Agatha Christie: Poirot - Season 1 (1989) (season)
Directed by:
Renny RyeScreenplay:
Michael BakerCinematography:
Peter JessopComposer:
Christopher GunningCast:
David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson, Niamh Cusack, David Swift, Jonathan Coy, Jack Klaff, Vass Anderson, Avril Elgar, Abigail Cruttenden, Sean Pertwee (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Poirot and Hastings drive down to the studios where a friend is directing a film. They watch some of the filming and are shocked by the behaviour of the studio owner Henry Reedburn who treats the cast and crew appallingly. That evening Reedburn is found dead at his home. When the beautiful young star of the film Valerie Saintclair is implicated in the murder, her fiance engages the services of Poirot to clear her name. (iTunes)
(more)Reviews (2)
I enjoy stories from behind the scenes of the film industry, especially because they are often very imaginative. Agatha and her character Poirot managed to maintain this in the story, which is brilliantly crafted, even though the twist itself may be somewhat disappointing. The scenes in the studio are quite clichéd in places, but they're still entertaining.
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Personally, I found the plot of The King of Clubs a bit too convoluted, and as far as the unraveling of the case is concerned, I was surprised by the final “crime-not crime” verdict (the initiated know what I'm talking about). In this case, the source material is mostly to blame, as the adaptation wasn't bad at all. I'm always really amused by how out of touch everyone except Poirot is, to the point where it sometimes too blatant.
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