jvdesuit1

I remember seeing this movie in the Champs Elysées in Paris when it was distributed, it must be in 56 or 57. I possess the whole set of 80 books of his novels plus one which story is probably not known here. Here is the story of that extraordinary book: Paris in the XXth century - as explained in Wikipedia: Jules Verne's publisher, Pierre-Jules Hetzel, thought the book's pessimism would damage Verne's then-booming career, and suggested that he wait 20 years to publish it. In a scathing rebuke to Verne, Hetzel writes about a draft of the novel he has just seen: I was not expecting perfection - to repeat, I knew that you were attempting the impossible - but I was hoping for something better. Hetzel was also critical of Verne for not covering new ground with the novel:

In this piece, there is not a single issue concerning the real future that is properly resolved, no critique that hasn't already been made and remade before. I am surprised at you ... it is lacklustre and lifeless. With that, Verne put the manuscript in a safe where it was forgotten, only to be discovered by his great-grandson in 1989. The original French version was finally published in 1994, and an English translation by Richard Howard was published by Random House in 1996. When the french edition was published his grand son explained that having no way of finding the combination of the safe they had to explode it and that's how they found the manuscript. Hetzel was quite unjust about the book which is remarkable when we consider all the technology Vernes thought would be at mankind's disposal in 1960. A book worth reading.In the 70s the whole set of the Voyages extraordinaires were published with the same Hetzel covers by Michel de L'Ormeraie edtion with the original fac simile of the pictures and same lettering than the original edition.

I have not seen the movie and although Branagh is a famous actor without any possible discussion, by reading the 2 quotes from the dialog here, it shows that he did not understand the character of Poirot and what Agatha Christie really wanted to say thru this great novel. If I dont mistake Christie did not like Poirot. So she personified in him a kind of macho, misogynist man. He's very proud of his skills as a detective and thinks he will never fail to bring the culprit to his judges. He's also more or less a true catholic. The first error which appears on the first quote is to think that Poirot will listen to his heart. He listens to what is right or wrong and wont fail to do so in all the novels the author wrote; it is an error to make of Poirot another Miss Marple. The second error is to believe that Poirot will justify himself like the second quote tends to show. He is too proud and his inner debate is for himself and no one else. He will never justify his actions before anyone. Those two traits of character were superbly shown in the David Suchet's impersonation of Poirot in the television series. There was something of that too in Sydney Lumett's movie although the movie tends more to be a spectacular super production with an extraordinary cast difficult to equal today.Even the music of the film was spectacular with it's theme in the rhythm of waltz punctuating the sound of the locomotive and the rails, and somehow referring to the decadence of the period the late thirties and the horrors impending later. The television adaptation has a great cast but not really movie stars like Widmark,Finney,Cassel, Bacall and others in the movie. In the television production Poirot gives us the date of the action: 1936. The book was published in 1934 and make reference to the Lingbergh kidnap case of 1932. But may be that already Christie had some doubts about the political events going on after Hitler's and the Nazis coming to power in 1933. Justice is more and more torn to pieces by those monsters. This revolts Poirot. The ending of the television production is by far in accordance with the character and the way Christie judged Poirot. Poirot for the only time in his life has lost his case in his eyes.

This movie is based on Captain The Hon. Ewen Edward Samuel Montagu, CBE, QC, DL, RNR (19 March 1901 - 19 July 1985) book published in 1954. Montagu wanted to publish it earlier but MI5 opposed the publication fearing that it would create a diplomatic incident with the Spanish authorities; after lengthy negotiations, he was at last authorized to do it on conditions of eventual rewritings by different people concerned by the history. Montagu on the other had decided not to divulge the name of the man whose corpse was used for the operation Mincemeat. Many books have been published just after the war until progressively details were unclassified. To my knowledge the last one which I've just finished reading was written by Ben Macintyre and published in 2010 and is to be considered the true story containing in particular the fact that in 1996 at last was discovered the true name of Bill Martin which was Michael Glyndwr. So the movie as well as Montagu's book contains many modifications so that people still alive at that time should remain hidden. Of course today the movie would be done not only respecting history but even some facts which were known to the public thru the book; for instance Jewell and his officers on the submarine were to sink the canister; when they tried to do so, it did not although they shot at it and they had to use to use explosive in the end. The movie is also special to me because I happened to meet Bob McNaught the associate producer of the movie in 1964. Bob used to live in Denham and was a friend of a producer, Maxwell Setton (he produced another true story of WWII, "I was Monty double" starring the actor who actually personified Marshall Montgomery for MI5 Double Cross System ) who happened to be the husband of my godmother Eve. Bob was a Glider Pilot in the British Glider Pilot Regiment during World War II. He was part of Operation Market Garden and took part in the fighting in Arnhem during September 1944 with the British 1st Airborne Division. In the summer of 1964 I spent my vacations in Denham at Max and Eve's White cottage situated a few yards from Bob's. Bob was a music and opera lover. I was at that time 23 and I spent a whole afternoon at Bob's cottage listening to operas excerpts and also discovering the music of Richard Strauss. Bob's Labrador "Jojo" with his full weight on my knees! Moreover Bob spent the afternoon pouring huge and strong Gin and Tonics in my glass! while I was enthralled by Puccini's La Bohème sung by Renata Tebaldi I really did not pay much attention to what I was drinking and the result was particularly catastrophic when I had to leave the house and walk back to my godmother's house! It took me some 15 minutes to reach it and I was told the next morning that I was in an extremely happy mood during the dinner, putting a great "ambiance", a great moment before waking up the next morning with a huge hangover! The last time I met Bob was in Nice in 1966 while I was a member of the second unit of a Columbia movie. I thoroughly recommend the reading of Ben Macintyre's book which has very funny passages, especially during the Sicily attack and of course others quite moving. Claude from Paris France