lievre	....	publicist
Peter Mares	....	publicist
Gina Nocero	....	senior publicist: A&E
Patrick O'Hanian	....	production services: French
Caroline O'Reilly	....	script supervisor
Sheila Price	....	production accountant
Patrick Smith	....	publicist
Tom Stourton	....	location manager
Rebecca Sutton	....	production coordinator
Peter Tullo	....	location manager
Beth Willis	....	script editor
Clifford De Spenser	....	dialect coach (uncredited)
Elton Farla	....	medical coordinator (uncredited)
Paula Jack	....	dialect coach: Jaime Murray (uncredited)

Sound Department
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer

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

Production Companies

• Granada (as A Granada Production)
• A&E Television Networks (in association with)
• Agatha Christie (in assocation with) (as Agatha Christie Ltd {a Chorion company})
• Granada Television (uncredited)

Distributors

• A&E Television Networks (2005) (USA) (TV)
• Independent Television (ITV) (2006) (UK) (TV) (ITV1)
• A&E Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Canvas (2007) (Belgium) (TV)
• Magyar Televízió (2006) (Hungary) (TV)
• Malavasi Editore (2006) (Italy) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2006) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Casting Collective  extras casting (uncredited)
• Molinare Studio  sound post-production (uncredited)
• Pepper Post Production  post-production facilities (uncredited)

Runtime:

120 min (including commercials) | Finland:94 min (excluding commercials) | UK:93 min (11 episodes)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

Italian | English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | Australia:M | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (2006)

Filming Locations:

France

Company:

Granada

Trivia:

Hercule Poirot mentions at the end that he has never traveled on the Orient Express, raising viewer expectations of his most famous case, "Murder on the Orient Express."

Quotes:

Count De La Roche:[after being punched and knocked down] You could have given me a black eye!
Derek Kettering:Match your fingernails and your heart!

Poirot Encounters Murder on a Train

Of course, this isn't the first time Poirot is on a train where someone is murdered. "The Mystery of the Blue Train" is from season 10 and stars David Suchet as Poirot, Elliot Gould, Lindsay Duncan, Bronagh Gallagher, and James D'Arcy.

In this episode, Poirot works to solve the murder of Ruth Kettering, the daughter of a wealthy industrialist. She is beaten literally beyond recognition. Added to this, in order to be closer to her lover, she changed rooms with Katherine Grey, a new heiress whom Poirot has befriended. Ruth owned the brilliant Heart of Fire ruby, which is now missing - but the safe wasn't broken into. When Grey visits her relatives, she is attacked, raising the question - did the killer have the right woman? There's gambling, adultery, broke relatives and resentment as Poirot investigates the suspects further. Lindsay Duncan as Gray's suddenly attentive cousin (she's broke) is fantastic. I had the pleasure of seeing her in person in "Private Lives," and she is a wonderful actress. Suchet as usual is the perfect Poirot. I also had the privilege of seeing him in person in "Amadeus." He truly is a chameleon. Georgina Rylance is also excellent as Katherine Gray, an insecure young woman who's just inherited a fortune and now socializes with a different class of people.

The rest of the acting, frankly, wasn't fabulous - you could spot the fake American accents right away and the characters seemed put on rather than the real thing. It might have been the dialogue, it might have been the directing - I tend to think it was the latter.

I don't remember this book, so I didn't mind whatever changes there were. I enjoyed the story.