THE HOLLOW

UK, 2004, 103 minutes, Colour.
David Suchet, Jonathan Cake, Megan Dodds, Sarah Miles, Edward Fox, Claire Price, Lysette Anthony, Tom Georgeson, Edward Hardwicke, Caroline Martin, Jamie De Courcey.
Directed by Simon Langton.

The Hollow is a typical Agatha Christie mystery, dramatised as part of the television series, featuring David Suchet as Poirot. He is on holidays in the British countryside near the home of Lord and Lady Ankattel whom he had known previously and helped in Baghdad. He accepts an invitation to dinner, meets all the central characters, returning in the morning to find that one is dead.

The audience has seen the dead man, a doctor with a strong reputation, married with family, but a philanderer, having an affair with a very successful and strong-minded artist. He is played by Jonathan Cake. She is played, expertly, by Megan Dodds. The hosts of the home are played by Edward Hardwicke, the solid English gentleman, and Sarah Miles, rather flighty in her manner and style. In a cameo, Edward Fox plays the Butler.

It is the philanderer who was killed – and most people have a motive for killing him. On the night of the dinner, the house was gatecrashed by a neighbour, a Hollywood actress played by Lysette Anthony, who had been in love with the doctor 12 years earlier but he had chosen his career over her. She wants to start the relationship again. He accompanies her home and has a passionate night with her. Meanwhile, his wife is very timid, put down, thinking she is ignorant.

While the doctor is dead, his wife is found with the gun in her hand beside his body. As always, Poirot does the investigation, a complication that the gun in the wife’s hand was not that used for the killing. One of the complications is that the artist is also protective of the wife despite the affair. Ultimately, the killer is revealed – reminding audiences that Agatha Christie so frequently has the least obvious suspect as the murderer.


1. The popularity of Agatha Christie mysteries? The television series? David Suchet as Poirot?

2. The setting, the British countryside, mansions, country parks, holiday homes? Interiors? The musical score?

3. The hollow, the tone, the house, the residents, the holidaymakers in the area?

4. The introduction to John Christow, his rendezvous with Henrietta? His being a doctor, his reputation, research, clients visiting, his assistant? His reputation? His relationship with Henrietta? Her sense of style, strong presence, her art?

5. Christow going home, his talk about Gerda, the audience seeing her, the meek wife, putting herself down, ignorant? Even to starting the car? Family?

6. Christow and Henrietta going for the weekend? Henrietta’s speedy driving and Poirot’s reaction? Gerda’s presence? Lord and Lady Angkattell, his being the country gentleman, courteous, the background history with Poirot in Baghdad, military, his collection of weapons? Hunting, even teaching Gerda to shoot? His wife, memories of Baghdad? The fussing in the house? The touch of the giddy?

7. Poirot, on holidays, the invitation to the house, his celebrity? His knowing his hosts in Baghdad and helping them? The dinner, everybody present, the tensions at the table?

8. Midge, related to the family, her infatuation with Christow? Edward, his infatuation with Henrietta?

9. The arrival of Lucy Crane, the style of the 30s actress, English background, Hollywood success, blonde and forward? Wanting matches? Imposing on the hosts? Meeting Christow? Revelation of the past liaison, her being in love, his making decision in favour of his career? 12 years? The separation? The return, wanting to continue the liaison? Gerda noticing Christow’s look? His accompanying her back to the cottage? The passionate night? His later return, Gerda awake?

10. The situation in the morning, Christow’s body by the pool, Gerda with the gun in her hand? The tableau of those watching? Poirot, his arrival, his suspicions?

11. The reconstruction of the situation? The revelation of motives? The positioning in the tableau? The gun in the pool, the recovery, its not being the gun of the murder? The host’s collection? The witness of the butler, his dignified presence, contribution to the solution?

12. Poirot and the discussions with Henrietta, her seductive style with him? Protecting Gerda – as seen throughout as caring for her? The issue of the gun? Poirot returning to her studio, the horse, finding the gun in the statue?

13. His return, everybody assembled? The possibility for each suspect? The revelation about Gerda, her manner, concealment, persuaded to tell the truth, her jealousy, the gun, shooting her husband, her plan with the alternate gun?

14. The satisfactory mystery? Interesting characterisations? And the guilty person being the least obvious?