"Agatha Christie: Poirot" After the Funeral (2006)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Maurice Phillips

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Philomena McDonagh (screenplay)

TV Series:

"Agatha Christie: Poirot" (1989)

Original Air Date:

26 March 2006 (Season 10, Episode 3)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

When a man disinherits his sole beneficiary and bequeaths his wealth to others just prior to his death, Poirot is called in to investigate.

Plot Keywords:

Suspect | Beneficiary | Funeral | Hercule Poirot | Inheritance

Cast

David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Philip Anthony	...	Vicar
Robert Bathurst	...	Gilbert Entwhistle
Anna Calder-Marshall	...	Maude Abernethie
John Carson	...	Richard Abernethie
Kevin Doyle	...	Inspector Morton
Michael Fassbender	...	George Abernethie
Fiona Glascott	...	Rosamund
Geraldine James	...	Helen Abernethie
Dominic Jephcott	...	Dr. Larraby
Vicky Ogden	...	Janet
Julian Ovenden	...	Michael Shane
Lucy Punch	...	Susannah Henderson
William Russell	...	Lanscombe
Annabel Scholey	...	'Miss Sorrel'

Runtime:

USA:120 min (including commercials)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | Australia:M | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Rotherfield Park, East Tisted, Alton, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

A&E Television Networks

Quotes:

Hercule Poirot: They lied very well. They are all performers.

Movie Connections:

Version of Murder at the Gallop (1963)

Monica Dolan outshines David Suchet

For those of you still in the dark, I will not spoil this Christie, as it is definitely one of her finest works, and I stress that you should see it whenever you next have free time! If any of the adaptations are to be watched before (or in lieu of) reading the book, I would suggest "After the Funeral" for the following reasons.

I wanted to praise the performance by Monica Dolan (Miss Gilchrist), whose employer-companion Cora is brutally murdered at the outset of the film. Her portrayal of a shocked, nervous, insignificant woman is actually moving, especially when she has a moment of personal connection with Poirot, another person who travels alone in "the journey of life." And when the murderer is being revealed in typical Poirot denouement fashion, Dolan's reactions to the revelation are acting at its finest: you feel as angry at the murderer as you do sympathetic to Miss Gilchrist... something uncommon in Christie lore.

Although there are a couple of discrepancies between novel and film adaptation, as per usual (the business of the will perhaps making less sense in the film), the unbelievably lavish recreation of post-war England, thoroughly high calibre of acting and directing, and preservation (if not heightening) of Christie's mystery and intrigue render these discrepancies insignificant.

Bravo Suchet, Dolan and the whole team for crafting this masterpiece of murder mystery theatre, and the producers who gave it the green light! Encore!