What was the first Agatha Christie adaptation you ever saw on television?

GKCfan

Mine was the David Suchet Poirot episode "The Plymouth Express."  I remember watching at my grandmother's house.

ChristieFanForLife

It was the David Suchet adaptation of Lord Edgware Dies. 

CrookedQuin

I can't remember, either the original Death on the Nile or the 1940 And Then There Were None. 

Tommy_A_Jones

Probably the Original Evil Under The Sun

Tommy_A_Jones

Maybe The Original Death On The Nile

anne.clough.3

I think it would have been the Joan Hickson version of "The Body in the Library", when it was first broadcast in Australia sometime in late 1986 or early 1987. I know this because I was pregnant with my 4th child at the time and I remember the morning sickness I was experiencing at the time this program first began.

Tommy_A_Jones

I think it would have been the Film Death On The Nile with Peter Ustinov or Evil Under The Sun with Peter Ustinov.

taliavishay-arbel

I'm not sure, but I think it was either "Evil under the Sun" with Peter Ustinov or "Murder on the Orient Express" with Albert Finney. I still love them both. Later I got hold of all the Peter Ustinov Poirot movies, but "Evil under the Sun" remained my favorite (though some of the changes from the book annoyed me).

GKCfan

What changes did you find annoying, taliavishay-arbel?

ChristieFanForLife

@GKCFan, I know your question was geared towards Talia but I have to say that I found the change to Linda to Lionel Marshall in the David Suchet version very annoying and I felt like Diana Rigg in the Ustinov version left an indelible mark as Arlena Marshall although she wasn't b*tchy in the book as in the film but the actress who played Arlena just didn't leave much of a memorable performance. I did love the location in the Suchet film which was more like the book than the Ustinov version but the Ustinov version was more colorful and the characters were as were than the Suchet version. But overall I enjoyed the book way more than the two films and I've had that opinion since the original airdate of the Suchet version. Though I did like . . . 

how in the Suchet version the ending from the book was kept when Patrick Redfern attempted to strangle Poirot which wasn't in the Ustinov film. It was like Redfern's calling card for getting rid of anyone in his way

taliavishay-arbel

Patrick certainly tried to strangle Poirot in the Ustinov film! I remember the ending, where Irene Castle is ministering to him afterwards... I did like the bitchy Arlena in the Ustinov version (I didn't see the Suchet version) because her bitchiness made Linda's hatred more understandible and gave her a real motive. I missed the Rosemond character in the movie - I really liked her in the book. In the Ustinov movie, they gave her role as Linda's supporter and Marshal's old friend to hotel owner Irene Castle (played by Maggie Smith), who was wonderful, but different. (in the book, Mrs. Castle, the hotel owner, has a very minor role and no known first name, and Rosemond, a fashion designer, is Marshal's childhood friend and Linda's supporter). What I wasn't crazy about in the Ustinov film was the way they gave everyone a connection with Arlena and a motive - it made the plot tighter, but was a bit too much, I felt - especially the Gardiner connection fell flat for me.  @CristieFanForLife - of course you can answer questions refered to me! First of all this is a public forum, and secondly - this way I get to see your viewpoint, which is more interesting for me than my own (which I know already)!

GKCfan

I thought that in the Ustinov film, the killer punches Poirot in the face.

ChristieFanForLife

@taliavishay-arbel, I watched the ending of EUTS with Ustinov and towards the end after (will contain "Spoilers" so for those who haven't watched the film . . . .)

Poirot takes the pipe from Patrick and exposes what's inside, Patrick slugs Poirot in the face instead of strangling him like in the book. 

ChristieFanForLife

GKCfan said:

I thought that in the Ustinov film, the killer punches Poirot in the face.

You're right, the killer does punch Poirot in the face

ChristieFanForLife

Now when I look back on what my first Agatha Christie adaptation was, I know I said earlier that it was Lord Edgware Dies with Suchet but I think it was the Joan Hickson version of The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side THEN Edgware Dies. 

Tommy_A_Jones

Aren't all the Characters in a Murder Mystery apart from Sleuth's Policemen and Doctors/Pathologist's etc supposed to have a connection with the Victim in a Murder Mystery? I think it makes it more enjoyable and gives the Characters more of a purpose for being there, I also excuse Hotel Owner's/Directors of Hotel's Etc for not having a motive like The Hotel owner in ITVs version and Bouc in Murder On The Orient Express.

Luke

Oh my goodness, well I remember sitting on the floor at the age of 7/8 watching one of Joan Hickson's Miss Marple's. I think that these must of been re runs so probably in the mid to late 1990s. I can't remember which one came first but can vividly remember when one of the characters gets murdered in Sleeping Murder and remember when a character falls in The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side and a red rose dramatically is in front of her face. I thought that was brilliant and since then, I've been a real fan! 

ChristieFanForLife

I remember watching The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side (which was my first Agatha Christie adaptation) when it came on A&E and I think I recorded it and I watched it endlessly, over and over and over. Then I bought the DVD. 

By the time I got to A Murder Is Announced, which I watched much later, the story and the scene when all the lights go off at Miss Blacklock's intrigued me and kept me glued. It still remains one of my all-time favorite adaptations. It was so faithful to the book and this is how a Christie adaptation SHOULD BE adapted, unlike the travesty happening today in these recent adaptations!

tudes

I was The Mirror Crack'd. Angela Lansbury was Miss Marple. I liked it very much. Unfortunately, I hadn't read the book yet. So, when I read the book, it wasn't the same.

GKCfan

Thank you all for sharing your memories and opinions!

taliavishay-arbel

Right, I guess I was wrong about the strangle/punch, but the attack was there.

Tommy_A_Jones

When I first saw The Mirror Crack'd It was spoilt for me because My Sister who was just going out told me to take particular heed to the Scene where the Murder took place so it as easy to work out.

taliavishay-arbel

Tommy, which version of "The Mirror Cracked" was this?

Tommy_A_Jones

The Film with Angela Landesbury

Tim Thomas

I think it must have been a Miss Marple with Joan Hickson, then again again possibly a re run of Mirror Crack'd with Angela Lansbury and Elizabeth Taylor.

purplebekir88

I think mine was the original 1940s version of And Then There Were None and my other was Hallowe'en Party,the ITV version

CA_Christie_Fan

I saw the black and white version of And Then There Were None; it was amazing, and I have been an avid Christie fan ever since! 

GKCfan

CA_Christie_Fan, the 1945 ATTWN was the first Christie movie made for theaters that I ever saw, too!  I believe I rented the VHS from Blockbuster Video in 1993.

Pat_september

It might have been "Death on the Nile" with Peter Ustinov or the 1940's "And Then There Were None". I know it was great excitement in my parent's home that we are going to watch an Agatha Christie. My parents were avid book collectors, had most of her novels already

katiebowenblog

Mine was And Then There Were None, 2015 BBC. Absolutely hooked me to Christie and have now read many of her books!  www.katiebowenblog.wordpress.com 

PeterJKH

Must have been around 1980, " Why didn't they ask Evans". I remember it was broadcast in episodes here then (maybe 2 or 3), and I used to talk about it with a friend of mine in school the day after, as we were both avid Christie-fans.