Murder in Mesopotamia 

While Poirot is on holiday in Iraq, the wife of the head scientist at an archaeological dig confides to him that she is the target of threatening letters.

Director:

Tom Clegg

Writers:

Agatha Christie (based on the novel by), Clive Exton (dramatized by)

Stars:

David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Ron Berglas

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Hugh Fraser	...	Hastings
Ron Berglas	...	Dr. Leidner
Barbara Barnes	...	Mrs. Leidner
Dinah Stabb	...	Anne Johnson
Georgina Sowerby	...	Amy Leatheran
Jeremy Turner-Welch	...	Bill Coleman
Pandora Clifford	...	Sheila Maitland
Christopher Hunter	...	Father Lavigny
Christopher Bowen	...	Richard Carey
Iain Mitchell	...	Superintendent Maitland
Alexi Kaye Campbell	...	Joseph Mercado
Deborah Poplett	...	Mrs. Mercado
Kamel Touati	...	Squat Man
Hichem Rostom	...	Hotel Receptionist

Storyline

While accompanying his friend Hastings to a dig in Iraq, Hercule Poirot becomes involved in the murder of an archaeologist's wife. The victim, Mrs. Leidner, had been receiving threatening letters signed by her first husband, who was known to have been killed in a train wreck. Did he survive? Was it his younger brother who was avenging his memory? Did Miss Johnson get rid of her rival for her employer's affections? Did Richard Carey kill the woman he publically announces that he hates? Is the French priest really who he pretends to be? And how many deaths will occur before Poirot unmasks the murderer?

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Plot Keywords:

stolen identity | faking one's death | remarrying first husband | jealousy murder | husband murders wife | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

8 July 2001 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Bray Film Studios, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carnival Film & Television, A+E Networks, Chorion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 100 min (14 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Agatha Christie novel "Murder in Mesopotamia", Captain Hastings does not appear. In this adaptation, he appears and is related to William Coleman.

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Goofs

When in the Bagdad hotel Superintendent Maitland and Poirot enter the room with the "dead" body of Joseph Mercado, you can see the actor of Mercado just open his left eye preparing the subsequent close shot of his face.

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Quotes

Bill Coleman: [after going over a bump while driving his jeep at high speed through the desert] Whoops!
Hercule Poirot: [groaning with discomfort] Unh!
Bill Coleman: That was a good one!
Hastings: [with annoyance] We don't have to get there in five minutes, you know!
Bill Coleman: That's half the fun. You're growing old, Ucle Arthur.
Hercule Poirot: Mr. Coleman, I myself have aged ten years since entering this auto mobile.

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Crazy Credits

Thanks to the Archeological Site of Oudhna.

User Reviews

implausible but good production values

You can't expect a prolific author like Agatha Christie to hit a home run every time. And indeed, with Murder in Mesopotamia, she doesn't come up with a very believable denouement.

Poirot and Hastings go to a dig in Iraq (filmed in Tunisia). A woman there, a Mrs. Leidner, tells them an odd story. After the death of her first husband in a train accident, she continued to receive threatening letters from him whenever she began to see someone. She has always suspected his younger brother. However, she has now remarried.

Mrs. Leidner winds up dead, and other murders follow. Poirot tries to find a motive -- the woman wasn't very well liked, so there are a few suspects. And what about these letters? Agatha Christie knew something about archaeological digs thanks to her husband, Max Mallowan. And she knew how to write a good story. But she asks a little too much of the reader in this one.

As Poirot, David Suchet is marvelous, as is Hugh Fraser as Hastings, who constantly is giving Poirot woman advice since he's a married man.

We can forgive Christie's occasional slip-up -- the story is still intriguing and entertaining.