Thank you for reviewing this one - it's a favourite for me! I think they've done a wonderful job of bringing the book to life and all the cast brought their 'A' game to this beautiful production - thoroughly enjoyed every minute 👏 I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on A Haunting in Venice ...
I don't have any inside baseball knowledge of this, but I've always felt like this was intended to be a Marple but Christie hadn't done a Poirot in 5 years so she inserted him as the protagonist.
Fitting choice given as you mention A Haunting In Venice takes elements from this story, I seem to recall it also has elements from another but it escapes me. As usual a fair and unbiased review.
True. Man of Suchet's adaptations were unfaithful to their source material too. We can still like them (The Chocolate Box, The Double Clue, Appointment with Death, Evil Under the Sun, The Big Four, The Labours of Hercules, etc.). I truly enjoy Brannagh's movie.
@@kugelwegIt’s interesting you say that the David Suchet films are unfaithful to the books and yet you like the most unfaithful adaptations of all; the KB ones 🤔 Haunting in Venice has nothing whatsoever to do with the novel and yet you prefer that over Halloween Party with DS 🤨 You’re very strange ???
I am sure I have seen this although it might have been a while, Poirot along with all the iterations of Miss Maple are showing on UK television pretty much constantly. I must admit I prefer the series when Poirot regularly had a foil to play the straight man like Captain Hastings, in the later series Poirot seems rather dour.
Definitely, nothing can top those early seasons with the regular cast members. I just appreciate any moments of levity that were allowed into these later episodes. David Suchet always excelled with those.
I have to disagree with you on some points of this like for example you think it’s out of character for Poirot to reveal who Maranda’s father is. He had to do that because he wanted to force Mrs Drake into a confession because he knew she would lose it if any other woman had a relationship with the man she loved. And he had to do that because otherwise he didn’t have a lot of proof that Mrs Drake was involved in the murders and needed to force her to confess. But it was still a good review even though I didn’t agree with everything you said. It’s one of my favourite Poirot films 🎃❤️
is it possible that anyone can provide the exact quote at the end of the movie......"So. Poirot is right. Halloween (?) is not so much the night to tell scary stories. Rather, it is the night to remember the dead..." (from memory).....any help??? Exact quote if you can. Thanks.!
I've been waiting for another review from you on Poirot! I am so glad to see this. I saw Kenneth Brannagh's A Haunting in Venice and LOVED it! It was so fun, exciting, and deep. It definitely veers from the source material, but in a grand way! The Big Four is one of my FAVORITE Poirot books, because it wanders away from the established plots of Poirot investigating a cozy "granny dies for her inheritance, someone is missing a will/map, someone dies because he is the father of the perpetrator, etc. I would LOVE to see an adaptation of The Big Four that honors the source material.
Thank you, it's great hearing that people enjoy these reviews! And I'm also happy to hear that you enjoyed 'A Haunting in Venice'. It seems there are a great many people that are all too eager to tear down Kenneth Branagh's films without necessarily giving them a chance. While I didn't love 'Death on the Nile', there was still a lot to enjoy about it, so I'm looking forward to seeing this newest one. I haven't read 'The Big Four' in quite a few years, but it's always stuck with me. It was so unusual (Achille Poirot, etc.), and as you say, it's story is so far outside the norm that it stands out from the rest of the Poirot series.
I’m loving to watch these reviews, even if I don’t agree w all of them :) As for the Christian characters being portrayed as bad, while that annoys me as well, I gotta say Poirot’s religion is very explored and his Catholicism played up in the later series, so I’d say it’s not that anti Christian, since the main character (who we’re supposed to like) is a Christian himself. Happy Holidays!
I agree that the lesbian subplot was unnecessary, but I guess they had to find a reasoning for her murder. And Mrs Goodbody was by far the best character with her I-don't-give-a-damn attitude. Rowena Drake didn't have a single trace of dark charisma that would render all those murders sensible in her head.
I have a few more reviews lined up that I'll be doing first, but I might be able to get to that one in a few weeks. I am looking forward to it hitting Blu-ray though.
I'll never understand why they couldn't have filmed the book. I can accept the time change, to be consistent with the series -- but nothing else. The addition of characters, the subtraction of others, the seemingly random changes in the plot itself -- I really can't stand it. Either film the book, or don't. As far as I'm concerned, adaptations need to stay as close as possible to the source material. This was a very strange and moody book; why would anyone tamper with it in bringing it to the screen? This is the most befuddling mystery of all.
Thank you for reviewing this one - it's a favourite for me! I think they've done a wonderful job of bringing the book to life and all the cast brought their 'A' game to this beautiful production - thoroughly enjoyed every minute 👏 I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on A Haunting in Venice ...
Poirot is such an entertaining series, thank you for this review.
It sure is, thank you!
I don't have any inside baseball knowledge of this, but I've always felt like this was intended to be a Marple but Christie hadn't done a Poirot in 5 years so she inserted him as the protagonist.
That's an interesting idea, it could be the case.
Fitting choice given as you mention A Haunting In Venice takes elements from this story, I seem to recall it also has elements from another but it escapes me. As usual a fair and unbiased review.
Thank you!
The Brannagh's movie is very unfaithful to the story
True. Man of Suchet's adaptations were unfaithful to their source material too. We can still like them (The Chocolate Box, The Double Clue, Appointment with Death, Evil Under the Sun, The Big Four, The Labours of Hercules, etc.).
I truly enjoy Brannagh's movie.
@@kugelwegIt’s interesting you say that the David Suchet films are unfaithful to the books and yet you like the most unfaithful adaptations of all; the KB ones 🤔 Haunting in Venice has nothing whatsoever to do with the novel and yet you prefer that over Halloween Party with DS 🤨 You’re very strange ???
Thank you for another well done review! Very enjoyable and informative, as always.
Thank you, I appreciate it!
I am sure I have seen this although it might have been a while, Poirot along with all the iterations of Miss Maple are showing on UK television pretty much constantly. I must admit I prefer the series when Poirot regularly had a foil to play the straight man like Captain Hastings, in the later series Poirot seems rather dour.
Definitely, nothing can top those early seasons with the regular cast members. I just appreciate any moments of levity that were allowed into these later episodes. David Suchet always excelled with those.
I love them all.
Good review. I enjoyed all the Poirot series with David Suchet from the beginning. This is my favorite that I like to watch around Halloween.
Just rewatched this phenomenal episode. Heads and shoulders superior to that crap ‘A Haunting in Venice’.
💯 KB ‘versions’ are just woke Hollywood money grabs.
I have to disagree with you on some points of this like for example you think it’s out of character for Poirot to reveal who Maranda’s father is. He had to do that because he wanted to force Mrs Drake into a confession because he knew she would lose it if any other woman had a relationship with the man she loved. And he had to do that because otherwise he didn’t have a lot of proof that Mrs Drake was involved in the murders and needed to force her to confess. But it was still a good review even though I didn’t agree with everything you said. It’s one of my favourite Poirot films 🎃❤️
is it possible that anyone can provide the exact quote at the end of the movie......"So. Poirot is right. Halloween (?) is not so much the night to tell scary stories. Rather, it is the night to remember the dead..." (from memory).....any help??? Exact quote if you can. Thanks.!
I've been waiting for another review from you on Poirot! I am so glad to see this.
I saw Kenneth Brannagh's A Haunting in Venice and LOVED it! It was so fun, exciting, and deep. It definitely veers from the source material, but in a grand way!
The Big Four is one of my FAVORITE Poirot books, because it wanders away from the established plots of Poirot investigating a cozy "granny dies for her inheritance, someone is missing a will/map, someone dies because he is the father of the perpetrator, etc.
I would LOVE to see an adaptation of The Big Four that honors the source material.
Thank you, it's great hearing that people enjoy these reviews! And I'm also happy to hear that you enjoyed 'A Haunting in Venice'. It seems there are a great many people that are all too eager to tear down Kenneth Branagh's films without necessarily giving them a chance. While I didn't love 'Death on the Nile', there was still a lot to enjoy about it, so I'm looking forward to seeing this newest one.
I haven't read 'The Big Four' in quite a few years, but it's always stuck with me. It was so unusual (Achille Poirot, etc.), and as you say, it's story is so far outside the norm that it stands out from the rest of the Poirot series.
I really enjoyed your review!!! Thanks.
I’m loving to watch these reviews, even if I don’t agree w all of them :)
As for the Christian characters being portrayed as bad, while that annoys me as well, I gotta say Poirot’s religion is very explored and his Catholicism played up in the later series, so I’d say it’s not that anti Christian, since the main character (who we’re supposed to like) is a Christian himself.
Happy Holidays!
I agree that the lesbian subplot was unnecessary, but I guess they had to find a reasoning for her murder. And Mrs Goodbody was by far the best character with her I-don't-give-a-damn attitude. Rowena Drake didn't have a single trace of dark charisma that would render all those murders sensible in her head.
Man, you need make the Indiana Jones 5 review!!!
I have a few more reviews lined up that I'll be doing first, but I might be able to get to that one in a few weeks. I am looking forward to it hitting Blu-ray though.
I'll never understand why they couldn't have filmed the book. I can accept the time change, to be consistent with the series -- but nothing else. The addition of characters, the subtraction of others, the seemingly random changes in the plot itself -- I really can't stand it. Either film the book, or don't. As far as I'm concerned, adaptations need to stay as close as possible to the source material. This was a very strange and moody book; why would anyone tamper with it in bringing it to the screen? This is the most befuddling mystery of all.
Love your review and, of course, Suchet's performance as always. But this adaptation isn't the series' best.
Thank you! I agree, there are some good points but overall I don't think it will be making my list of favourites.