"Agatha Christie's Poirot" Cards on the Table (2005)

Director:

Sarah Harding

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Nick Dear (screenplay)

TV Series:

"Agatha Christie's Poirot" (1989)

Original Air Date:

11 December 2005 (Season 10, Episode 2)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

The enigmatic, sinister Mr. Shaitana, one of London's richest men, invites 8 guests, 4 of them possible murderers and 4 'detectives' to his opulent apartment.

Plot Keywords:

Hercule Poirot | Stabbed To Death | Homosexuality | Police Superintendent | Nylon Stockings

Cast

David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
James Alper	...	Shaitana's Butler
Philip Bowen	...	Mr Luxmore
Cordelia Bugeja	...	Mrs Luxmore
Zigi Ellison	...	Mrs Craddock
Tristan Gemmill	...	Major Despard
Alex Jennings	...	Dr Roberts
Lucy Liemann	...	Miss Burgess
Lesley Manville	...	Mrs Lorrimer
Lyndsey Marshal	...	Miss Meredith
Jenny Ogilvie	...	Millie
Robert Pugh	...	Colonel Hughes
Douglas Reith	...	Serge Mureau
Alexander Siddig	...	Shaitana
Zoë Wanamaker	...	Ariadne Oliver / Mrs Oliver
Honeysuckle Weeks	...	Miss Dawes
David Westhead	...	Supt. Jim Wheeler
Philip Wright	...	Sgt. O'Connor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elizabeth Ford	...	Woman in Art Gallery (uncredited)
Laurence Richardson	...	Guest at Exhibition (uncredited)

Directed by
Sarah Harding

Writing credits
Agatha Christie		(novel)
Nick Dear		(screenplay)

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

Original Music by
Stephen McKeon

Cinematography by
David Marsh		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
David Rees

Casting by
Maureen Duff

Production Design by
Jeff Tessler

Art Direction by
Denise Ball
Pilar Foy

Costume Design by
Sheena Napier

Makeup Department
Anita Burger	....	makeup artist (as Anita Berger)
Christine Greenwood	....	makeup designer
Susan Parkinson	....	makeup artist (as Sue Parkinson)
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
David Crabtree	....	first assistant director
Rachael Haston	....	third assistant director
Emily Perowne	....	trainee assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Paul Gilpin	....	supervising art director
Jim Grindley	....	property master
David Lewis	....	production buyer
Joanne Ridler	....	stand-by art director
Mike Syson	....	dressing props
Gus Wookey	....	construction manager
Tone Gibbs	....	dressing props (uncredited)
Emma Godwin	....	assistant production buyer (uncredited)
Paul Mitchell	....	stand-by props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robert Alsop	....	sound trainee
John Downer	....	supervising sound editor
Billy Mahoney	....	dubbing mixer
Sarah Morton	....	dialogue editor
Ashley Reynolds	....	sound maintenance engineer
Andrew Sissons	....	sound recordist
Adam Powell	....	foley editor (uncredited)
Filipa Principe	....	foley editor (uncredited)
Nigel Squibbs	....	assistant dubbing mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Graham Longhurst	....	special effects

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

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Evans	....	grip
Martin Foley	....	camera operator
Dan Fontaine	....	lighting gaffer
Matt Poynter	....	focus puller
John Walker	....	best boy
Andy Bell	....	electrician (uncredited)
Erin Stevens	....	second focus puller (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 supervisor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Chris Beeton	....	colourist
Justin Eely	....	on-line editor
Adam Harvey	....	assistant editor

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

Other crew
Sam Baker	....	assistant coordinator
Natalie Cheary	....	publicist
Thom Green	....	production runner
Peter Hale	....	stand-in: David Suchet's
Gail Kennett	....	production executive
Rebecca Maybury	....	assistant accountant
Gina Nocero	....	senior publicist: A&E
Sheila Price	....	production accountant
Carol Saunderson	....	script supervisor
Patrick Smith	....	publicist
Tom Stourton	....	location manager
Rebecca Sutton	....	production coordinator
Peter Tullo	....	location manager
Beth Willis	....	script editor
Martin Carey	....	marine assistant (uncredited)
Elton Farla	....	medical coordinator (uncredited)
Paula Jack	....	on-set dialect coach: Lyndsey Marshal (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 assocation with)
• Agatha Christie (in assocation with) (as Agatha Christie Ltd {a Chorion company})
• Granada Television (uncredited)

Distributors

• A&E Television Networks (2005) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Independent Television (ITV) (2006) (UK) (TV)
• Malavasi Editore (2006) (Italy) (DVD)
• RTL Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL8)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• A&E Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• New Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Magyar Televízió (2006) (Hungary) (TV)

Other Companies

• Molinare Studio  sound post-production (uncredited)
• Pepper Post Production  post-production facilities (uncredited)

Runtime:

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

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | Australia:M | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Netherlands:6 | UK:12 (video rating) (2006)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Granada

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When a worker is nailing a board over a broken window at Shaitana's place, he is using a modern nail gun, not the hammer and nails that would have been used in the Thirties.

Quotes:

Hercule Poirot:[to Mrs. Lorimer] I imagine, Madame, that to you every incident is as clear as if it was yesterday, like a ghost that never goes away.

Poirot still can't be beat

I'm perhaps something of a barbarian, but I enjoyed many Poirot TV-adaptations without having read the original stories. Same here: I loved the attention to detail, the beautiful acting and the turns and twists in the plot. If I had read Agatha Christie's book I might very well have reacted like the other viewers. But without this knowledge: Suchet is as great as ever, and for the rest: nothing but class. Let's be thankful TV still offers quality like this. And besides: how nice to see 'Sam' from Foyle's War in a less heroic role here... Perhaps Christie-readers should be less fundamental in judging adaptations? (I'm sure about their answer).