"HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS" (1994) Review

"HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS" (1994) Review

I have been a fan of Agatha Christie's 1938 novel, "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" aka "A Holiday for Murder" for years - ever since I was in my early adolescence. When I learned that the producers of the "AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT" series aired its adaptation of it back in 1995, I looked forward to watching it. 

Written as a "locked room" mystery, "HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS" focused on Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot's investigation of the murder of Simeon Lee, a tyrannical patriarch of a wealthy family. The mean-spirited Lee, who had made his fortune in South African diamonds, summons his offspring to his country manor house for a Christmas gathering. He also requests that Poirot attend the reunion, but fails to give a full explanation for the latter's presence. Those gathered for Lee's Christmas reunion are:

*Alfred Lee, his dutiful oldest son

*Lydia Lee, Alfred's wife

*George Lee, Simeon's penny-pinching middle son, who is also a Member of Parliament

*Magdalene Lee, George's wife, a beauty with a mysterious past

*Harry Lee, Simeon's ne'er do well son, who has been living abroad

*Pilar Estavados, Simeon's Anglo-Spanish granddaughter

The sadistic Lee treats his family with cruelty and enjoys pitting them against each other. This is apparent in a scene in which he summons his family to his sitting room and fakes a telephone call to his solicitor, announcing his intentions to make changes to his will. Later that evening, a scream is heard by the manor's inhabitants before Lee's throat is cut in an apparent locked room. Although the old man was wheelchair bound, there is evidence of a great struggle between him and his murder. It is up to Poirot, assisted by Chief Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard and a local investigating officer named Superintendent Sugden to find Simeon Lee's murderer before the latter can strike again.

I would never view "HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS" as one of the better Christie adaptations I have seen. But I still managed to enjoy it. One, the television movie is rich with a holiday atmosphere, despite the presence of murder. In fact, I can honestly say that Rob Harris' production designs really impressed me. Along with Simon Kossoff's photography, they gave the movie an atmosphere of Olde England that suited the story's setting very well. I also enjoyed Andrea Galer's costume designs for the film. Instead of the early or mid-1930s, her costume designs for the female characters seemed to hint that the movie was set during the late 1930s.

"HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS" also benefited from a solid cast. David Suchet gave a first rate performance as Hercule Poirot, with his usual mixture of subtle humor and intelligence. He was ably supported by a very wry performance from Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp. The rest of the cast, aside from four, gave solid but unmemorable performances. For me, there were three standouts that really impressed me. Brian Gwaspari was a hoot as Simeon Lee's outspoken prodigal son, Harry. And he had great chemistry with Sasha Behar, who was charming and frank as Simeon's Anglo-Spanish granddaughter, Pilar Estravados. The producers cast veteran character actor Vernon Dobtcheff as the poisonous Simeon Lee. And he portrayed the hell out of that role, giving the character a richness and sharp wit that allowed him to practically own it. The only performance that failed to impress me came from Mark Tandy, who portrayed Superintendent Sudgen. I hate to say this, but Tandy's take on a character as memorable and imposing as Sudgen seemed lightweight. He almost seemed overshadowed by Suchet and Jackson and I suspect that the role would have succeeded better with a more imposing actor.

As I had stated earlier, I have always been a fan of Christie's 1938 film. This adaptation could have been first rate. But it had one main problem - namely Clive Exton's screenplay. He made two major changes to the plot that nearly undermined the story. I did not mind that he had reduced the number of characters by eliminating the David Lee, Hilda Lee and Stephen Farr characters. I DID mind when he substituted the Colonel Johnson character for Chief Inspector Japp as the case's senior investigator. As a member of Scotland Yard, Japp was out of his jurisdiction, which was limited to Greater London. This is a mistake that has appeared in a handful of other Exton adaptations. The screenwriter's bigger mistake proved to be the addition of a prologue set in 1896 South Africa. The prologue included a scene featuring Simeon Lee's murder of his partner and his seduction of a young Afrikaaner woman named Stella. Even worse, Stella reappeared as a mysterious guest at a local hotel in 1936 England. The addition of the South African sequence and the Stella character made it easier for viewers to eliminate a good number of characters as potential suspects . . . and dimmed the mystery of Simeon Lee's murder.

I managed to enjoy "HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS" very much. It featured excellent characterizations and a rich, holiday atmosphere, thanks to Simon Kossoff's production designs and Andrea Galer's costume designs. Director Edward Bennett did a great job with a superb cast led by a superb David Suchet. But several changes to Christie's plot made by screenwriter Clive Exton prevented this movie from being the first-rate adaptation it could have been.

"HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS" (1994) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS", the 1994 adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1938 novel. The movie starred David Suchet as Hercule Poirot: 



"HERCULE POIROT'S CHRISTMAS" (1994) Photo Gallery

"THE SPY WHO LOVED ME" (1977) Review

"THE SPY WHO LOVED ME" (1977) Review

"THE SPY WHO LOVED ME" became EON Productions 10th entry in the Bond franchise in 1977. It also marked Sir Roger Moore’s third turn as British agent, James Bond, Cubby Broccoli’s as sole producer for the first time and Lewis Gilbert’s second time at bat as director of a Bond film. This is the movie that introduced the catchphrase, “Nobody does it better,” and according to many critics and fans, saved the Bond franchise back in the 1970s. Watching "THE SPY WHO LOVE ME", I can understand why many would harbor this belief.

Many critics and fans tend to credit or blame Roger Moore for helping to usher in the era of “fantasy” Bond – in other words a Bond movie that basically feels more like a fantasy/science-fiction action movie than a spy thriller. I do not really accept this view, since I believe that 1964’s "GOLDFINGER" was responsible for this change of style in the Bond franchise. In fact, Connery did two other movies that continued this very element in the movies. Roger Moore merely continued what Connery had begun in movies like "LIVE AND LET DIE"and "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN". The latter, released in 1974, came dangerously close to ruining the Bond franchise – at least in the eyes of many fans and critics. And in a way, I do not blame them for this attitude. Frankly, I consider "TMWTGG" to be one of the worst Bond films in the franchise and Moore’s worst movie. EON Productions had to wait two to three years to release its next movie, due to the breakup of the Cubby Broccoli/Harry Saltzman partnership. Following this, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME premiered in 1977 and became the most highly regarded Bond film in the 1970s and is considered by some to be Moore’s personal triumph. I do not know if I would consider "THE SPY WHO LOVED ME" to be Moore’s ultimate triumph. I believe that honor should go to the 1981 movie, "FOR YOUR EYES ONLY". However, I do consider it to be his third best film.

At first, the plot seemed reminiscent of the one for 1967’S "YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE". But instead of American and Soviet space capsules disappearing, British and Soviet submarines vanish. Bond, just recently from a mission in Austria that led to the death of a KGB agent, is assigned to track down the missing Royal Navy submarine via a tracking system that has popped up on the market in Cairo, Egypt. His search not only leads to Soviet agent Anya Amasova (who is investigating the disappearance of a Soviet sub), but to billionaire oceanographer, Karl Stromberg. But what makes "TSWLM" so interesting is that the Egyptian sequences have a strong exotic atmosphere that lends a touch of mystery to the story; and Bond’s relationship with Amasova turns out to be more than just a case of the British agent having a female on hand for sex in the finale.

Probably the biggest contribution to the success of "THE SPY WHO LOVED ME" seemed to be the movie’s lead, Roger Moore. Many fans believe that he finally grew into the role of 007 in this movie. After seeing him (as Bond) cold-bloodedly push one of Stromberg’s men of a Cairo roof and shoot Stromberg four times, I can see why. Personally, I felt that he had grown into the role at first bat in "LIVE AND LET DIE", but had regressed in an attempt to emulate Connery in "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN". But I cannot deny that his performance in "THE SPY WHO LOVE ME" can not only be considered among his best, but among the best Bond performances in the entire franchise. And he was certainly helped by Barbara Bach’s presence. Although I would not describe the New York born model-turned-actress as a particularly talented actress verbally, but she could be quite versatile through facial expressions, whether expressing jealousy over Bond’s attention to Stromberg’s pilot/assassin, Naomi; amusement over some of Bond’s predicaments or developing attraction toward the handsome British agent. In fact, I can recall at least three scenes in which Moore and Bach interact with each other, beautifully:

(1) Their deepening attraction for each other, expressed through smiles after M and Gogol order them to work together;
2) Their discussion regarding their status as enemies turned allies on the train to Sardina;
3) And the piece de résistance – Anya’s discovery that Bond had killed her former lover in Austria

Supporting cast members like Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell and Desmond Llewellyn ably served the movie. Shane Rimmer, a Canadian actor who has been working in British films since the late 1950s, ably supported Moore as the somewhat sardonic commander of an American sub. Both Walter Gotell (as KGB General Gogol) and Richard Kiel (as assassin Jaws) made their debuts in the movie. Kiel personally came off as menacing in the movie, in compare to his return in "MOONRAKER". German matinee idol, Curt Jurgens became the latest Bond villain, playing a billionaire/oceanographer whose response to the world’s growing corruption and self-destruction is use stolen nuclear submarines to blow up Washington D.C. and Moscow. Actually, Stromberg became the first Bond villain with megalomaniac ambitions to rule the world. All those before him were simply interested in profit. Jurgens is his usual competent self and also had the pleasure of uttering a few bon mots. But . . . I do not exactly find megalomaniacal villains to be interesting.

Despite some of the fantasy/science-fiction elements of "THE SPY WHO LOVED ME" – the Lotus Esprit, Stromberg and his two lairs – the Liparus Tanker and his lair/lab Atlantis, the movie is an exciting adventure that features great direction by Lewis Gilbert, a first-class battle between Stromberg’s men and the American/British/Soviet naval personnel, exotic locales in Egypt, a self-assured performance by Roger Moore and great screen chemistry and drama between Moore and Barbara Bach. It is easy to see why it is considered the best Bond film from the 1970s.

Great Quotes

Stromberg: "Well gentlemen, now that the moment has come to bid you farewell, I congratulate both you, Doctor, and you, Professor, on your brilliant work in the development of the submarine tracking system. Thanks primarily to you, I am happy to say that the first phase of our operation has met with considerable success. I have instructed my assistant to be paid into your Swiss bank account the sum of ten million dollars each. And that, I think, concludes our business. Before you go however, I very much regret to inform you that a dangerous development has recently been brought to my notice. Someone has been attempting to sell the plans of our tracking project to competing world powers; someone intimately associated with the project."

Bond: "Which bullet has my name on it? The first or the last?"
Amasova: "I have never failed on a mission, Commander!"
Bond: "Then one of us is bound to be gravely disappointed, because neither have I."

Bond: "Oh, thanks for deserting me back there."
Amasova: "Every woman for herself, remember?"
Bond: "Well, you did save my life. Thank you."
Amasova: "We all make mistakes, Mr Bond."

Q: "Now I want to to take good care of this equipment."
Bond: "Have I ever let you down, Q"
Q: "Frequently!"

Bond: "When one is in Egypt, one should delve deeply into its treasures."

Hotel Receptionist: “Hello”
Bond: “Hello.”
Hotel Receptionist: (Staring at Bond with lust) “I have a message for you.”
Bond: “I . . . think you’ve just delivered it.”

Bond: “Which bullet has my name on it? The first or the last?”
Anya: “I have never failed on a mission, Commander. Any mission.”
Bond: “In that case, Major, one of us is bound to end up gravely disappointed, because neither have I.”

Bond: “Oh, by the way, thanks for deserting me back there.”
Anya: “Every woman for herself, remember?”
Bond: “Still, you did save my life.”
Anya: “We all make mistakes, Mr. Bond.”

(The motorcycle henchmen flies off a cliff in a cloud of feathers)
Bond: “All those feathers and he still can't fly!”

Anya: “Commander James Bond, recruited to the British Secret Service from the Royal Navy. License to kill and has done so on numerous occasions. Many lady friends, but married only once. Wife killed . . .”
Bond: (interrupts her) “You've made your point.”
Anya: “You're sensitive Mr.Bond?”
Bond: “About some things.”

Bond: “In our business, Anya, people get killed. You know that. It was either him or me.”

Bond: (Sandor is barely holding onto Bond's necktie while dangling over the roof of a building) “Where's Fekkesh?”
Sandor: “Pyramids!”
(He falls to his death)
Bond: (Straightens his tie) “What a helpful chap.”

Bond: (Anya has just used a Bond car gadget to kill an enemy) “How did you know about that?”
Anya: “I stole the plans to this car two years ago.”

Captain Carter: “What’s the matter, sailor? You’ve never seen a major taking a shower, before?”

(Bond and Anya are discovered making love)
M: “007!”
General Gogol: “Triple X!”
Sir Frederick Gray, Minister of Defence: “Bond! What do you think you're doing?”
Bond: “Keeping the British end up, sir.”

"THE SPY WHO LOVED ME" (1977) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "THE SPY WHO LOVED ME", the 1977 James Bond movie.  Using the title of Ian Fleming's 1962 novel and directed by Lewis Gilbert, the movie starred Roger Moore as James Bond:


"THE SPY WHO LOVED ME" (1977) Photo Gallery