"ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE" (2007) Review

 

"ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE" (2007) Review

Many people would be surprised to learn that not many of Agatha Christie's novels featured another one of her famous literary sleuths, Miss Jane Marple. The latter served as the lead in at least twelve novels, in compare to the thirty-three novels that starred her other famous sleuth, Hercule Poirot. It is because of this limited number of novels that the producers of "AGATHA CHRISTIE'S MARPLE" featured adaptations of Christie novels in which she appeared in the television films, but not in the novels. One of them is "ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE".

Based upon Christie's 1958 novel, "ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE" opened with the murder of the Argyle family's controlling matriarch, Rachel Argyle. Mrs. Argyle was a wealthy heiress who had adapted several children, due to her inability to have her own. She also proved to be a controlling - almost tyrannical - mother who managed to alienate her adoptive children and husband. It did not take the police very long to focus upon one suspect - the family's black sheep, Jack "Jacko" Argyle. Apparently, the latter quarreled with the victim over money. Jacko claimed that he had been given a lift by a stranger, when Rachel was murdered. But said stranger never stepped up to give him an alibi and Jacko was hanged for the crime. Two years later found the Argyle family celebrating the family's patriarch Leo Argyle to his secretary, Gwenda Vaughn. The latter had invited her former employer, Jane Marple, to attend the wedding. A day or two before wedding, a stranger named Dr. Arthur Calgary appeared at the family estate, claiming to be the stranger who had given Jacko a lift on the night of Rachel's murder. Due to Dr. Calgary's confession, the Argyle family and Gwenda found themselves under suspicion for murder.

As I have stated in other movie reviews, I never had a problem with changes in adaptations of novels and/or plays, as long as these changes worked. "ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE" featured a few changes. The biggest change featured in the inclusion of Jane Marple as the mystery's main investigator. Arthur Calgary served in that role in the novel. The television film also featured the addition of a character that was not in the novel - Jacko's fraternal twin Bobby Argyle. Another major change featured the film's second murder victim. Screenwriter Stewart Harcourt switched the identity of the story's second victim. And how did these changes work?

I have to be frank. The addition of Bobby Argyle to the story did not seemed to have much of an impact upon me. The character became the executor of his adopted mother's will, which placed him in charge of her money and his siblings' trust funds. The problem I had with his story arc is that audiences were left in the dark on whether he had lost their money when he committed fraud . . . or he simply lost his own money. As I had previously stated, Harcourt and director Moira Armstrong had switched the identity of the story's second victim. I will not reveal the identities of both the old and new identities. But I must admit that the second victim's death - at least in this television movie - added a rather sad and poignant touch to this adaptation. The last major change featured Jane Marple as the story's major investigator. Arthur Calgary, the man who could have provided Jacko Argyle an alibi, was the main investigator in Christie's novel. In this film, he was more or less regulated to the role of a secondary character. Ironically, this change did not diminish his role, for Calgary more or less served as Miss Marple's eyes, ears and feet; while remained at the Argyle estate. And this meant several scenes that featured Calgary engaging in a good deal of investigations on Miss Marple's behalf.

Despite these changes, "ORDEAL OF INNOCENCE" more or less retained the main narrative Christie's story. More importantly, I thought both Harcourt's screenplay and Armstrong's direction did an excellent job in maintaining the story's angst, poignancy and more importantly, irony. Thanks to the director and screenwriter, "ORDEAL BY INNOCENCE" conveyed how Rachel Argyle's presence managed to cast a shadow upon her family. And how her absence lifted that shadow, until Dr. Calgary's revelation about Jacko's innocence. I was also impressed at how the television movie did an effective, yet subtle job in conveying the bigotry faced by the family's only person of color - Christina "Tina" Argyle.

While watching "ORDEAL OF INNOCENCE", it occurred to me that Christie's tale would not have worked if it had not been for the cast's exceptional performances. All of them, I believe, really knocked it out of the ballpark. Mind you, there were solid performances from supporting cast members like Reece Shearsmith, Andrea Lowe, Camille Coduri, Pippa Haywood, and James Hurran. But I must confess that I was really impressed by those who portrayed members of the Argyle household. Burn Gorman radiated a mixture of charm and slime as the doomed Jacko Argyle. Richard Armitage was equally memorable as the avaricious and bitter ex-R.A.F. pilot who had married into the Argyle family, Philip Durrant. Singer Lisa Stansfield gave a subtle performance as Philip's emotional, yet reserved wife Mary Argyle Durant, blinded by intense love for her husband. I enjoyed Bryan Dick's portrayal of the volatile Micky Argyle, but there were moments when he threatened to be over-the-top. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, on the other hand, gave a performance that matched Stansfield's subtlety as the blunt Tina Argyle, who hid her resentment of the racism she faced behind a sardonic mask. Stephanie Leonidas gave an effectively tense performance as the family's youngest member, Hester Argyle, struggling to face her past involvement with brother-in-law Philip. And the always reliable Tom Riley did an excellent job with his portrayal of morally questionable Bobby Argyle.

But the performances that really impressed me came from the cast's more veteran performers. Geraldine McEwan was marvelous as always in conveying the quiet intelligence of Miss Jane Marple. Despite being on the screen for only a few minutes, Jane Seymour really knocked it out of the park and domineering and sharp-tongued Rachel Argyle. She made it easy to see how the character managed to cast a shadow over the Argyle family. Julian Rhind-Tutt struck me as both entertaining and effective as the scholarly Dr. Arthur Calgary, who gave Jacko Argyle his alibi two years too late. What I found impressive about Rhind-Tutt's performance is that he managed to convey his character's intelligence and strength behind the nebbish personality. Alison Steadman's portrayal of the Argyle's judgmental housekeeper struck me as both subtle and frightening - especially in her stubborn belief that Gwenda Vaughn was Rachel's killer. Denis Lawson has my vote for the best performance in "ORDEAL OF INNOCENCE". There . . . I said it. And I stand by this. Lawson did a brilliant job in conveying the weak and suggestible personality of Leo Argyle. There were moments when I could not decide whether I liked him or despised him. It is not every day one comes across a fictional character brimming with quiet charm and unreliability.

It has been years since I saw the 1984 television adaptation of Christie's 1958 novel. So, I have no memories of it. And I have seen the recent 2018 television adaptation. But I must be honest. I really enjoyed this 2007 adaptation. Yes, it has a few flaws. But I really believe that it did a superb job in conveying the poignant and ironic aspects of the novel. And I have director Moira Armstrong, screenwriter Stewart Harcourt and a superb cast led by Geraldine McEwan to thank.