I always loved the film, with its all star cast, and Albert Finley playing a great Poirot. So I was disappointed when I saw the Suchet version. I felt they changed certain parts just to be different from the film. Maybe I should give it another chance. Thoughts?
shareThe 1974 film is a rather faithful adaption other than the portral of Poirot while the Suchet episode is a huge disappointment.
shareSuchet Episode.... yeah... I don't think it's the worst episode by a long shot, and they do manage to put a lot of the book into 90 minutes (Things like the colour of the kimono and character names are more correct)
... but it's so rushed, smashes everyone over the head with poirots religion and too dark.
They should have made it back in the early 2000's.
the 1974 version is much better i think. much closer to the original story.
shareI recently saw both versions (along with the 2001 film with Alfred Molina) for the first time. Like you, I loved the 1974 film and was very disappointed in the Suchet version. Murder on the Orient Express is the only episode of the TV series I've seen. Maybe if I was more familiar with Suchet's Poirot, I wouldn't think that this episode portrays him as an a**hole. Also, having read no other Poirot stories and only seen adaptations of Orient Express, I honestly disagree with people who say that Suchet's portrayal is the definitive Poirot. The reason why I think so can be found on Sparknotes (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/orientexpress/canalysis.html):
While Poirot does not always obey the law, he always abides his conscience and his sense moral law. "Moral Law" is somewhat like religious law or the law of God, it is a general sense of right and wrong that supersedes any man-made written laws. In the case of the Armstrong family, Poirot put moral law first.
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Murder on the Orient Express is the only episode of the TV series I've seen
having read no other Poirot stories and only seen adaptations of Orient Express, I honestly disagree with people who say that Suchet's portrayal is the definitive Poirot.
i hope this discussion will end, when the 2017 version is out.
sharePlease don't judge Suchets 25 year performance on his role in a rare below average episode.
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As much as I admire Mr Suchet, I must say I think it is without doubt his decision to introduce religious elements into this series, which is a very bad idea because it disobeyed the spirit of the original novels.
shareI actually think there may have been plans to do the episode in the early 2000's but the terrible Alfred Molina version prevented ITV getting the rights.
I think i read this on caviar1234's blog.
The whole mood of the adaptation would have been much better if it was made around the time of Murder in mesopotamia.
The whole aspect of Poirots religion was handled so weirdly, introduced as a concept so late, very heavy handedly and in Murder on the Orient Express in particular it made Poirot come across as manic at times.
Episodes like taken at the flood and Curtian, where you'ds expect Poirot to mention religion have nothing, while others beat you over the head with the rosary.
I've said before, it's not out of character that he's catholic, he mentions it many times in the books, but the TV show crammed 40 years of small refrences to his religion in about 3 episodes near the end of the shows run.
Some of the later episodes deviate significantly from the original novels, and are often, like Murder on the orient express, much more sombre in tone than the original novels. The earlier episodes are mostly much better at being accurate and are lighter in tone. you might try watching some of them which you may enjoy more. I particularly recommend THe ABC Murders, which is my personal favourite.
shareI am interesting in watching/reading The ABC Murders; I enjoy the whole concept of people being killed in a way that's patterned after something, i.e. And Then There Were None, Se7en, Angels & Demons, etc.
Just out of curiosity, yes or no, does the TV episode of The ABC Murders deviate in any significant way from the novel?
The ABC Murders is bloody Brilliant. And no, most of the Novel is intact, I think only about three minor characters have been removed in total, one is a landladies daughter (and her friends) who doesn't do much at all in the book, one is a forensic pathologist who builds up a criminal profile and the last is Inspector Glen. In the TV version Japp takes the last two roles as well as his own.
And some of the lesser interviews are reduced a lot, happening off screen with Japp mostly (keep in mind the murders take place across England and there are a lot of interviews in the book) but nothing on the scale of MOTOE.
There's also a light hearted subplot add about Hasting bringing Poirot a dead crocodile thing from Argentina, and being very proud of the fact he shot it.
I saw The A.B.C. Murders, and it is f-ing amazing! So many twists and turns. I'm only familiar with 3 1/2* of her books at the moment, and I'm already convinced that Agatha Christie is, was, and always will be, the greatest mystery novelist of all time.
After seeing the episode, I think Hastings may be my favorite character in the Poirot series. In fact, a part of me wishes that Hastings had been on the Orient Express with Poirot instead of Bouc. However, another part of me understands that that wouldn't have been possible; without Bouc, who was a director of the line, Poirot wouldn't have even gotten on the train.
There's also a light hearted subplot add about Hasting bringing Poirot a dead crocodile thing from Argentina, and being very proud of the fact he shot it.
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One thing about the TV version of The ABC Murders I don't care much about is to let Donald Douglas play the character of Franklin Clarke. But other than that it is a brilliant episode.
shareI just watched the 1974 version last night, and it was everything I hoped the Suchet version would be.
The mood of the Suchet version was off right from the get-go, but what finally ruined it for me was when Arbuthnot tried to shoot Poirot and Bouc. At that point, I saw the killers not as arbiters of justice but as barely better than common criminals (even if he didn't go through with it), so when Poirot agreed to present the "first theory" rather than get that sense of triumph that I got reading the book, it just left a sour taste in my mouth.
The 1974 version, on the other hand, got the feel of it just right, which is why the Suchet version just can't hold a candle to the Finney one.
I agree. The 1974 version is superior to the Suchet version in almost every way.
what finally ruined it for me was when Arbuthnot tried to shoot Poirot and Bouc.
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My favorite of Murder on the Orient Express was with Peter Ustinov as Hercules Poirot.
shareUstinov played Poirot six times, and made a documentary travelogue about the Orient Express, but he never made a version of "Murder on the Orient Express". You're probably thinking of the 1974 film starring Albert Finney as Poirot.
shareI stand corrected, thanks! He did play Poirot in Death on the Nile, one of my favorites!
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