Crooked House Movie

Frank

Has anyone any news regarding the movie based on the Agatha Christie's novel Crooked House. Director Julian Fellowes announced it's making in 2011 but it has not been released yet. 

StathisZavitsanos

I wonder so!

GKCfan

Fellowes is writing the screenplay, not directing.  Neil LaBute is directing.  The production seems to be delayed, but the movie is, as far as I know, still in development.  However, a lot of the original casting choices may be redone.

Frank

Thanks GKCfan for the latest on Crooked House. Lets hope production is not to far away.

GKCfan

You're welcome!

Tommy_A_Jones

I wonder which casting choices were changed and from who to who and why?

Tommy_A_Jones

That is true, I wrote one thing when thinking another what I should have said was all the books those Characters are in are written in the 3rd Person

Tommy_A_Jones

That Shouldn't have been on this thread

Frank

GKCfan I was wondering if you or anyone else have heard any news regarding the movie based on Agatha Christie's novel Crooked House. It has been over a year since I last raised this subject in this forum and I have heard nothing about it in the media. 

GKCfan

Hi, Frank!  Unfortunately, the movie seems to be on the back burner right now.  It had been cast, but it seems like the movie may not be moving forward right now.  Julian Fellowes, who was supposed to write the screenplay, has been busy with Downton Abbey, and LaBute, the announced director, has been working on other projects.  The movie might happen, or it might be stuck in development and stalled forever.  We'll see– the movie industry is full of surprises.

Frank

Hi @GKCfan Many thanks for the update.

Griselda

I read that in its day, Crooked House attracted criticism for its outcome. I feel that it would be problematic to put it across to modern audiences, because of the solution to the who-dunnit, and the aunt's action. I can imagine that it would be very difficult to avoid overtones of the cult horror movie.

In many ways the novel presents the characters as self-contained, either individually, or in units of two, and I think that in addition to the above problems that it would be difficult to dramatise lots of  lively interactions. To our modern way of thinking, there is always an environmental cause of criminality, someone who has damaged the criminal, but I have a feeling that the text of the novel doesn't really supply such a cop-out - there is just a sense of wickedness. This is going to give the director difficulties when deciding how to present the murderer without offending.

GKCfan

You're welcome!

tudes

I agree with you,@Griselda. Although it's a marvelous book, I think it would be very difficult to dramatise.  Certainly, it wolud be a lot of criticisms and accusations of all sorts. Probably, they would change the murderer and would decharacterize the story.

Griselda

You're right, Tudes, they might consider changing the murderer. 

The other option SPOILER ALERT!!! would be to have a scenario in which the murderer inadvertently kills themselves when trying out their  getting -bashed- on- the -head- with- a- stone- on- the- door stunt. You could have everyone thinking they were murdered, but, later, the protaganist/hero rumbles what has happened when he sees scuff marks on the ground, puzzles, then thinks it might be evidence of several attempts to get the stone to fall in the intended way.  SPOILER ALERT!!! You would need to change the sequence of events to have the Nanny-poisoning incident happen before the swinging on the door and getting hurt incident. I think such a re-structuring of the story would work though.

 The diary could be found to reveal the truth - but there might have to be a bit of drama about it being found to supply the requisite climax. Maybe the brother would find it, and then be very upset, and moody, and people suspect him, and then the aunt would come across it in his drawer. With this re-plotting, there would be no need for the quarry incident which would be a good thing as the novel doesn't really detail the aunt's thoughts at this time, so the episode has added little to the quality of the reading experience - other than to advance the plot.

GKCfan

I just saw a quote from an interview with Julian Fellowes, and it sounds like he's no longer involved in writing the screenplay.  It looks like the movie is in development limbo.

Frank

Hi @GKCfan That is bad news. Thanks for the update.

GKCfan

You're welcome!

SBBonetti

Hi everyone! I am a real fan of that book. As it is Christie's favourite, I hope at least BBC will make a miniseries for the 130th birth anniversary.
I am Italian as you can see! Forgive the mistakes

taliavishay-arbel

Griselda, I love your idea! How about trying to sell it to the producers? I'd really like to see the movie done along these lines!

Griselda

Thank you Tali. I think if Josephine were to be unconscious in hospital for a while, that would keep the character in the background of developments, and, again, give scope to show the innocence and vulnerability of childhood in a positive way. The directors could get in some early-on in the film scenes with Josephine saying she wants to school, to use lab equipment properly, and to have really experienced teachers: her tutor is good at teaching, but doesn't know enough. He can't answer her biblical questions. We could be presented with the notion of Josephine as a young genius with a healthy interest in science, whose passion is directed in the wrong direction because of the lack of a decent role model in her parents. We could also see the effects of war: Sophie having been sent overseas to fight, and so not being there to be a good role model. There could be a relationship with the brother, along the lines of,  he knows she is keen on science, but doesn't really think she could be doing what she is. Perhaps he could be a bit pompous, and not want to share his new science set with her. The suggestion in the novel, unless I have misinterpreted it, is one which is just not acceptable by today's way of thinking. I read the suggestion as being that some children are frankly dreadful, and should be kept out of the way. The aunt who finds a 'solution' to the problem is, after all, presented throughout the novel as a rational, commendable  and sensible woman.

Griselda

If Sparkling Cyanide were to be adapted again, I think that its success would largely depend on the casting. A really great established actress would be great for the old lady, and charismatic actors for the romantic love birds. If David Walliams wants to do Christie again, he could be the publishing mogul. Tallulah Riley has been in Christie before,  think, and she would be good as the female lead. I think directors would do well to make a romance of this. SPOILER ALERT The old lady could be played to come across as quite a sweet old thing. As far as I remember, there isn't a wide range of suspects in this novel.

taliavishay-arbel

Back to "Crooked House", the main premise of the book (Nature rather than Nurture creates a criminal) is not wholly rejected nowadays. However, the psychopathic/sociopathic/narcissistic type, who has no empathy for others, is not generally considered to be "born, not raised", as far as I know. Morever, most very young children are fairly egocentered, and in most cases, even people with very little empathy for others can be taught some sympathy and social responsibility. The more typical "Inborn" criminal characteristics have to do with violent behaviour, which is not the case here. 

Griselda

Is it, then, the current belief that being the victim of violence creates the mindset which leads to anti-social traits emerging? We have discussed before that Christie has referred in passing (e.g. in Mrs McGinty's Dead) to children who had killed and seemed to lack any remorse for their actions. You are right that it is a typical childhood trait to be egocentric, and it would be possible for a director to communicate that aspect, without introducing an element of what could be seen as unnatural coldness. The shock aspect to the novel could be removed - because, after all, the conditions are so fertile for a romance to be harvested from Christie's written words, in this case, that the story could be presented as a romantic and light tale with just a theme of mystery. The direction could be very light in that there is a fair bit of humour in the sense that the parents of Josephine are ridiculously vain, and Josephine's uncle ridiculously ineffectual. It would actually be legitimate to ham up the acting in this case, as the characters are not terribly real nor accessible to our empathy. You could cast with a fantastic lead actor really being charming and brisk and presenting the characters as he sees them. Tom Hiddlestone perhaps, and someone with style to play Sophia.









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CrookedQuin

I absolutely love this novel. I like your idea, @Griselda about 

SPOILER

josephine accidentally dying when she's trying to fake that whole scenario and everyone thinking that someone murdered her. Another idea could be that Before for attention, Nanny dies and then Josephine pretends to have seen who the killer was, and then the Audience is meant to believe so, and that the murderer supposedly acts quickly and kills Josephine after she saw who it was. Then they search for the notebook to see who it was who possibly did it. However, Edith does not know Josephine is dead yet, and then when Edith finds it in the dog kennel, she tries to collect all the evidence against Josephine and leaves through her car, and writes the letter about her being the killer. To protect Josephine she would have to leave her family forever, and in tears she crashes the car, so every character that dies in the novel does in the film eventually. Also, they should give Nanny and Gaitskell bigger roles as suspects as there are only about seven who could've done it (counting Sophie and Eustace). 

CrookedQuin

And eventually after Charles finds the evidence in Edith's car and he pieces it together like in the book.

Griselda

Yes, you're right CrookedQuin about enlarging those roles. That is a good idea, too,  about having Nanny die earlier.

CrookedQuin

@Frank  We have casting, writers, and a director and they've began filming! We have Christina Hendricks as Brenda, Gillian Anderson playing Magda, Honor Kneafsley playing Josephine, Preston Tyman playing Eustace, Max Irons playing Charles, Stefanie Martini playing Sophia, Glenn Close playing Lady Edith, Roger Ashton Griffiths playing Gaitskell, and Terence Stamp playing Cheif Inspector Tavener. The other roles are being kept under wraps, they began filming last week, with a script by Julian Fellows and Tim Rose Price, Agatha Christie fans, and French Director Giles Paquet-Brenner. The story is about Charles being an investigator and looking into his ex lovers family to solve a murder case of her grandfather, Aristide. We have producers Joseph Abrams, Jane Hooks and James Spring. Filming has begun!

ChristieFanForLife

@CrookedQuin: Thanks for posting this! FINALLY, filming has begun . . .  it's been a long, long time! I'm really excited and I hope that this will be faithful to the book and that this will be a well-made adaptation. It's time for a well-made Christie film on the big screen. I hope that it will not have any unnecessary liberties and that the film won't show any sensual scenes for the sake of being modern and up to date. I'm going to be reading the book, taking copious notes and when the film come outs I'll be doing my comparisons. I think as the film draws near to being finished and show on the big screen I think we should hold an "active" and exciting book discussion on this forum.

CrookedQuin

@ChristieFanForLife if this is like most movies nowadays in terms of marketing, we could get a trailer or a teaser of the first scene they've finished editing. And as this movie does not require heavy special effects/editing and will not take as long to film as a superhero film, they will be sure to give us something, maybe even photos from the set!

CrookedQuin

@ChristieFanForLife they are also giving a larger role to Gaitskell it seems with a semi popular actor, making him more of a suspect. I think they also will enlarge Nanny Janet Rowe as a suspect as well. I believe an additional two is a good thing, as there are not many suspects in the novel.