IMDb user comments for
The Man in the Brown Suit (1989) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

Filter: Hide Spoilers:
Page 1 of 3:[1] [2] [3] [Next]
Index 21 comments in total 

5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Corny, but enjoyable!, 9 July 2005
Author: dac87 from United States

Being a fan of Agatha Christie, I searched for this rare TV movie for quite some time. All of the VHS copies I found were in PAL and as I live in America, I was unable to view them. When I located a DVD copy of this film I pounced on it and wasn't horribly disappointed. Anne Beddingford has purposely put herself on the wrong plane and ends up in Cairo. She encounters an accident when a man runs in front of a taxi to get away from someone. All that she has as a clue now is a small bit of paper and a glimpse of the "man in the brown suit" who has been linked to a beautiful night club singer's murder. The plot thickens and Anne finds herself in a sea of suspects and, later, on the killer's hit list. While the plot line has been changed quite a bit, this film still has the undeniable touch of Christie to it. Many of the characters are a bit phony (the heroine Anne) and others were almost unbearably BAD (Tony Randolff), but they are overshadowed by Rue McClannahan, whom I thought stole the show. The plot is far more exciting than other Christie books. There are a couple killings, a couple attempted killings, a love story, and a kidnapping sequence. I enjoyed the film, it had a campy edge to it which made it kinda fun.

Was the above comment useful to you?

6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Superb fun, 4 October 2005
8/10
Author: istara from Dubai

The advantage of seeing this film in 2005 is that although it isn't the the 1930s period piece it should be, it's so screamingly outdated 1980s through-and-through that you still enjoy quite a "vintage" feel.

Various plot details have been adjusted, but it's still fairly true to the text. The back-story is properly there, nicely simplified. Zimbalist (Anne Beddingfeld) isn't quite gamine enough for Beddingfeld, she looks rather motherly against Dutton (The Man in the Brown Suit) in several scenes, but all in all gives a solid performance. Dutton is good eye-candy and is properly brooding, like his book version, but his voice is disappointingly light and he's not the most credible action hero. You can't really imagine him doing it tough in the Brazilian jungle, at any rate. Pedants will note that he is also not "markedly brachycephalic".

McClanahan (Suzy Blair) is basically replaying "Blanche" from the Golden Girls here, and as such is outstanding, possibly the most enjoyable thing in the film. Ken Howard (Gordon Race) isn't quite what one imagines from the book, and his romantic intentions have also been realigned, but in a way that makes for a more satisfying ending.

No surprise they change the ending vis-a-vis The Man's inheritance to please an American audience, however. It is arguably more fairy-tale like the way the film has done it.

Getting hold of this film was a nightmare, after having only seen half of it on TV years back. In the end I got it via Sendit.com, but it took nearly a year on their Search list before a copy came in, and then was only available in VHS format. I actually had to go and buy a player just for this film, (which luckily was worth it). It would be brilliant if some company could start printing DVDs-on-demand for minority interest/cult films such as this.

Was the above comment useful to you?

2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
I Liked the Movie, 3 February 2005
8/10
Author: smortslori from United States

Not all Agatha Christie movies are written true to form of her books. Of course, what movie is really? This is a charming adventure with a young woman tired of her humdrum life looking for more excitement. She soon finds it with a romance and a mystery. The gorgeous leading man and the cute leading lady (Stephanie Zimbalist) make for a cute couple. Had me guessing things until the very end the first time I saw this, and I have a taped copy (wish I had the original now). Interesting not to have the typical Miss Marple or Hercules Poirot characters and yet lends one to wanting to read the book. Tony Randall was quite funny with his different characters. I believe this is well-worth the viewing.

Was the above comment useful to you?

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Throwback 70s Mystery- yes, Agatha Christie - no, 9 December 2006
6/10
Author: Voyeur_Femme from United States

This is definitely nostalgic and reminiscent of those great unreal late 70s mystery-dramas, but this is IN NO WAY related to the Christie's book. The book is set in the early 1920s and deals with an orphan who spends her last few dollars to travel by ship to South Africa after witnessing an accident in the tube station and finding a scrap of paper (referencing the ship) on his body. This '89 version could have held its own as a made for TV piece and need not try to take credit as any sort of adaptation of the novel - because it definitely isn't. There are some great moments in this one though - the crossdresser is great but Zimbalist is FAR too precocious and the plot is ridiculous (it's filled with unreal 70s style nonsense - getting on the wrong plane by accident and ending up in Egypt for one, among others.) But all in all, it's cute if you like that early 80s made-for-TV mystery. And, incidentally, UK TV plays it periodically so even if you didn't tape it off American TV in 1989, you could still catch it from time to time in England.

Was the above comment useful to you?

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
It was all over me like a cheap suit!, 21 August 2004
8/10
Author: skottyrock from www.appallingtrash.com headquarters, Tokyo

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

MOST PROBABLY CONTAINS *SPOILERS*

STARRING Stephanie Zimbalist, Edward Woodward, Tony Randall, Rue McClanahan, Ken Howard, Simon Dutton, Nickolas Grace, María Casal

I must start by saying that I have loved Agatha Christie's works for as long as I can remember. As a teenager I spent ages (and a berluddy fortune) tracking down her books at book exchanges and book fairs, and was always there with a tape in the VCR to record any Agatha Christie movie that came on TV.

Every Christie-phile worth their weight in doughnuts absolutely loves the Christie film classics: You know, Murder on the Orient Express; Death on the Nile; The Mirror Crack'd; Evil Under the Sun. David Suchet's Poirot series (though plodding at times) has proven very popular, as has Joan Hickson's wrinkly Miss Marple series. And there is of course an audience for the lesser Christies: The TV-movie adaptations, for example, Dead Man's Folly; Sparkling Cyanide; Murder in Three Acts; and, The Man in the Brown Suit - the subject of this review.

While not the best Christie film, and by no means the most colourful, The Man in the Brown Suit makes for pretty good TV-movie fodder, with a fairly engaging plot, decent enough production values, and interesting African locales. What really makes this TV-movie watchable is the fantastic cast of actors. And, I mean, who really gives two hoots that most of them are TV Land Staples. Witness ... if you dare: Stephanie "Remington Steele" Zimbalist; Edward "The Equalizer" Woodward; Tony "The Odd Couple" Randall; Rue "The Golden Girls" McClanahan; Ken "Dynasty" Howard; Simon "The Saint" Dutton; Nickolas "Robin of Sherwood" Grace. Phew!

American actress Zimbalist plays lead character Anne Beddingfield (an Englishwoman in the book, by the way) as a kind of tough, adventurous and resourceful heroine in a nod to the Indiana Jones series, and is ably supported by Suzy Blair, played by McClanahan (who doesn't seem to mind playing her Golden Girls character, Blanche - Or maybe she was forced at gunpoint to do just that??). Dutton plays man-on-the-run Harry Lucas, a handsome Brit who possesses not only some important information, but a secret hankering for some down-and-dirty time with foxy Anne. Woodward has a ball (and I do mean a ball) playing crook Sir Eustace Pedler, and Tony Randall amuses as the fumbling, bumbling, and mumbling Pedler henchman/chameleon.

What's hilarious is that throughout the movie the characters keep running into each other, like, Africa's the equivalent of some small town, you know, where bumping into one's neighbors is a sure bet.

And finally, no review of The Man in the Brown Suit would be complete unless it included comment on that zingy little Spanish starlet María Casal, who plays bad girl with matching bad haircut, Anita. Casal's Anita spends most of her screen time writhing around in the back of a beatup taxi staring at a scrap of paper with some ridiculous code scribbled on it, all the while beaming from ear to ear like some grinning idiot! Now that's what I call acting! Pity she gets blown away by bad guy Pedler moments later. That'll teach her not to wear her seatbelt!

SEE IT OR ELSE!

Was the above comment useful to you?

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
how heart can make things different, 22 February 2001
Author: silvia-23 from Milan, Italy

Knowing perfectly this is not and extraordinary movie, I have liked it anyway.

I find it especially light even sweet...I have been loving the book very much which is far better than the movie but I think every woman will like the romantic female (zimbalist) leading the film, though seeing the movie imagination has to work a little bit further.

Was the above comment useful to you?

2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Best of the CBS Movies, 12 August 1999
Author: MFH from USA

This is the best of the made-for-tv movies done by CBS. There is no video avaliable, but it does sometimes come on the Fox Family Channel or Encore Mystery Channel. More of an adventure story than a mystery, the action keeps up well until it lags towards the end. Randall provides comic relief appearing as an elderly vicar lugging a suit case full of bibles around and as a female secretary. 3 stars out of 4. Certainly better than any of the Helen Hayes & Peter Ustinov Tv Movies.

Was the above comment useful to you?

3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
It's a mystery all right., 18 September 2000
Author: SanDiego from The Beach

Uneven Agatha Christie adaptation with great locales, a swift adventure pace, and an odd assortment of acting styles from an equally odd assortment of then popular TV stars. Ken Howard ("The White Shadow") does a Humphrey Bogart spoof, Tony Randall ("The Odd Couple") does comedy skit impersonations, Rue McClanahan ("Golden Girls") plays her familiar Blanche character, Edward Woodward ("The Equalizer") is doing light theater, and Stephanie Zimbalist ("Remington Steele") at times looks like Pinocchio with wooden legs trying to balance on her two feet. I can't tell if the film was badly miscast (Tony Randall's role should really been done with an unknown unrecognizable actor), badly scripted, or just bad direction choices. My guess, a little of each. Imagine the director telling each of his actors that they were in a different type of film (spoof, mystery, adventure, drama, comedy, etc...) and you get an idea of what happens on screen. Still, the pace, humor, and locales actually make this one of the most enjoyable Christie inspired efforts and one you won't likely be nodding off to. Maybe there is a method to the madness afterall, or at least a purpose. I taped this film during it's original broadcast in 1989 and still watch it from time to time as a guilty pleasure. Go figure.

Was the above comment useful to you?

3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
An Enticing Pot Boiler, 11 March 1999
7/10
Author: TED CASTLE from Monterey, CA

Rue McClanahan as her trademark southern matron on-the-make teams with Stephanie Zimbalist, an American photographer seeking adventure in this "Perils of Pauline" style of pot boiler. Complete with CIA agent -- Ken Howard, wealthy British heavy -- Edward Woodward, and Christie's standard "red herring" the bumbling Tony Randall, who performs in both clerical garb and drag, combine to be entertaining in this Agatha Christie mystery. Zimbalist manages to cross Eastern Africa without luggage but with occasional change of wardrobe -- including a flashy harem girl costume on a boat that moves north along the coast of Africa, when the plot says it's going south. In the style of Hollywood "B" of an earlier age, it comes off funky and cute.

Was the above comment useful to you?

Enjoyable TV mystery movie- better than the critics give credit for, 2 October 2009
6/10
Author: Bethany_Cox25 from United Kingdom

I did like Man in the Brown Suit, while it does have its problems, it is enjoyable and not as bad as critics say it is. An obvious redeeming quality is the exotic locations used in the film. The music is lovely too. The acting is not so bad- Stephanie Zimbalist makes for a good heroine, if rather gamine at times. Simon Dutton is merely eye candy, and Ken Howard is unusually bland as Race, but it is Tony Randall who gives the worst performance of the movie. However, the two actors who steal the film are Rue McClannahan and Edward Woodward, both gave great performances I thought. The mystery is absorbing and fast paced, though I do admit I haven't read the book, so I can't judge whether it's faithful or not. However, the script does have its weak spots, and there are one or two predictable scenes in the middle half.

Overall, flawed but enjoyable TV mystery movie. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Was the above comment useful to you?
Page 1 of 3:[1] [2] [3] [Next]

Add another comment

Related Links

Plot summary Ratings External reviews
Plot keywords Main details Your user comments
Your vote history