L'homme au complet marron

Being a fan of Agatha Christie, I searched for this rare TV movie for quite some time. All of the VHS copies I found were in PAL and as I live in America, I was unable to view them. When I located a DVD copy of this film I pounced on it and wasn't horribly disappointed. Anne Beddingford has purposely put herself on the wrong plane and ends up in Cairo. She encounters an accident when a man runs in front of a taxi to get away from someone. All that she has as a clue now is a small bit of paper and a glimpse of the "man in the brown suit" who has been linked to a beautiful night club singer's murder. The plot thickens and Anne finds herself in a sea of suspects and, later, on the killer's hit list. While the plot line has been changed quite a bit, this film still has the undeniable touch of Christie to it. Many of the characters are a bit phony (the heroine Anne) and others were almost unbearably BAD (Tony Randolff), but they are overshadowed by Rue McClannahan, whom I thought stole the show. The plot is far more exciting than other Christie books. There are a couple killings, a couple attempted killings, a love story, and a kidnapping sequence. I enjoyed the film, it had a campy edge to it which made it kinda fun.

Uneven Agatha Christie adaptation with great locales, a swift adventure pace, and an odd assortment of acting styles from an equally odd assortment of then popular TV stars. Ken Howard ("The White Shadow") does a Humphrey Bogart spoof, Tony Randall ("The Odd Couple") does comedy skit impersonations, Rue McClanahan ("Golden Girls") plays her familiar Blanche character, Edward Woodward ("The Equalizer") is doing light theater, and Stephanie Zimbalist ("Remington Steele") at times looks like Pinocchio with wooden legs trying to balance on her two feet. I can't tell if the film was badly miscast (Tony Randall's role should really been done with an unknown unrecognizable actor), badly scripted, or just bad direction choices. My guess, a little of each. Imagine the director telling each of his actors that they were in a different type of film (spoof, mystery, adventure, drama, comedy, etc...) and you get an idea of what happens on screen. Still, the pace, humor, and locales actually make this one of the most enjoyable Christie inspired efforts and one you won't likely be nodding off to. Maybe there is a method to the madness afterall, or at least a purpose. I taped this film during it's original broadcast in 1989 and still watch it from time to time as a guilty pleasure. Go figure.

The Man in the Brown Suit is the last of some 1980s TV movies made as US/UK co-productions for CBS TV. Changing the location to Cairo (the film was actually shot in Madrid and Cadiz) does the story no harm. Ken Westbury's beautiful photography of cascading waterfalls and other lush scenery is certainly an asset, and Alan Shayne's high production values make the film worth watching. The script is fairly well-written by Carla Jean Wagner.

Once again, second-tier American TV actors associated with current or recently past CBS productions, are included (as well as Tony Randall). Stephanie Zimbalist is a little too cutesy at times, while Rue McClanahan thinks this film is another episode of The Golden Girls. Ken Howard is bland and mediocre at the best of times.

On the other hand the aforementioned actors' British counterparts show them what acting is all about. Best in the cast is Edward Woodward, a great talent who gives a splendid performance. Woodward had just finished a five-year run on CBS as Robert McCall in "The Equalizer," and that may have had something to do with him being in this film (lucky for us!!!). Simon Dutton, who was starring as Simon Templar in TV films of "The Saint" at this time (1988-89) is quite good as "the man in the brown suit." And Nickolas Grace is also quite effective as secretary Guy Underhill.

Warner Brothers' TV policy was to cast actors who were identifiable to TV audiences in the U.S, which does not mean they chose people of great talent or suitability to the roles. They should have taken a lesson from the BBC, Thames TV, London Weekend TV and ITV, all of whom flawlessly cast their productions with actors reflecting the character of their parts, capturing the wonderful flavour of Agatha Christie's writing.

"The Man in the Brown Suit", a made-for-TV movie adapted from an Agatha Christie novel, is lightweight entertainment. While its not quite in the same league as the great 1978 theatrical release "Death on the Nile" or even 1974's "Murder on the Orient Express", it's still an interesting murder mystery. Stephanie Zimbalist stars as a woman looking for adventure in Egypt. She stumbles across an accident that is linked to a recent murder. She follows a clue onto a cruise ship that features the usual assortment of odd, colorful characters. Among the passengers she meets: Edward Woodward as a man of English royalty; Rue McClanahan as a southern belle (who at times seems to be playing her "Golden Girls" character Blanche); Tony Randall as a reverend with a awkward speaking voice; and Ken Howard as a CIA operative who's tracking the mystery himself. She also meets the mystery man of the title. Most of the performances are good except for Randall who's miscast badly (especially when he turns up in a couple of different roles that I won't go into), and the film for the most part is entertaining. Worth a look if you can find it on TV.

*** (out of four)

This could have been a lot better. Stephanie Zimbalist and Simon Dutton are good as the leads with romantic sparks. The rest of the cast is good, but the script does not give them much chance to show their talents.

The main problem is with the pacing. The set-up to the story is interesting, but the action really drags at times, especially near the end. On the plus side, this is a basically enjoyable little movie, and a reminder of the now-vanished art form of the network TV-movie! I think it would have been more fun, had the producers chosen to set it in the 1920's or 1930's, prime Agatha Christie periods; but perhaps budget issues made them make it contemporary.

Bottom line: a modest, fairly enjoyable light mystery with some humor, and two leads with charm. Not a standout mystery film, but not bad.