"Agatha Christie: Poirot" Death on the Nile (2004)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Andy Wilson

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Kevin Elyot (screenplay) ...

TV Series:

"Agatha Christie: Poirot" (1989)

Original Air Date:

12 April 2004 (Season 9, Episode 3)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

A wealthy British heiress honeymooning on a Nile cruise ship is stalked by a former friend, whose boyfriend she had stolen before making him her new husband.

Plot Keywords:

Egypt | Hercule Poirot | Murder | Detective | French Maid

Cast

David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
James Fox	...	Colonel Race
Emma Griffiths Malin	...	Jacqueline De Bellefort (as Emma Malin)
JJ Feild	...	Simon Doyle
Emily Blunt	...	Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle
Judy Parfitt	...	Miss Van Schuyler
Daisy Donovan	...	Cornelia Robson
Barbara Flynn	...	Mrs. Allerton
Daniel Lapaine	...	Tim Allerton
David Soul	...	Andrew Pennington
Frances de la Tour	...	Salome Otterbourne (as Frances De La Tour)
Zoe Telford	...	Rosalie Otterbourne
Alastair Mackenzie	...	Mr.Ferguson
Steve Pemberton	...	Dr. Bessner
George Yiasoumi	...	Cruise Manager

Runtime:

Finland:98 min | USA:97 min (DVD)

Country:

UK

Language:

Italian | English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M | Netherlands:6 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Eltham Palace, Court Road, Eltham, London, England, UK

Company:

A&E Television Networks

Trivia:

The cruiser Karnak used in this production is the same cruiser used in the 1978 film version, Death on the Nile (1978).

Quotes:

Ferguson: [to Poirot] Quite a field day for you, isn't it? Everyone dropping like flies!

Movie Connections:

Version of Death on the Nile (1978)

Love is the sweetest thing

I am a fan of Agatha Christie's novels, I think the purism and beauty of Dame Agatha's works is incomparable! Christie's characters are so lifelike, likable and her work is a finest portrayal of English society during the 20th century. I read my first Christie novel one year ago (when I was 10) and since there I read and read Christie novels and explored many versions of her works. I've been watching "Agatha Christie: Poirot" and sometimes I can enjoy the episodes without having read the book and "Death on the Nile" is an example of a episode that I watched without reading the book and I enjoyed a lot.

I bought in Portugal all Poirot seasons (except the ones whose episodes didn't air yet, of course!) and every night I watched an episode. Well, it came the day to watch "Death on the Nile", I had the book at my home so I thought "Should I watch it or read it first?", I really didn't care, I just wanted to have a good time during that night, I watched it! I actually felt captivated by the beginning of "Death on the Nile", I thought it was very original and creative! But well, I don't want to spoil it so I won't say anything.

It was about midnight when it ended, I was totally mad about "Death on the Nile"! I couldn't sleep thinking of the surprising solution, the love story (I'm very romantic, I'm sorry), and the always great David Suchet's Poirot (who is, without shadow of doubt, the best Poirot ever!).

One day later, I told my dad that I had been watching "Death on the Nile" and have found the episode amazing, charming and enchanting! Some days later my dad bought Peter Ustinov's "Death on the Nile" to compare both and well I watched (I must say that I didn't find it so stylish like David Suchet's) it! I stayed so confused because I found the two versions so different that I start reading the book.

I just read the first 80 pages of "Death on the Nile" because I knew all the story (or part of it) and I didn't find it so interesting or refreshing. It was a great book, IT WAS AMAZING! However, I knew who was/were the killer/s and how he/ she/ they killed so I wasn't very excited.

Now, I have got my own opinion about each version and I want to share with you: First, some characters have been cut from both version... however, I think the characters that were cut in this version were far more insignificant than in Peter Ustinov's. Anyway, Peter Ustinov's version has some significant changes - I mean, to me they were - and David Suchet's version changes weren't significant at all.

Second, the cast is... hum... well, best Jackie is Emma Malin, of course! She is so beautiful, gorgeous, expressive and charismatic! I think both Simons were good, I don't know who was the best at all. Best Linnet is Lois Chiles, absolutely... Emily Blunt is nothing special as Linnet. What I don't understand is this: Cornelia Robson is supposed to have a clear American accent?? I don't know.

Third, the best sets are Peter Ustinov's. David Suchet's weren't bad, not at all, but I think there is a big difference between movie and TV episode, hein? Fourth, the spirit of the book is well captured in both versions by different ways, well, if we think better, David Suchet's version is somewhat better capturing the spirit of the book. Except the end (I like the end, I thought it was pretty creative), however, this doesn't show that Simon was a pathetic one (I didn't read the book's end but I've been searching some stuff about it).

Fifht, I want to emphasize it because it's important to me: David Suchet's soundtrack is amazing! "Love is the sweetest thing" is the perfect song to describe this episode (not the book, yet the episode) and Peter Ustinov's hadn't any special soundtrack.

You see, probably if the two versions were mixed, we would have the perfect "Death on the Nile"! However, I still liking this better this one and I think love is really, really the sweetest thing.