PROBLEM AT SEA
UK, 1989, 50 minutes, Colour.
David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Melissa Greenwood, Victoria Hasted, Roger Hume, Ben Aris, Dorothea Phillips, Sherry Shepstone, Louisa Janes, John Normington, Sheila Allen, Anne Firbank.
Directed by Renny Rye.
This is one of the earliest films in the television series of Agatha Christie mysteries with David Suchet as Poirot.
After filming one of the mysteries on the island of Rhodes, this film is set at sea, cruising the Mediterranean, a visit to Alexandria (with Greek settings standing in for the Egyptian city).
The plot is fairly straightforward, a group of characters on the yacht, including Poirot and Hastings, a group of rather ordinary people, except for Mrs Clapperton (Sheila Allen) haughty and obnoxious, are vain woman who is continually putting down her husband, John, John Normington. While everybody goes ashore, Mrs Clapperton is murdered. And she is murdered in a locked room.
Initial suspicion is on the steward who has stolen her jewels and wants to sell them in the market. However, Poirot assembles all the passengers, borrows a doll from the little girl, puts her behind the curtain and Poirot feigns a ventriloquist act, revealing that John Clapperton, with his music hall background, had already murdered his wife and pretended to be asking her to open the locked door.
Good to look at, fairly straightforward, clear solution.
1. The popularity of Agatha Christie mysteries? The television series with David Suchet as Poirot?
2. The settings at sea? The yacht, interiors? Alexandria, the use of Greek settings, busyness, crowds, bazaars? The musical score?
3. Poirot on the cruise, Hastings and his love for sport, the range of passengers, the captain and his assistant, the two older ladies and the music, the general and his past, the old man, the two young women, the Tollivers, Miss Henderson, Mrs Clapperton, her husband?
4. Mrs Clapperton, in the mirror, her history, vanity, intolerance, dominating her husband, humiliating him? Completely self-indulgent? Lacking audience sympathy? Her being murdered? The locked room, the steward and the stealing of the jewels and going to the market? The alibis? Everybody on shore? Her husband’s response? Sympathy for him because of his being dominated? Not playing bridge, showing the card tricks, the background of the music hall?
5. The scenes on shore, Miss Henderson and the bargain for the jewellery, her concern about John Clapperton? The two young women, going with of with him for the day? Poirot and his enjoying the tour, Hastings and his posing for the photos?
6. The Captain, the time of death, the locked room?
7. Poirot and the little girl, her doll, his going into the musical hall for the explanation, the use of the doll, the little girl, pretending to be a ventriloquist, explaining how John was able to imitate his wife’s voice?
8. An interesting mystery? Solution?
