The Affair at the Victory Ball

Poirot and Hastings attend the Victory Ball. A costume party where people dress up as someone famous. Others have gone dressed as classical Italian characters. Poirot has arrived as himself.

The dead body of Viscount Cronshaw is discovered, the press is having a field day as the murder took place under the nose of Poirot.

Later the police break into Cronshaw's girlfriend flat, an actress called Coco Courtney. Her body is found, due to a cocaine overdose.

The featured building in this episode is BBC's Broadcasting House. The climax takes place in a live radio broadcast led by Poirot has he brings the clues together live to the nation.

I really did like how Poirot put all miniature pieces together including a daring move to catch the murderer in an off handed way.

What a total delight to see Inspector Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) on this Poirot episode, looking so young and handsome.

In this 1991 episode, Poirot attends the Victory Ball, a costume party. Since you're supposed to go as someone famous, he attends as himself. Six people go as characters from classic Italian commedia dell'arte, which includes Arlequino, Il Capitano, Pulcinella, that crowd.

When one of them is found dead, Poirot and Inspector Japp endeavor to find the murderer. A second death follows. Poirot announces the denouement on live radio.

Very good, lively episode with Poirot his usual smart and funny self. David Suchet is so good that it's very jarring to see him when he's not Poirot, he's so different. He's complete perfection, and manages to make what could be a very stuffy, arrogant character a warm one.

Enjoyable and entertaining.

As per the following, personal list:

1. Twin Peaks (30 episodes overall) 2. Prime Suspect 3. Strauss Dynasty 4. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes: The Illustrious Client 5. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes: The Problem of Thor Bridge 6. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes: The Boscombe Valley Mystery 7. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes: The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax 8. Poirot: How Does Your Garden Grow? 9. Poirot: The Affair at the Victory Ball 10. Law & Order: The Torrents of Greed: Parts 1 + 2

Agatha Christie often wound her mysteries around the real events and history of the times in which they took place. And, so it is with this story and film, "The Affair at the Victory Ball." After the end of World War I on November 11, 1918, the Royal Albert Hall held a thanksgiving service attended by royalty; and then a Victory Ball on Nov. 27. English poet and author Alfred Noyes had been invited to the ball. He wrote a poem, "The Victory Ball," that The Saturday Evening Post published in 1920. His poem describes wounded young men from the war looking over the celebration, which seems to have no thought of those who had died.

In the years after that, a victory ball was held at different venues and became less a memorial of war and more of a masquerade party. Such is the event in this story. This serves as an unusual setting for Christie's Hercule Poirot. But, the master sleuth is up to the task. After some newspaper publicity that notes he is baffled by the case, he unmasks the demon over the air waves of the BBC.

As the title suggests, the intrigue and crime take place at the masquerade ball. Because Poirot and perennial sidekick Captain Hastings attend the ball, the film has some little scenes in which Poirot overhears or sees someone who will play in the mystery. This episode involves illegal drugs, and Poirot expounds on cocaine as the real demon. A second watch of this episode many years after its initial airing was just as interesting and enjoyable as the first.

This TV episode from Mystery Theater (BBC in England to PBS in America), has some poignant gems and philosophic shots as well as occasional snippets of humor. My favorite line is when Hastings appears in his costume as Sir Percy Blakeney, and recites the first line of Sir Percy's short poetic pun from "The Scarlet Pimpernel." "They seek him here, they seek him there, those Frenchies seek him everywhere." (The rest of the poem as Sir Percy recites it reds, "Is he in heaven or is he in hell? That damned elusive Pimpernel."

Here are some more favorite lines from this mystery. James Ackerley (played by Andrew Burt), "Are you sure I can't persuade you to ¬¬¬¬¬¬ recount some of your juicier cases on the radio?" Hercule Poirot, "Alas, no. You see, monsieur, murder - real murder is not an entertainment."

Hercule Poirot, "Because the devil himself dances among us, but we do not see him."

Hercule Poirot, "Chief Inspector, you really ought to look to your elocution." Inspector Japp, "Swat me, there's nothing wrong with my lingo." Poirot, "You see. That is exactly the kind of expression... that brings the language into disrepute."

Hercule Poirot,"I shall lend to the chief inspector my personal copy of the English as she should be spoken."

Poirot and Hastings attend the Victory Ball, a costume party. (Poirot goes as himself...). During the ball the body of Viscount Cronshaw is found - he has been stabbed to death. That same evening the body of another of the party goers, Coco Courtney, is found in her flat. She died of a cocaine overdose. The next day the newspapers are painting Poirot as a failure, for being at the murder scene but not being able to solve the case. This makes Poirot even more determined to find the killer.

Intriguing murder mystery, with a few good twists and one decent red herring. Quite visually sumptuous as well - the ball scenes are full of great colour and costumes and hark back to a lost era.

Good ending too - the radio broadcast was a nice touch.