Appointment with Death (25 Jul. 2010)
"Agatha Christie's Poirot" Appointment with Death (original title)

While accompanying her husband on an archaeological dig in 1937 Syria, overbearing, abusive Lady Boynton is found stabbed to death.

Director:

Ashley Pearce

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel), Guy Andrews (screenplay)

Stars:

David Suchet, Tim Curry, Jawad Elalami

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Tim Curry	...	Lord Boynton
Jawad Elalami	...	Labourer
Christina Cole	...	Sarah
Tom Riley	...	Raymond Boynton
Cheryl Campbell	...	Lady Boynton
Zoe Boyle	...	Jinny Boynton
Emma Cunniffe	...	Carol Boynton
Angela Pleasence	...	Nanny
Aizoun Abdelkader	...	Concierge (as Abdelkader Aizoun)
Paul Freeman	...	Col. Carbury
Beth Goddard	...	Sister Agnieszka
Christian McKay	...	Jefferson Cope
Mark Gatiss	...	Leonard Boynton
Mansour Badri	...	Taxi Driver (as Badri Mansour)

Storyline

Syria, 1937: Hercule Poirot is one of several people present at an archaeological dig to find the skull of St John the Baptist, led by the exuberant Lord Boynton and his loyal son Leonard. The enterprise has been financed by Boynton's rich, rude and overbearing American wife. She bullies her three adopted children, Carol, Jinny and Raymond, as well as the family's nanny. Sarah King, a young English doctor, falls for Raymond and would love to tear him from his mother's apron-strings, and another doctor, Dr Gerard, takes an interest in Jinny, as does a Polish nun, who, with Jinny, is subject to an attack - by white slavers, according to the independent travel-writer Dame Celia Westholme. A mysterious young American, Jefferson Cope, whose link to the Boyntons seems tenuous, completes the group. Only his Lordship has any love for his wife so that, when she is found stabbed to death one blisteringly hot afternoon, Poirot has more than his fair share of suspects to interrogate.

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Plot Keywords:

stabbed to death | nanny | doctor | nun | skull | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Casablanca, Morocco

Company Credits

Production Co:

ITV Studios, WGBH, Agatha Christie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min 93 min (DVD release) 93 min (11 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

A 1945 West End theatrical adaptation of the original 1938 novel eliminated Poirot's character and changed the identity of the killer. It is notable that Joan Hickson, later to play Christie's Miss Marple, was in the cast.

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Quotes

Dame Celia Westholme: [Speaking of Sister Agniesska to Poirot] I don't much care for her... the way she hangs aroud the younger Boynton girl. They sniff out weakness... nuns... and misery, and they gorge on it. Bloody vampires in drag, quite frankly!

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Connections

Remake of Appointment with Death (1988)

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Soundtracks

"Dido's Lament"
(uncredited)
Written by Henry Purcell

User Reviews

Worth the watch . . . and listen.

The first thing I must point out in this film is the musical score. Absolutely stunning. Usually I find the music to be little more than background noise but in this case the music really sets the mood and moves each scene along. Second is the beautiful setting. The blazing heat of the Middle East desert has never looked so good.

As for the story itself, it is obvious that the book has been enhanced. It's been years since I've read this book but Christie's characters tend to be quite one dimensional and for the most part, the actors do enough with the characters to keep us interested.

It is not unusual for a Christie victim to be unlikeable,but the victim here is particularly evil. This comes to us mostly from the lips of other characters as we see little of the lady before she is killed. Tim Curry brings the husband to life in a way that is also not usually found in the pages of Christie's books. For better or worse,Suchet plays Poirot in the manner we have grown used to. I am not a big Poirot fan (as was the case with Christie herself) and I have no problem with Suchet's portrayal.

For the most part, the people who produced the movie present us with a gripping story that is all the better for the cinematography and score. Well worth the watch and more enjoyable than many of the Poirot movies.