Seven Dials Mystery

At almost two and a quarter hours, it's a very long drama, but it's worth watching, as it is absorbing, fun and intriguing. It's a slow, ambling mystery, full of espionage and intrigue. Don't expect great drama or sudden shocks, it's all very subtle.

I quite like the book, it's worth noting that this is a very accurate adaptation, the one thing I would point out is that here you're given subtle clues as to who the killer is, whereas in the book you're given hardly any. The solution always baffles me.

I love the style of it, it looks terrific, nice sets and lovely costumes. It is a production of its time, sometimes it looks more like a stage play.

Cheryl Campbell and James Warwick are excellent together, they work incredibly well, although producers were guilty of casting Mr Warwick too frequently, in all fairness he's perfect for them. Sir John Gielgud adds the humour, he's wonderful.

I like that we have references to Chimneys, Inspector Battle appeared in a few novels, including Chimneys.

Long, but lovely for a wet Sunday afternoon.

Intriguing. 9/10

Unbelievable adaptation! Completely and utterly faithful to the novel, except for 2 things: 1) The climax is slightly altered to make it more "scary" 2) During the climax, #7 explains the purpose of the Seven Dials before revealing him/herself

The acting was fantastic! (Bundle's dad is portrayed so perfectly, it's almost scary!) You could watch this while reading the book, that's how faithful it is! The humorous scenes are still there, Bundle and her dad providing most of them. Some people complain that it is too long. Not at all, the length is just right! A long and drawn-out adaptation is WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS?.

An overall summary: One of those rare "perfect adaptations" which you'd like to watch over and over again. It deserves more than 10/10, but that is not allowed.

Not the best Agatha Christie adaptation, but one of the better ones. The direction could've been more taut at times, but this is a treasure for any Agatha Christie fan(I have been for almost 9 years). It is beautifully made, handsomely shot with splendid locations/settings and evocative period detail, particularly those cars. If you haven't seen the film yet and are wondering about faithfulness or lack of it, Seven Dials Mystery is very faithful(with one or two subtle changes), like the Russian version of And Then There Were None it is like the pages of the book and prose come to life. And to me it doesn't suffer from being too faithful. Seven Dials Mystery is slow in pace, but considering that Christie's mysteries take time to unfold this approach was appropriate. The length I also thought was fine. The dialogue is very good if talky, true in detail and spirit to Christie's style, and the story even with the pacing and that the second half is more suspenseful than the first is engrossing and keeps us guessing until the ending, which is a surprise. Of the acting, John Gielgud steals the show and Harry Andrews is similarly terrific. James Warrick and Cheryl Campbell(though I can see her character is going to divide viewers) bring great humour and charm to their characters. All in all, a classic Agatha Christie mystery. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Sly vixen that she was, Agatha Christie had other arrows in her quiver besides her usual crew of detectives.

For instance, "The Seven Dials Mystery" is a beautiful filmed production set among the magnificent houses of the great if not so good between the two World Wars, far from the tranquil world of Miss Marple.

There is no middle-aged Belgian detective or village busybody here, but a pert girl with impeccable breeding and a nose for adventure.

In "The Seven Dials Mystery," originally written in 1929, and produced as a British TV film in 1981 (directed by long-time "NCIS" director Tony Wharmby) , Christie's sleuth is a young noblewoman named Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent (Cheryl Campbell) . Just a few years older than Nancy Drew, this delightful daughter of a marquess (Sir John Gielgud!) engages in some very clever (and very dangerous) detective work.

Set in a gorgeous old pile, and involving a whole House of Lords of wealthy aristocrats, including several very rich and (sigh!) very stupid gilded youth, "The Seven Dials Mystery" has plot enough for a dozen mystery movies.

During the day, Bright Young Things screaming, "By Jove!" and "I say!" play away the hours. But as mysterious gunshots ring out at night, to the grim accompaniment of ancient clocks tolling away the hours, the bodies begin to add up.

As the cute "Bundle" Brent tries to figure out what's going on, Dame Agatha adds still more layers of mystery to the puzzle, and what started out as almost a day trip to the Fun House becomes a terrifying excursion into the unknown.

Along for the ride is the great Sir John Gielgud, in a charming, often hilarious performance as an eccentric peer of the realm (he easily steals every scene he's in), and the marvelous Harry Andrews, as, of course, a Detective-Superintendent from Scotland Yard.

Christie doesn't let you off lightly, and there are nuances and subtleties that you might miss on your first viewing. So watch "Seven Dials Mystery" over and over, and don't look at the clock while the movie's playing, because Dame Agatha has a surprise for you every minute of the film.

Personally, I rather enjoyed the whole film put together. The beginning was relatively confusing to people who are not familiar with the British style of doing things, as well as the numerous characters which popped up without proper introductions... There were also several misleading moments whereby the character's portrayal of themselves caused you to wonder if this character is important to the whole plot, yet the character disappears after a while. I rather liked Bundle Brent... She added much mischief and fun to the mystery, which seemed distinctive of an Agatha Christie mystery - the element of witty characters added into the story. The ending is really surprising though. All in all a good mystery, though i do agree that the film is not very well directed.