Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

Agatha Christie television two-parter with Francesca ANNIS and James WARWICK

Agatha CHRISTIE (1890-1976) was not particularly enthusiastic about the television adaptations of her crime novels. So it happened that most of her books were shown in the cinema during her lifetime. After the death of the "Queen Of Crime" that changed. That's why the production company London Weekend Television was able to broadcast this very faithful film adaptation of the author's 15th crime novel, which was published in the UK in 1934, on March 30, 1980. The film was directed by John DAVIES and Tony WHARMBY and the excellent screenplay was written by Pat SANDYS.

He's certainly not a passable golfer, this really likeable Bobby Jones (James WARWICK), who is once again practicing his shots with a friend on the cliffs. The two find a man who has fallen off the cliff, and as he is dying he can only ask: "Why didn't they ask Evans?" This is a question that can no longer be left in the mind of Bobby, the lovable good-for-nothing, and soon afterwards also of his childhood friend, the lovely Lady Frances Derwent (Francesca ANNIS). Especially since other strange things happen. Bobby, who is now really difficult to place, is offered a dream job in Argentina. Shortly afterwards, a poison attack was carried out on him, which luckily failed. Is there perhaps more to the whole matter? The two young people take heart and investigate on their own. They come across the strange Bassington-French family...

What a pleasure! This brilliant film adaptation of a lesser-known crime novel by the world-famous author marked the starting signal for a true Agatha Christie revival on television. Further film adaptations such as THE SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY (1981, again with James WARWICK) and a whole series such as PARTNERS IN CRIME (1983-1984, with Francesca ANNIS and James WARWICK as the detective couple Tommy and Tuppence) were to follow. Not to forget the long-running series about CHRISTIE's star detective "Miss Marple" (1984-1992) and "Hercule Poirot" (1989-2013)!

But back to "Evans"! Great locations in Buckinghamshire, a narrative very close to CHRISTIE's original and fantastic actors bring the right atmosphere across. This is certainly rather slow and leisurely for today's viewing habits, but that's what Agatha CHRISTIE's novels are like. Watching the two slightly overwhelmed amateur detectives looking for murderers is just great fun. Naivety suddenly meets unrestrained malevolence. And evil has an attractive and fascinating effect on both investigators. A rogue who doesn't draw political parallels to the British appeasement policy of the 1930s. Agatha CHRISTIE may not have thought quite like that, but the work is always smarter than the author.

Francesca ANNIS (*1944), who had already appeared in VIER FRAUEN UND EIN MORD (1963), was the better-known TV actress at the time and was certainly cast as the star of this production. The real discovery of this film, however, is James WARWICK, born in 1947. With a dachshund look and naive charm, he not only plays his way into the heart of the sophisticated Lady Frances, but also wins the audience's sympathy. The chemistry between the two is so good that a few years later they were able to become the dream cast for Tommy and Tuppence.

Other roles include: John GIELGUD (Reverend Jones, Bobby's father), Bernard MILES, Eric PORTER, Leigh LAWSON (alongside the German GOLDEN GLOBE winner Nastassja KINSKI in TESS), Madeline SMITH, Connie BOOTH, Robert LONGDEN. Joan HICKSON (1906-1998), the later Miss Marple (1984-1992), delivers a small masterpiece in the role of a gossip-addicted socialite.

Oh yes, in German the novel on which it is based is also known as "Ein Schritt ins Leere / A Step into the Empty".

Highly recommended, both book and film adaptation!

I really like this hidden gem. I have no complaint about the length, which I've seen others here complain about. The length really gives the viewer time to get acquainted with the characters and all the intricacies in the plot.

I love whodunits, and fills that exact craving well. Also, there is a tinge of British comedy strung throughout. James Warwick and Francesca Annis are just perfect for this role. I find this movie to be better than their "Partners in Crime" shows.

All in all, I find it really enjoyable to watch, and hard to guess the plot if you haven't read the book. I highly recommend it!

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? is a scene for scene adaptation of the very good Agatha Christie novel of the same name which runs to 3 hours. It is not paced in the way that most modern movies or television adaptations would be for that reason. Accordingly, it is best watched in one or two sittings. When given half a chance it is great fun.

I've seen this film twice and it improved on the second viewing. The period character of the film, vaguely early '30's, is very good, and the film is chock full of veteran British character actors who give wonderful performances, among the most fun is Sir John Gielgud who plays Bobby, the male lead's father. Even more fun is a completely over the top cameo by Joan Hickson as a Mrs. Rivington. Hickson is of course the epitomal Miss Marple in the '80's and '90's television adaptations, but here she plays a hilarious and empty-headed society hostess to stunningly comic efect.

All in all, a very engaging and faithful dramatization.

This BBC version of an Agatha Christie book shows the pitfalls of following a book too closely. Christie's books tend to move at a gentle, sometimes even sedate pace, and "Evans" is one that certainly does. It also has a solid school of red herrings to confuse the plot. This version is extremely faithful to the book, which results in a very slow, involved story. As a Christie fan, I gave it 7 stars, but it takes 3 hours to make its way through a relatively action-free story. I appreciate some of the tightening of plots that the BBC did for its later Christie productions much more.

In the end, this movie is a leisurely pleasure, highlighted by the breathy waif Francesca Annis who brings considerable charisma to her role and plays off James Warwick very well.

This movie adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel is similar in feel to "The Seven Dials", and has a number of the same actors in it, but I found it inferior. The movie is quite long, but it still manages to leave several things unexplained by the end. The traditional "explanation" scene at the end, where the devious plans of the criminal(s) are laid bare, is oddly uninvolving, despite the fact that the heroine is alone in a big house, at the mercy of the killer. It seems to go on forever, and seems to be answering questions that no one really bothered to ask. Besides, there is one outrageous piece of information provided at this moment that the viewer could not possibly have known, and which is thrown in just to make things easier for the villains. I suspect this is the fault of the original book (Christie was not above tossing in a sort of deus ex machina, especially in her early books) but it leaves the viewer feeling cheated.

Francesca Annis is a touch too smug and smooth in her portrayal of Frankie, and I found her "bright young thing" character grating after a while. Eric Porter, as the suspicious Dr. Nicholson, gives the best performance of the movie, both affable and alarming.