Hallowe'en Party (3 Jul. 2011)
"Agatha Christie's Poirot" Hallowe'en Party (original title)

During a village's Hallowe'en party, a young girl boasts of having witnessed a murder from years before. No one believes her tale until her body is found later on in the evening, drowned in the apple-bobbing bucket.

Director:

Charlie Palmer

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel), Mark Gatiss (screenplay)

Stars:

David Suchet, Amelia Bullmore, Zoë Wanamaker

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Amelia Bullmore	...	Judith Butler
Zoë Wanamaker	...	Ariadne Oliver
Deborah Findlay	...	Rowena Drake
Mary Higgins	...	Miranda Butler
Sophie Thompson	...	Mrs Reynolds
Georgia King	...	Frances Drake
Ian Hallard	...	Edmund Drake
Timothy West	...	Reverend Cottrell
Fenella Woolgar	...	Miss Whittaker
Macy Nyman	...	Joyce Reynolds
Richard Breislin	...	Leopold Reynolds
David Yelland	...	George
Paola Dionisotti	...	Mrs Goodbody
Julian Rhind-Tutt	...	Michael Garfield

Storyline

When Ariadne Oliver and her friend, Judith Butler, attend a children's Halloween party in the village of Woodleigh Common, a young girl named Joyce Reynolds boasts of having witnessed a murder from years before. Joyce's story is heard by all the party, including her strange brother Leopold, the impeccable hostess Rowena Drake, her bookish son Edmund, and the local Reverend Cottrell. Mrs Whittaker, the church organist, and Frances Drake, Rowena's feisty daughter, are dismissive of her story, but later that evening Joyce's lifeless body is discovered face-down in the apple-bobbing bucket. At Mrs Oliver's behest, Poirot travels down to Woodleigh Common to investigate the murder. Although the local police and Joyce's stepmother dismiss the dead girl's claim, Poirot takes Joyce's story seriously. Mrs Goodbody, a gossiping charwoman, tells Poirot there have been a number of suspicious deaths in the village in recent years which Joyce could indeed have witnessed, and that old curses still ...

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Plot Keywords:

murder mystery

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 2011 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ITV Studios, WGBH, Agatha Christie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 89 min (9 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fenella Woolgar who plays Miss Whittaker in this episode, once also played Agatha Christie herself in an episode of "Dr. Who".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Judith Butler: It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, Ariadne.
Ariadne Oliver: No, no. Better take my time. Last one looked like it had had its throat cut.

User Reviews

Lost in Translation

Despite the rather pathetic screenplay in this TV version, Agatha Christie's original story is so riveting that even Mark Gatiss was unable to ruin it. Nevertheless, when one thinks of the potential that is latent in such a brilliant cast and such a powerful and perfectly structured drama, it is a crying shame that the scriptwriter failed to honour the memory of the book's author. I was particularly disappointed by the jarring inclusion of a cameo homosexual relationship into the plot ; it was so obviously NOT a part of the dramatic build-up of the story that one almost had the impression of the screenwriter taking us aside and whispering, "Just look how noble and virtuous and persecuted these people are," rather like a TV commercial, and with just about as much relevance to the mystery.

I would recommend the film despite the criticism : it remains in essence a typically wonderful Christie whodunnit ; the acting is superb and the direction also excellent. But I'll be the first customer for the next version of this great book ; a film classic this one certainly ain't.